Carlotha Ray: A. Orunesu

CARLOTHA

RAY hauTe Parfumerie engagée

Carlotha Ray, in the words of the founder of the brand Mariela Schwarz Montiel, ‘wants to make the difference’, starting from her footwear. And continuing with the trio of fragrances created by the nose Jean-Michel Duriez. For the first time ever in the world of perfumery, there is a new approach to the concept of luxury, where creativity and sustainable development walk hand in hand. The designer Mariela Schwarz Montiel, Antonello Orunesu Preiata, co-founder of HIM Co, the company that owns the brand, and the nose Jean-Michel Duriez talk to us about it.

HIM Co

INTERVIEW WITH ANTONELLO ORUNESU PREIATA, HIM Co CFO AND CO-FOUNDER

EXPORT MAGAZINE: Carlotha Ray is a brand that belongs to your Group and which recently launched a collection of fragrances. Can you tell us about this brand…? ANTONELLO ORUNESU PREIATA: Carlotha Ray is one of our brands, created in 2018 thanks to a stylistic idea of Mariela Schwarz, a designer with whom our Group has worked for quite some time.

Mariela’s stylistic input has considerable value and is expressed through the common thread of pursuing sustainability in everything and for everything, with her style being inspired by nature and all the materials connected with it. This led to the creation of a series of flipflops in various colours and in rubber which is 100% ecological, both concerning the composition and the colouring. Mariela’s attitude and approach has definitely influenced the creation of the brand, which combines a love for beauty and for a natural world full of appeal and mystery. The creation of a collection of fragrances is merely the extension of this concept.

EM: A concept that expresses a new approach to the world of luxury… AOP: If by the world of luxury we mean the top players, that of Carlotha Ray is another type of luxury, based on coherence in wanting to fully respect nature. It is a lifestyle brand which has made sustainability its raison d’être. When we created the fragrances, the idea was clear from the very start: to create a product that avoided the environmental impact as far as possible, the bottle is lighter and is made from 40% recycled glass, the packaging is 100% recyclable, and the cap is made from PEFC certified wood; in addition, our fragrance is available, from the second purchase, in the form of a refill, again made from glass. It is very important for me to underline that what we declare to the market about sustainability is totally certified. We move with caution, looking for the best materials and the best partners to create suitable products. The market has already rewarded us; the brand’s fragrances, launched in September 2021 received in April 2022 the prize of the BEAUTE STARS MADAME FIGARO 2022 in the ‘Produit Espoir’ category. This gives us confidence and energy to continue along our path.

EM: It is not always an easy task to be precursors; you talked about the careful choice of partners, are you referring to anyone in particular? AOP: Mariela Schwarz is our inspiring muse, who has made Carlotha Ray a representative of a fashion with profound values, and we are reflecting, in the near future, of adding other product categories to the fragrance, such as home and ready-to-wear. For the fragrances, I am extremely grateful to our French consultants of Helius, who opened the gates of knowledge of this world to us, developing products that are perfectly in line with the philosophy of the brand. A particular note of praise goes to the creator of the three fragrances which make up the collection, the maestro Jean-Michel Duriez, who was able to interpret and enhance the spirit of the brand. The expertise of the team has enabled the fragrances to be sold and appreciated in several parts of the world. We are in France and in South Korea, the next to be opening are the Middle Eastern countries, and we are at an advanced stage of talks in many other parts of the world.

EM: We are curious about the story of HIM Co; a manufacturing site in the industrial part of Venice and a showroom in Milan. Is being an Italian product an advantage? AOP: Ours is an anomalous story; we come from a Japanese group listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Onward, which during the period of the pandemic decided to sell its businesses. Fabio Ducci and I decided to make a management buyout and together founded HIM Co, giving continuity to an industrial tradition more than thirty years old, of which Fabio is the President and CEO and I am the CFO. It was a courageous decision of which we are proud, as we have taken over six companies of the former Japanese group which already operated in Italy, making it a totally Italian and independent group. Our DNA is of manufacturers of shoes and clothing. Carlotha Ray is the only brand we own. Our main activity is as licensee, i.e. we make and distribute brands under licence. For example, for footwear, we make and distribute brands such as JW Anderson, Proenza Schouler, Capasa, Rochas and Victoria Beckham. In the clothing sector, we produce and distribute Rochas and Nick Fouquet (a Californian start-up) and we have a contract of production only with another US brand, Another Tomorrow. You asked me whether being made in Italy is an advantage. In the world of the fashion industry it is, because it is synonymous with craftsmanship that is handed down over time, the habit of ‘doing things well.’ The important brands are French, but Italian as well. And let’s not forget that there is the entrepreneurial fabric in our country, made up of passion and expertise. The fact that some major international players are aggregating Italian manufacturers means that there is excellence in our country.

