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•• Interview with Serge Lutens Around El Attarine And Serge Noire ••
1) TSS: El Attarine is a reference to Arabian culture, to a well-defined place, the coranic school of Fès. It was written regarding Serge Noire that it is a perfume "without a sense of place". Are these two perfumes complementary ones for you?
- Serge Lutens: "El Attarine" is a perfume which synthetizes all the history or rather that spirit which presided over the birth of my perfumery, which has its roots in Morocco.
"Serge Noire" is not a perfume without a sense of place. It is quite the opposite in fact! It is situated on my own itinerary. I imagined and created Dior makeup and its image from 1968 to 1980. This period made me experience the last moments of what I would term "Parisian Haute Couture" (La Haute Couture parisienne): luxury (genuine, this time), rigor, mastery and respect for the feminine body image. That muffled atmosphere of the show rooms, of the fashion presentations - much more ritualistic than fashion shows - has made the perfume come to fruition in myself. An ethereal atmosphere, an elegance that is silent on a background of black serge suit materials, pale complexions, and tight straight hairdos......
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Photo © Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido Serge Lutens s'exprime autour de la création de ses deux derniers parfums, El Attarine et Serge Noire. Nous apprenons qu' El Attarine est un condensé de son expérience d'artiste et d'esthète du cinquième sens, un hommage rendu à la parfumerie lutensienne d'inspiration arabe. Quant à Serge Noire, il est son parfum le plus personnel, son préféré aussi, mais aussi de manière plus inattendue, un hommage rendu à l'esprit de Dior filtré par le souvenir et l'imaginaire de Serge Lutens.... Interview de Serge Lutens •• Autour d’El Attarine et de Serge Noire
1) TSS - El Attarine est une référence à la culture arabe, à un lieu même bien particulier, l’école coranique de Fès. Il est dit de Serge Noire qu’il s’agit d’un parfum “sans lieu”. Sont-ce là deux parfums complémentaires pour vous?
Serge Lutens: “El attarine” est un parfum qui reprend toute l’histoire ou plutôt l’esprit de la naissance de ma parfumerie, prenant racine au Maroc.
“Serge Noire” n’est pas un parfum sans lieu. Bien au contraire ! Il se situe sur mon parcours. J’ai imaginé et crée le maquillage Dior et son image de 1968 à 1980. Cette période m’a fait connaître les derniers instants de ce que je nommerais “la Haute Couture parisienne” : luxe (réel, cette fois), rigueur, maîtrise et respect de l’aimage du corps féminin. Cette atmosphère feutrée des salons de présentation, des défilés – beaucoup plus rituels que shows – a fait naître ce parfum en moi. Une atmosphère éthérée, une élégance silencieuse sur fond de tissus tailleurs en serge noire, teints pâles et cheveux plats......
Continue reading "•• Interview de Serge Lutens •• Autour de El Attarine et de Serge Noire {Passion for Perfume - Portrait}" »
When Ralph Wild by Ralph Lauren first discreetly launched in late 2007, we immediately became aware of its existence as we got an email a few days before New Year revealing a certain sense of urgency from a young reader named Terra, "I'm looking for a new perfume by Ralph Lauren that a friend said she found
in Macy's called Ralph Wild, and I can't seem to find anything about it
anywhere. Have you heard of it? I don't see it anywhere on your blog."
We were able to provide her with a link to Dillard's, where it was already in store, and to make an announcement illustrated with an early preview of the ad found on Sephora with model Amanda Charlwood but without any further details given about the new Ralph. Later we were able to do a brief review of the perfume which we thought was better than expected, offering a nice strawberry jammy quality, like a more laid-back and younger version of Miss Dior Chérie.
