We are delighted to welcome
Roja Dove, Professeur de parfums, founder of
Haute Parfumerie - and appearing perhaps in a role that is less often stressed - perfumer, on these pages. Roja Dove has recently launched a trio of perfume creations titled
Scandal, Unspoken, and
Enslaved, which we
reported about earlier and which is his inaugural attempt at a relatively more mainstream approach to the dissemination of perfume delight. It is not by chance that there is the word "Haute" in "Haute Parfumerie", his perfumery for the connoisseur at Harrods, which proposes a personal selection of perfumes he considers worthy of the esthete's attention, as well as his work as a perfumer.
Roja Dove's own creations are usually known only to the happy few, extremely limited in their editions, and as you will see in this interview, they bring the concept of exclusivity to new heights.
With this new trio, we see a more ready-to-wear approach in terms of distribution, yet the philosophy presiding over the creations of the fragrances remains very niche, that is, that there is no brief and, yes, that there is an insistence of high quality ingredients sourced with exceptional care. This is at least what "niche" is supposed to mean in the best sense of the term, although one would have to notice that is does appear at times to just be another overblown marketing label, except in terms of limited distribution.
Interviewing Roja Dove over the telephone felt almost like a conversation at times. It was a delightful experience and for us there was a sense of contributing a few more pages to the fragile history of perfumes. We could have asked even more numerous questions but we had to limit ourselves. Despite this precaution the interview is long so we have decided it was best to publish it in several installments.Today is part I/4.
Marie-Hélène Wagner: First, thank you for accepting to take our questions.
I might perhaps start with a question about the origins of this perfume creation project. Because you have been for so long in this industry, more than thirty years, it must have been quite a long time in the making. And also, was it initially your motivation for entering the perfume industry, to pursue a career as a perfumer?
Roja Dove: I’ve only really worked on this project for two years, so it’s not so long. I mean I started on it two years ago. I’ve made perfumes for a long time, for a very small clientèle. It’s normally a private clientèle and fragrances are bespoke. That service is something I never normally seek publicity for. It gets written about from time to time but and I also have, I’m sure you know, the Haute Parfumerie in Harrods and in this place I have various fragrances for sale. They’re hidden in a drawer.........
Continue reading "Interview with Roja Dove, Perfumer, Professeur de Parfums, & Founder of Haute Parfumerie at Harrods - Part One {Passion for Perfume - Portrait}" »
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