Artists & Perfumers: 106 posts

Mathilde Laurent is the ISIPCA graduate. She is a talented creator of such fragrances as Guerlain Aqua Allégoria Pamplelune (1999), Guet-Apens (1999), No. 68 (2002), and Shalimar Eau Légère (2003). She is currently employed as a bespoke perfumer for Cartier. Of her profession she says that “what one does not say enough on the trade of a perfumer is that not only it requires much patience and perseverance, but also that it is a permanent training.”

Photo and quote from Société Française des Parfumeurs.

“Not all perfumes are works of art (no more that all musical compositions are masterpieces) or incline one to grant them artistic status for the simple reason that they are more and more composed industrially and less and less by professional artists. As a result of this industrialization, which tends to replace true creative perfumers with prolific “mixers” and also vulgarizes the product, we have entered a period of artistic decadence with profit being the excuse for any kind of deformation of the product no matter how blatant” (see the full article here).

This statement by Edmond Roudnitska, a perfumer who was, first and foremost, an artist, inspired me to ponder, if perfume has a status of art, what are the criteria to judge its artistic merits? If the formula is an artwork, can it be reformulated?  Or is it just a luxury commodity good? These are tough questions, and I do not have ready-made answers, however I would love to hear other opinions and to explore this topic further.

If you were to name a fragrance that should have a status of art, what would it be?

Photograph: Edmond Roudnitska, from art-et-parfum.

A honeyed wave of warmth spreads out slowly, its languorous movement revealing a glitter of lily redolent note of rosewood—that unique sharpness of white petals caught in rich woodsy duskiness. A luminous note of saffron falls into the hot wood shavings impression of the composition. A honeyed sweetness underscored by beautiful wood notes reminds me of opening an antique jewelry box—a scent of rare woods, spicy, smooth and alluring. The fragrance in question is Palisander, from Comme des Garçons Red Series created by Yann Vasnier of Quest International. He is a perfumer for the Fine Fragrances division, a position to which he was promoted in December of 2004, after joining Quest in 1999.

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I am walking through a fragrance library, where scents and words are intertwined. I browse through the pages of perfume history, perfume images and various other bits of information a fragrance lover relishes. Whether I want to read about Daim Blond by Serge Lutens, creations by Jean-Claude Ellena or a fragrance in a Mossy Woods family, the information is at my finger tips. This veritable fragrance library is an online program created by Jan Moran, the author of Fabulous Fragrances series, in collaboration with Michael Edwards.

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It has become a conventional wisdom in the world of perfume lovers that the large houses are often constrained by iron logic of the stock market. The logic dictates the production of fragrances that should appeal to as large number of people as possible in order to boost sales. Yet, to paraphrase John Stuart Mill, the common mean between creative excellence and wide appeal is often a “collective mediocrity.” Needless to say, as in almost every case, there are exceptions. However, it does not stop a fragrance consultant with an appreciation of beautiful things from thinking up a clever scheme—give nine of the most famous French noses as much creative space as they need to compose a fragrance of their dreams. There are few limitations in terms of price of the materials and the theme of the perfumes.

Frédéric Malle, grandson of the creator of Parfums Christian Dior Serge Heftler and nephew of the film maker Louis Malle, was born in 1962 in Paris. A self-proclaimed hedonist with a love for lilac, Joël Robuchon’s cuisine and Bach suites, he recalls that his love for beauty was fostered by his parents, especially by his father. “I am a sensual person,” says Malle in an interview. “You have to know how to look, smell and feel things.” Malle started working for Roure Bertrand Dupont in 1988, after finishing his degree at the New York University. Before starting Editions de Parfums in 2000, Malle was working as a fragrance consultant for Christian Lacroix, Chaumet and Hermès.

Unlike the common practice in the world of fragrance, Frédéric Malle places the perfumers in the spotlight. Every bottle is prominently labeled with the name of the artist responsible for the scent within. What is the result of the “auteur perfumery?” If Frédéric Malle Editions de Parfums were paintings, they would be more suited for Center Pompidou than for Louvre, because they are truly modern compositions, even though many are classically composed, respecting the tri-tiered construction model. Such is Pierre Bourdon’s Iris Poudre, a composition capturing the scent of irises held close to the beautiful chest covered with a thin layer of powder. Other fragrances are conceived in a more linear style, minimalist and elegant as the lines of Giacometti’s sculptures. Cologne Bigarade created by Jean-Claude Ellena is a reflecting his predilection for clear and strong lines bathed in soft light. One thing is for certain—these fragrances must be sampled.

Editions de Parfums

Angéliques Sous la Pluie by Jean-Claude Ellena
Bigarade Concentrée by Jean-Claude Ellena
Cologne Bigarade by Jean-Claude Ellena
En Passant by Olivia Giacobetti
Iris Poudré by Pierre Bourdon
L’Eau d’Hiver by Jean-Claude Ellena
Le Parfum de Thérèse by Edmond Roudnitska
Lipstick Rose by Ralf Schwieger
Lys Méditerranée by Edouard Fléchier
Musc Ravageur by Maurice Roucel
Noir Epices by Michel Roudnitska
Une Fleur de Cassie by Dominique Ropion
Une Rose by Edouard Fléchier
Vétiver Extraordinaire by Dominique Ropion
Carnal Flower by Dominique Ropion

Carnal Flower will be released in September of 2005 and will feature notes of tuberose, orange blossom, coconut and camphor. According to Frédéric Malle himself, it is the ultimate seduction perfume.

The first Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle boutique was opened in 2000 at 37, rue de Grenelle in Paris. Its interior, conceived in a collaboration with Andrée Putman and designed by Olivier Lempereur, is marked by clean lines and unique system of testing fragrances from olfactory columns. Although it is quite an interesting way of experiencing scents, I much prefer the traditional skin test.

In addition to another store on Avenue Victor Hugo, which opened in 2004, Editions de Parfums line is available at Taizo in Cannes, Dries van Noten in Antwerp, Natan/Treize in Brussels, Barneys New York, Isetan in Tokyo, and at Flinders Way Boudoir in Melbourne. One of the most appealing additions to the line is a test kit, which contains 5ml atomizer bottles of each fragrance available. Tester kit and the fragrances along with the ancillary products are available online at Editions de Parfums site.

Photo: Frédéric Malle.