This time, Ralph Lauren has decided to launch an internet-only communication campaign, including a contest to win a Vespa, and this is why The Scented Salamander got the opportunity to interview assistant vice-president for Ralph Lauren Fragrances Linda Kramer who developed the fragrance together with Olivier Gilotin and Jim Krivda. It is not easy to break the reserve of a corporate officer working for the mainstream fragrance industry, but Linda Kramer graciously accepted to answer some of our questions. We think this Q & A gives you some insights into how a prestige, more mass-marketed fragrance comes about and how it is conceived. For example, the design and packaging inspire the scent composition. If any young people are interested in becoming fragrance developers, you know what to expect. And by the way, Lauren, which is mentioned in the interview, used to be a great perfume. Bring it back! Pauline adds "Ralph Lauren Blue is a great office scent!" Perfume Q & A with Linda Kramer
1 - How did the creative team decide to express the idea of “wildness” in Ralph Wild?
The first step is to identify the key elements of the brand – This fragrance was designed to represent a girl who is spontaneous, fearless and confident. We also look at the imagery and the color of the packaging. Based on all of these elements of Ralph Wild, it was clear to us that we needed to create a fragrance that would make a bold statement but would also tie in the Ralph Wild Girl’s personality and the color of the packaging.
2- Juicy candied nuances and fruity-floral perfumes seem to be very popular nowadays, why do you think that is?
Fruity floral fragrances with candy-like and edible nuances are indeed very popular right now. The reason being is the comforting, familiarity of these notes as well as the nostalgic effect they have on us. These types of notes have the amazing ability to olfactively transport us back to the happy memories of our youth......
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 In this informative in-house interview conducted by biehl. parfumkunstwerke, we learn about the process of creation of the house's perfumes in the words of Egon Oelkers. He is also a senior perfumer at Symrise and head of their new perfumery training program (cf. Perfumer & Flavorist). He composed eo01, eo02, and eo03 for the brand.
“Every perfumer dreams of a chance like this.”
Egon Oelkers about his cooperation with Thorsten Biehl and his own Parfumkunstwerke.
How did the cooperation with Thorsten Biehl come about?
That’s an old connection. I know Thorsten Biehl from his time with the fragrance producer Symrise, where he was working in marketing and sales. I also worked closely for a long time with his father, perfumer Henning Biehl. When roughly a year ago Thorsten Biehl launched biehl. parfumkunstwerke, he asked me if I would like to develop three personal fragrances for him – and naturally I assented.
How did your fragrances eo01, eo02 and eo03 emerge?
The only instruction I had from Thorsten Biehl ran: “You are completely free, be creative – and compose a fragrance that is very quality, far surpassing mass taste.” I was truly given no conditions at all on either theme or price. Thorsten Biehl’s sole wish was that I should create a voluminous, heavy fragrance, i.e. not one with light, fresh summer notes, but rather one in an Oriental direction. This free, independent work corresponded very well with my ideas of perfumery. I prefer to work with such natural products as woods, spices and blossoms. It is hard to create these fragrance notes with synthetic substances, and so they are usually very costly. For my creations for Thorsten Biehl, I was able to use a high proportion of such natural products and thus create very spicy, woody fragrances. For me it is important that fragrances should not become too overpowering or narcotic, as can easily be the case with animal components. For all their abundance and richness, they should nevertheless remain transparent.......
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Photography by Serge Lutens, reproduced with the permission of Peter Gabor - © Reproduction is forbidden, used for pedagogical purposes. As people will see in the second part of our interview with Serge Lutens (see Part 1), he is a mind that always thinks beyond the predictable limits set by a question. Here he expresses himself regarding Baudelaire's legacy, his line of makeup, the mythical Nombre Noir fragrance, niche perfumery, and his contribution to contemporary perfumery. Marie-Helene Wagner: 16 – Do you think that speaking of perfumery, we are the heirs to Baudelaire?
Serge Lutens:
- Perfume, in and of itself, is not just an aroma. It is potentially a carrier for the imagination. Perfume is thick; it is poison and pure desire. It is Eros in prison! I think that we are first and foremost the heirs to frustration, but also to revolt, with means that the ones who have not subjected themselves still have aspirations…. "Coiffe façon Tatlin Tower" by Serge Lutens, an interpretation of the unfinished Tatlin Tower built by architect Vladimir Tatlin.