marieLa schWarz monTieL

EXPORT MAGAZINE: Ms. Schwarz Montiel, can you talk to us about the Carlotha Ray brand? When did you create it and what is the concept behind it? MARIELA SCHWARZ MONTIEL: We started the brand in 2020. We did all the preparation for the fragrance during the lockdown. It was a really good time to reflect on doing something really special for the brand.

EM: The whole brand is related to sustainability. Why is this so important to you? MSM: I am an idealist. I love fashion and my gift is the ability to design, but deep down in my heart I am a person who wants to make a difference. The world needs to change and I think that in the very near future, we will all be working in the right direction. We no longer have a choice. About what made me create Carlotha Ray was the idea of making sustainable the most widely used type of shoes in the world, and the flipflop is this shoe! So I wanted to make something really beautiful and unique in terms of design to seduce people so that they can consume something that is harmless for the planet. My dream is to be able to bury our shoes in the earth and they will be absorbed in the most natural and fastest way. We are working with researchers at the University of Padua to make this dream come true. Every piece combines grace with femininity in a 100% vegan design, created from natural compostable rubber, with no leather or any other animal-derived products. The new-generation satin fibre used for some designs is produced by recycling plastic bottles. While natural dyes are obtained from recycled natural materials such as eggshells, rice, charcoal and flower petals. In another original and poetic touch, pieces are also delicately fragranced using natural rose and lilyof-the-valley essences.

EM: The Carlotha Ray fragrances have some specific characteristics that make them unique. Do you think that the market is ready for them? MSM: The world is changing towards our way of consumption; transparency is in demand and we all consult applications that give us information, whether good or bad. This awareness makes me believe that in the future, consumers will demand this type of products and since sales are increasing, we trust that we were right! And thank God there are many people who are starting consuming in a more sustainable way !

EM: Why is the brand called Carlotha Ray? MSM: I drew inspiration for the brand from my grandmother, Carlotha Despierre de Montiel, who was an advocate for environmental conservation and particularly for reforestation.

EM: You are originally from Paraguay. Can you tell us about your journey to luxury footwear and now fragrances? MSM: I have designed in many areas: from tableware for the French porcelain manufacturer Raynaud since 2012, as well as for some of the major couture houses, as I am an avid fashion and footwear enthusiast. I am delighted by my new venture with the Carlotha Ray brand and with the shoes and the fragrances I hope to make a difference, even if small, to the planet.

EXPORT MAGAZINE: Maestro Duriez, your reputation precedes you… the nose of Jean Patou for fourteen years, at Parfums Rochas for eight years and an independent parfumeur for five years. When you were offered the chance to create the fragrances for the Carlotha Ray brand, what was your first thought? JEAN-MICHEL DURIEZ: When you are the creator of a fragrance, and you work on a project of an already existing brand, in the case of Carlotha Ray a brand of footwear, what counts the most is understanding the universe of the maison, and its concept and DNA. I met the creator Mariela Schwarz, I was able to touch her creations, and above all I listened to what she was expecting about the three fragrances that I would have created for her. The first step was more creative and the second more technical. As the whole brand is based on eco-sustainability, a topic that underlies the philosophy of Mariela and Carlotha Ray, the priority for me as well was to respect this fundamental line, finding the best compromise between being as creative as possible, creating fragrances of luxury perfumery, and maintaining the vocation of the brand. We could speak of ‘haute parfumerie engagée’. Let me say that the creative part comes out of me instinctively; for the technical part I had to, every time I thought of a formula or of an ingredient, validate that idea assessing it with the eco-responsible part, which asked for the use of non-controversial ingredients, as natural as possible, upcycled and vegan. The alcohol used, which represents 80% of the product, is natural and organic. As far as the ingredients are concerned, the aim has always been to use as many natural raw materials as possible, with the awareness, as a nose, of not having at my disposal sufficient natural components to give shape to all the ideas. As an example, in « Poire & Santal Blanc », which won the Beauté Stars Madame Figaro award, I used natural sandalwood essence, but couldn’t use a natural essence of pear which doesn’t exist. For most of fruit and vegetables, it is not technically possible to get natural extracts. In such case we use our nose to reinvent and copy what nature cannot give. I used sandalwood essence, which is natural and it was not possible to use the natural, essence of pear because as for other fruit and vegetables, it is not technically possible. Perfumery, in its modern language, is a relatively young trade, it is about 120 years old, and we hope that in the near future research by the essence specialists will lead to extracting a greater amount of natural raw materials.

