A LIFE LESS ORDINARY

Once upon a time – 20 years ago, to be precise – celebrity fragrances ruled the perfume industry. The market was oversaturated with scents produced to satisfy the masses and individuality struggled to have a voice. Then came Frédéric Malle with an idea to celebrate perfumers and the juice itself rather than the famous face paid to endorse it. “People love having something that resonates with their personality and our ethos was to let great perfumers free and then we’ll have perfumes that are very different from each other. As a result everyone could find something that matched their personality. The freedom that I gave perfumers resulted in a freedom for the customer.”

Malle handpicks perfumers whose work he believes is changing the face of the industry. As editor, he guides them through their creative process to ensure that they are challenged, while offering them full creative freedom. Together, they produce works of art that represent the best of each olfactive category: “the great classics of tomorrow” as he likes to call them, profoundly innovative yet timeless scents. Standout collaborations are hard to narrow down as Malle is passionately proud of every single one. He particularly enjoys working with Pierre Bourdon, who created Cool Water for Davidoff. “Because that scent was copied by everyone, he wanted to work with very expensive ingredients and so we created Iris Poudre.” Malle has had a long term collaboration with Dominique Ropion, who was responsible for Portrait of a Lady, one of the brand’s bestsellers. “He’s probably the best perfumer of his generation. Our working relationship has made me more artistic and resulted in perfumes which make me very proud.” One of his most recent collaborators is Jean-Claude Ellena, who previously worked at Hermès and Bulgari and was known for his minimalist compositions.

“He had a pared-back style, some liken to watercolour sketching, but then he left Hermès and he needed to reinvent himself, so he came to me and we worked on Rose & Cuir, which launched last year and was a big success. When we work on perfumes, usually we go from the beginning to end in a progressive way. It’s carefully woven so that the perfume evolves on your skin, but you don’t sense it because it’s stitched together so carefully, but Jean-Claude worked on this rose, which is fruity and put it on top of leathery vetiver without bothering to create a middle ground. It’s like a two-speed car, or a Rothko painting, with two big pieces of colour that shouldn’t work together, but they do. There’s this amazing modernity about not being so fine tuned and being raw, but it’s done with such taste and sense of colour he gets away with it and it enchants you. I love the modernity and the contrast. It’s a work of art.”

Although a self-made man, Malle’s family has impressive credentials in the perfume industry too. His grandfather, Serge Hefler-Louiche, was the founder of Parfums Christian Dior and an emblem of France’s perfume legacy; while his mother presided over this department for the duration of her career. “When I started my company my business partner wanted me to talk about my heritage and we had a huge fight. I felt my family history had nothing to do with what we were doing. Now, I’ve come to terms with it. I never knew my grandfather, but he was this example that my mother kept talking about. His presence was bigger than it would have been if he had been around. The dream became an example. There was this presence of an ideal man who couldn’t do anything wrong in this very creative company. There was a shadow on one side and a love on the other. And then my mother believed in never cutting corners, doing things proplerly and letting artists express themselves. I was raised with that. This is something I have in me. I inherited their principles, I knew perfume was very important. My mother never explained how perfume was made, but she gave me the idea perfume is a métier [profession], and rather than being upset by marketing, one should know how to make a bottle and a box and the craft of putting it together. I was programmed, but never helped.”

While fragrance layering is an increasingly popular trend, when it comes to his brand Malle is less encouraging of the practise. “We make complex perfumes that are very accomplished. Sometimes it takes 600 tries to get it right, which means 600 decisions. And it’s an exhausting process, but in the end we have a balance we think is right, so when you have people who don’t know perfume – it’s like buying a Picasso and thinking it needs a little more red,” he says laughing. Despite reservations, he isn’t afraid to admit defeat too. “My pessimism is fine, but sometimes in a great while and usually in the Middle East where they have a great habit of doing this, you’re in for a big surprise. Our fragrance Night was inspired by a Saudi lady who had layered one of my perfumes. It’s an haut perfume. Promise by Dominique can be mixed with other woods and it smelled quite good. So my answer is be cautious, but I’m open to it.”

Between plotting future collaborations, mentoring the next generation of perfumers, and further elevating the sustainability of his brand, Malle is planning a return visit to Ireland next March where he hopes to meet some of his valued Brown Thomas customers. “When I think of the Irish ladies I’ve met so far I associate them with Iris Poudre because it has this fire under the ice and it has a comfortable, classic round feel in the back, but in the front it’s sharp and quite structured. It’s a contrast between warm and cold, which I like very much.” If a recent shoulder injury allows, he’s also hoping to get in a round of golf at Ballybunion. “I grew up playing golf. It’s one of the rare things that gets me out of perfumery.”

GREAT PERFUME CLASSICS OF TOMORROW

MORE TO READ

Looking for more fragrances or a special gift? Whether you’re a spring bride, beginning a new job or simply in need of a style-defining eau, read more in Irresistible Fragrances to Fall for Now.