Continue reading "Q & A With Serge Lutens - Part 2 {Perfume Q & A}" »
Photographie de Serge Lutens, reproduite avec la permission de Peter Gabor - © toute reproduction interdite, usage strictement pédagogique Comme vous pourrez le constater en lisant cette deuxième partie de notre interview avec Serge Lutens (voir la première partie), il est un esprit qui pense toujours au-delà des limites prévisibles assignées par les questions. Ici, il s'exprime sur l'héritage baudelairien, sa collection de fards, le parfum mythique Nombre Noir, la parfumerie dite de "niche", et sa contribution à la parfumerie contemporaine.
Marie-Hélène Wagner:
16 - Pensez-vous qu’en matière de parfumerie, nous soyons les héritiers de Baudelaire ? Serge Lutens: - Le parfum n’est pas en soi qu’une senteur. Il est porteur d’imaginaire. Le parfum est épais, il est poison et désir pur. C’est Eros en prison ! Je pense que nous sommes avant tout héritiers de la frustration, mais aussi de la révolte qui fait que les non-soumis aspirent encore…
Continue reading "Questions & Réponses Avec Serge Lutens - 2ème Partie {Perfume Q & A}" »
In this Q & A with Serge Lutens, the discussion focuses on his latest creation, Five O 'Clock Au Gingembre (in the export range) and the notion of luxury, one of the key concepts that inspired the new scent. We had also wanted to ask him broader questions such as: are we still living with the legacy of Baudelaire where perfumery is concerned? Does Orientalism continue to nurture the creation and the imaginary world of perfumes? We decided to be more concise. But as it turns out, there was no need to put these words black on white. Baudelaire and colonialism (not Orientalism) are evoked. Here is an invitation to step into the Lutensian universe. Marie-Helene Wagner:
1 - The rediscovered taste of ginger seems to have been your initial source of inspiration. Did you tell yourself something like, we are going to try to make a perfume, a beautiful, interesting one, around the ginger raw material? If yes, what olfactory facets or precise impressions around this fragrant rhizome did you want to bring out? Were there any surprises?
Serge Lutens:
– Treating the ginger as a simple invigorating root did not interest me at all. I most of all wanted to bring out in this ingredient its candied aspect, the idea of luxury, associated with that of rarity.
As you know, the first time one takes a bite out of ginger, it is rarely appreciated. It is part of these things that require that our taste go through an “apprenticeship”. The first time I tasted it, it was in a Vietnamese restaurant in the early 1970s. I initially thought that it was foul. With time, I learned to appreciate it. It is a cultural refinement....... 
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Serge Lutens dans les jardins du Palais Royal - photo de Ling Fei Dans ce questions et réponses avec Serge Lutens, la discussion se déroule autour de sa dernière création, Five O' Clock Au Gingembre, et de la notion de luxe, un des concepts clés ayant inspiré cette nouvelle fragrance. Nous avions auparavant voulu aussi lui poser des questions du style: sommes nous les héritiers de Baudelaire en matière de parfumerie? L'orientalisme nourrit-il toujours la création et l'imaginaire des parfums à l'heure actuelle? Puis nous avons décidé de faire plus court. Nul n'a été besoin de coucher ces questions sur le papier, Baudelaire et le colonialisme (mais non l'orientalisme) sont évoqués. Voici une invitation à effectuer une traversée de l'univers Lutensien. Marie-Hélène Wagner: 1- Le goût redécouvert du gingembre semble avoir été ici votre source d’inspiration initiale. Vous êtes-vous dit quelque chose comme, on va tâcher de faire un parfum, beau, intéressant autour de la matière première gingembre? Si oui, quelles facettes olfactives ou impressions précises autour de ce rhizome parfumé avez-vous voulu faire ressortir? Y eut-il des surprises? Serge Lutens:
Traiter le gingembre comme une simple racine revigorante ne m’intéressait pas du tout. Je souhaitais surtout faire ressortir de cet ingrédient le côté confit, l’idée de luxe, associé au rare.