Jean-micheL duriez

The solution for the moment remains that of combining as many natural ingredients as possible with other synthetic materials. In the three fragrances created, to respect the brief given by Mariela, I used as many natural ingredients as possible, including upcycled ones. I am satisfied with the result obtained, which has allowed us to remain in luxury perfumery.

EM: Can you describe the three fragrances to us? What do they have in common? JMD: All the fragrances in the range are inspired by nature or by the world of plants; Mariela, originally from Paraguay and who now lives in Limoges, France, finds herself in nature and the greatest expression of beauty and perfection. To express the world of Mariela, I invented an olfactory signature that was common to all three fragrances, so that by smelling one perfume, it recalls the other two, identifying the matrix of the brand, as for the footwear. The common base is called ‘cuir de fleur’, and is made up of the assembly of some ingredients: yerba maté, osmanthus, plant-based leather and oak moss. When assembled on the same base, they create an imaginary smell of a herbal leather. Just like when Mariela chooses to use latex instead of leather. ‘Mandarine & Maté Vert’ is the first fragrance, the ‘greenest-smelling’ of the three. It expresses the first walk in the morning that Mariela takes, barefoot in the grass, the complete immersion in nature with the plants as they wake up and transmit so much energy to you, together with that of yerba maté for her morning drink. The yerba maté mingles with sparkling accords of mandarin, lime and passionfruit. Along with fragrant scents of lavender and thyme, heightened by osmanthus and lime blossom. Woody notes of oakmoss, patchouli

and vetiver complement the green and dewy freshness of this morning fragrance. ‘Poire & Santal Blanc’ relates a Sunday afternoon that Mariela spends in complete relaxation, listening to her music and reading her books. For this zen moment, Mariela asked me to create a fragrance that represented this cool, sweet, relaxing and velvety side. The scent is illuminated by notes of crisp pear, bergamot, lemon and pink pepper, complemented by relaxing accords of white flowers, osmanthus, ylang ylang and blackcurrant. Notes of sandalwood, oakmoss, plant leather and yerba maté infuse the fragrance with warmth. It is a very delicate fragrance that respects the delicate side of the Carlotha Ray maison. ‘Rose Blanche & Gardénia’ is a fragrance that sees Mariela first spend a lovely and slightly glamorous evening with friends, characterized by the French ‘art de vivre’ and then when she is alone, contemplating nature and remembering the lovely times of the evening. There are two important elements that complete one another for this fragrance: the rose, more classic which expresses the sexier and more glamorous side, and the gardenia, more exotic, which expresses a certain warmth and modernity; this is supported by a note of musk which gives that elegant, poudré and tenacious touch, for an infinite and eternal star-studded night. It is a sensual scent which combines white rose, rose de mai, purple rose and gardenia. These notes are heightened by the ‘cuir de fleur’ signature, while oakmoss and yerba maté add a green twist.

EM: Are you satisfied by this new experience? Are you aware of having given a first important signal to the world of what you have defined ‘haute parfumerie engagée’? JMD: I hope that both professionals and consumers perceive the signal that Carlotha Ray has wanted to give to the world of perfumery as well. I was very pleased to accept this change because I think that it is right for perfumery from today and for the years to come to set itself the constant objective of creating increasingly ecosustainable concepts, using new processes of extraction that extend the possibility of using natural and recycled materials. A new era is beginning for olfactory composition and I am delighted to have written three beautiful pages. Claudia Stagno