Comme vous le savez, la première bouchée de gingembre est rarement appréciée. Il fait partie de ces choses demandant un « apprentissage » du goût. La première fois que j’y ai goûté, c’était dans un restaurant vietnamien, au début des années 70. J’ai d’abord trouvé ça détestable. Avec le temps, j’ai appris à l’apprécier. C’est un raffinement culturel......
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 Suzanne Moxhay, Forest, 2007
Crystelle Darchicourt is the owner and perfumer of L'Artisan Bohême. We reviewed her fragrance, Fil de Soie (Silken Thread). The discussion started with questions on this masculine fragrance then addressed broader questions later on.
Marie-Hélène Wagner: What was your inspiration for creating a masculine perfume such as Fil de Soie (Silken Thread), which seems to me to be somewhat of an atypical perfume? The name too is rather feminine. What I mean by that is that one could have expected you to put more emphasis on masculine stereotypes, regarding both its name and olfactory codes.
Crystelle Darchicourt: Fil de Soie is part of the concept-perfumes. I have two ways of working with skin perfumes; perfumes of emotion have to do with olfactory experience, with preferences. On the other hand, concept-perfumes or of-the-mind have to do more with thought associations than smell associations. Fil de Soie relies no doubt on my unconscious, on the interpretation of masculine symbols. The point of departure is the idea of a stroll taken in the forest in which the sylvestrian god lives under the mythological form of the satyre. One then guesses the idea of the woodsy notes, the animal one, and the imprecise atmosphere conveyed by the aromatics.....
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Satyre et nymphe, Pierre Nivollet, 2000 Crystelle Darchicourt est la propriétaire et le nez maison de L'Atelier Bohême. Vous pouvez lire notre compte rendu de son parfum, Fil de Soie. La discussion a commencé par se centrer sur ce parfum masculin puis s'est élargie un peu plus par la suite. Marie-Hélène Wagner: D'où vous est venu l'idée de concevoir un parfum masculin comme Fil de Soie qui me semble quelque peu atypique? Le nom aussi est plutôt féminin. Je veux dire par là que l'on aurait pu s'attendre à ce que vous mettiez plus l'accent sur des stéréotypes masculins, du point de vue tant du nom que des codes olfactifs.
Crystelle Darchicourt: Fil de Soie fait partie des parfums concepts. J’ai 2 façons de travailler pour les parfums de peau ; les parfums d’émotions s’apparentent au vécu olfactif, aux préférences, par contre les parfums concepts ou d’esprit relèvent de l’association d’idées plus que de l’association de senteurs.
Fil de Soie fait sans doute appel à mon inconscient, à la traduction des symboles masculins. L’idée de départ c’est une ballade en forêt dans laquelle vit le dieu de la forêt sous la forme mythologique du satyre. On devine alors l’idée des notes boisées, la note animale, et l’atmosphère imprécise donnée par les aromatiques..........
Continue reading "Entretien Avec La Parfumeuse Crystelle Darchicourt de L'Atelier Bohême: Un Parfum Doit Faire Chavirer & Une Réflexion Sur La Masculinité {Perfume Q & A} - Original French Version" »
(Continued from Part I of the Interview - please take a cup of tea and enjoy the second part!).
Douglas Hopkins: The story my new friend revealed over the course of many months -- she came to trust my genuine interest in my product, was not one of lawsuit, but one of her own life-long desire to revive the family fragrance [Prastara]. This
story tied in quite directly to the events of the end of WWII. Many people believe fragrance is at all levels a “money printing machine” – as the founder of Revlon once called it, but this exists only at the mass market level. Art versus commerce --commerce is where it is truly “juice”; as your devotees know, these are scents that most often don’t last beyond the first year and backed by a 20 million dollar launch promotion. As an art, it is a labor of love.
Marie-Hélène Wagner: Do you know the cologne’s original French name before it was christened with a Slavic name?
DH: This is subject to continuing investigation.
MHW: As this was a cologne developed by a chemist to Louis XIV, one would think there would be some documentation left about it in France? Have you conducted research from that angle?
- It is my understanding that there is no such documentation, but I must say in a case of high coincidence, one year after we offered the Versailles Museum the privilege of selling Prastara, they came out with their own brand claiming a French perfuming expert derived it from research. I've been unable to track this any further so I don't know one way or the other about its authenticity..........
Continue reading "Interview with Douglas Hopkins Part II: Perfumery As A Labor Of Love - {Passion for Perfume - Portrait}" »
If you are an amateur of historical perfumes, you are bound to have happened on Prastara Royal, a perfume based on a recipe created by a chemist to Louis XIV, as the tradition recalls, and now faithfully re-created by Douglas Hopkins & Co at the Perfume Factory. We asked its founder Douglas Hopkins to tell us about the story of this fragrance and his own role in shaping anew the destiny of this ancient eau. It turns out this is not just an inspired marketing project, but more an adventure taking its main hero, Douglas Hopkins, from the milieu of the New York fashion industry to Royal Austrian castles and post-Communist fragrance factories in Eastern Europe. The material contained in this exclusive interview will be part of a forthcoming photography book, Real.Views. Marie-Hélène Wagner: The story of Prastara seems complex; I see that there is a Polish brand that sells a similar product. Do you have any information about that other Prastara?
Douglas Hopkins: The short story is that I bought the Prastara trademark from the Poles back around 1987, from a trip with a fragrance industry expert, looking for investments after the Wall went down. The Communist factory keeps the domestic Polish market, I have the rest of the world. I've since created three other scents, Prastara Blue, Åse (OH-say), and Zazou. I was friends with a number of European royal families, stemming from portraits I did during twenty years as a New York fashion photographer, and through their exquisite private castle libraries (You can yet see a photo of one on the first page of our old site www.DouglasHopkins.com). I found intriguing formulations, which I used in creating my scents. With my background as a volcanologist at MIT/NASA, I expanded into geothermal-based skin care products, which did exceptionally well. They were licensed a few years ago and are being redesigned for a new launch. We made an unintended splash in the fashion press for a $800 per ounce "Deep Sea" limited edition, therapeutic mud, which sold out at Bergdorf Goodman in a week. We have been more or less exclusive to Bergdorf's for 15 years, but are now expanding into a wider market. We have been a hit in Italy for a decade, and recently entered Galeries Lafayette in Paris, the first American niche fragrance in the store. These are a few of the highlights........  Graf Alchemy Diagram, Poland © Douglas Hopkins & Co
Continue reading "Interview with Douglas Hopkins of DH & Co - Part I: The Story of Prastara & a Fashion Photographer Turned Fragrance Developer {Passion for Perfume - Portrait} {Celebrity Fragrance}" »
Roja Dove commissioned Baccarat to recreate the dolphin flacon of L'Océan Bleu by Lubin
This is part four and the last installment of our interview with fragrance expert and perfumer Roja Dove on the occasion of the launch of his three personal creations: Scandal, Unspoken, and Enslaved. In this section he sheds light on his activities as the instrumental person behind many recreations of classic masterpieces of perfumery that can now be exclusively found in the Haute Parfumerie in London. Perfumistas in particular will be thrilled to learn of a few scoops regarding new recreations or creations that are to arrive soon. The Haute Parfumerie does not have an e-commerce website, but you can mail order perfumes from the boutique using this telephone number: 020 7893 8797 If you missed the previous installments, you can read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Interview Part 4 Marie-Hélène Wagner: There is also your work as a historian of fragrances and we have heard about your attempts at resurrecting a number of fragrances. Could we have a clearer understanding of what you do? How do you convince people to put old perfumes back into production?
Roja Dove: [laughter] You have to be very persistent. The first thing I would say, which I am sure not many people realize about my perfumery, is that when we opened the perfumery I wrote a list of all the houses, in my opinion, that made great things. Then I wrote a list of what I thought those great things were…….. Lubin L'Océan Bleu Advert from 1926
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That which is Unspoken but was photographed by Lillian Bassman in 1951, "It's a Cinch, Carmen" Today, Professeur de Parfums and international perfume expert Roja Dove shares his thoughts on the revival of chypres and also the special brand of seduction conveyed by chypres versus oriental fragrances. He then reflects on the state of the perfume industry and the role of the new media and traditional media on the promotion of fragrance culture and education. If you missed the two first installments, you can also read Part One and Part Two of this interview. Roja Dove: But I think that….I have this whole story on the chypres. I think that oriental perfumes are all about seduction. They are about just that right amount of décolleté showing, the height of the heel, the shade of the lipstick, all of those things. But I think they’re all about tease, about teasing and they’re about promise. Whereas I think that the chyprés are actually the ones that deliver.........
Bettina by Georges Dambier, 1955
Continue reading "Interview with Roja Dove - Part Three: On Chypres & Orientals, the Perfume Industry & Media {Passion for Perfume - Portrait}" »
The Haute Parfumerie at Urban Retreat, Harrods Today is the second installment of our interview with London-based fragrance expert Roja Dove. Please visit here for Part One, Marie-Hélène Wagner: And so, logically, you are going to add more fragrances then, to cover more families? Oh, maybe?
Roja Dove: Maybe, maybe. It depends where you see the other families being. In my opinion, the citrus family is a sub-section of the chypres. So maybe I might make an eau somewhere along the line, I think it’s not very likely. I already have one, very beautiful one in the “hidden fragrances.”..........
Continue reading "Interview with Roja Dove - Part Two {Passion for Perfume - Portrait}" »
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}" »
Nicolas Olczyk, thank you for accepting to answer our questions. You are an independent fragrance consultant based in Paris, France, the founder and owner of ROUGE CURACAO, as well as a journalist working for osMoz, an educational and informational website owned by fragrance development company Firmenich.
TSS : How did you become interested in perfumes and when did you know it was going to become your profession? Was there an epiphany, an aha moment or was it more progressive?
Nicolas Olczyk: I guess I fell in love with scents when I was a child. I travelled a lot and particularly to the French West Indies where I got attached to the culture. There, scents are everywhere! Moreover, my uncle had an aromatic company where I was able to improve my olfactory training. I did a master’s degree in chemistry that I completed with a work placement in Grasse. Between 1999 and 2002, I continued to train ‘on the other side of the mirror’ in the sales force for Sephora and then for Estée Lauder Companies. This enriching experience allowed me to understand better customers’ perceptions, but also to have a sharp vision of the whole perfume development process, from the labs to the final client.....
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Each perfume has a history and a story to tell, some more than others it seems. When we learned that Le Labo Tubéreuse 40 had been worn by Kirsten Dunst to better enter the role of Marie-Antoinette in Sofia Coppola's biopic Marie-Antoinette about the former French queen, we wanted to ask a few questions to the founders of perfume house Le Labo who created the perfume for her. Fabrice Penot (on the left on the picture), one of the two co-founders with Edouard Roschi, answers our questions. TSS: How did it come about that Kirsten Dunst wore this perfume for her role as Marie-Antoinette in the Sofia Coppola's movie?......
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We are delighted to welcome Christopher Chong, the Creative Director of the Omani perfume house Amouage. This luxurious perfumery brand has succeeded since 1983 in projecting both an image of classic Arabian opulence mixed with the Western tradition as well as in becoming popular in the circuits of niche perfumery where demanding amateurs abound. It is an excellent example of how the guiding principles of luxury and creativity of the prestige and niche markets can coalesce. Amouage has just released their latest creations, Reflection Women and Men. We felt it would be a great time to learn more about the work of the perfume house and in particular that of its Creative Director, Christopher Chong. TSS: First, may I ask you how you became involved with fragrances? Or again, where does this love of fragrances of yours spring from? Christopher Chong: Let me tell you about my funny childhood. My first encounter with perfumes started when I was four. I took one of my mother's perfumes and intoxicated the house with the entire bottle. Everyone was fighting for air. Whereas I was transfixed by the notes dancing around me. It was a magical moment that I hope I will experience again.
Ever since that time, other children wanted to go to the playground, I begged my mother to take me to the perfume hallls in department stores. That was my wonderland filled with magic and spellbinding excitement.
I further developed this love for perfumes by studying humanities at university which gave me an in-depth knowledge of art, music and literature. Also, as a trained opera singer, perfume is the perfect complement. I used to sing the notes. Now, I smell the notes. TSS: -When one talks about the creation of perfumes today, a lot of focus is put on perfumers. A debate has arisen recently around the question of authorship in perfumery with, as you know, different conclusions in Holland and France. Yet at the same time it is quite obvious that perfumery appears more and more to be the result of sophisticated teamwork akin to the level of collective effort found in the making of a movie, from designing the perfume, to composing it, blending it, to packaging it and marketing it etc. What is exactly the role of an artistic director in that enterprise, at least in the way that you see it?......
Continue reading "An Interview With Christopher Chong, Creative Director of Amouage {Passion for Perfume - Portrait}" »
Sylvie Jessua is the founder and owner of Ambregris, a niche, even extreme-niche perfume brand as we like to think of certain labels. For the moment being, the line centers around a unique perfume called Ambre et Diamant Noir (Amber and Black Diamond) that is exclusively sold in one brick and mortar store in Paris at the Ritz Hotel although it is also technically possible to order it through the Ambregris website. She is also the head of a company called Habaco that specializes in the development of luxury and fashion brand franchises. Ambregris appears to be a parallel space dedicated in her life to personal creativity. We started by asking her a couple of questions and ended up asking a few more so we thought it would be best to regroup them here. We first started by asking Sylvie Jessua some questions about the naturalness of the ingredients used, her sources of inspiration for the perfume, and what she calls the process of "fabrication à l'ancienne" that is, the old-fashioned way of creating fragrances. Here are her answers:.....
Continue reading "An Interview With Sylvie Jessua Owner & Artistic Director Of Ambregris {Passion for Perfume -Portraits}" »
The Scented Salamander is delighted to introduce French designer Olivier Durbano. Apart from being a talented jewelry designer, Durbano is also a perfume designer and has developed the concept of a collection of perfumes inspired by his lapidary art called Parfums de Pierres Poèmes (Perfumes of Stones Poems). His first fragrance was called Cristal de Roche (Rock Crystal); he is going to release a second scent in 2007 called Améthyste (Amethyst). These fragrances are part of a project to create 7 different scents inspired by 7 different stones. Symbolism and philosophy preside over his creative process inviting us to look at perfumes in a renewed manner. His fragrances call us back to a state of naturalness and limpid contemplation where things are experienced rather than analyzed. In this manner, his perfumes individually bear no identifying names but contain in each flacon three marbles of the stones by which they were inspired and are colored the same colors as those. The interrelationship of perfumes and stones was intriguing to us. Olivier Durbano has accepted to answer our questions. TSS:
You are known first and foremost as a jeweler or jewelry designer. Are perfumes for you yet another means of expression that stands apart or is it a reflection, an illustration if you will, of your vision of the art of jewelry-making? In other terms would you say that you are attempting to transcribe stones into perfumes or is there something unique to perfume that cannot be expressed by a jewelry piece and which motivates you in seeking out a complementary artistic medium? Why create a perfume and not a piece of embroidered textile for example?
Olivier Durbano:
After I completed my training in architecture, I quickly became involved in the creation of jewelry pieces, especially necklaces, which are already rich with history and symbols. Stones, which were very important during my childhood resurfaced fascinating me with their naturalness, their truth, their imperfections, their power or their symbolism.....
Continue reading "An Interview With Olivier Durbano, Jewelry and Perfume Designer {Passion for Perfume - Portrait}" »
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