On Tuesday night, I stopped by a Hancock Park-adjacent launch party for perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, who’s created some of the most iconic fragrances in recent memory (including scents for Dior, Lanvin and Jean-Paul Gaultier’s Le Male—who knew?) Anyway, he’s stepped out of the designer vaults to create his own fragrance line, available stateside at Neiman Marcus.
Decades' Cameron Silver with Francis Kurkdjian
A few questions for the scent maestro:
SSLA: Why create your own line now?
Kurkdjian: When I collaborate with the world’s top fashion designers, I am like an actor, translating their vision and their style into fragrances. By creating my own Maison, my own fragrance house, it’s like being the actor as well as the director and cinematographer. It’s a chance to create my total vision, from start to finish.
What has been the most memorable scent thus far in your career?
To be able to create both Narcisco Rodriguez’s For Her and For Him was very memorable for me, not only because Narcisco has a great sense of style, but also because he has a real vision for what he wants his fragrance collection to be. Working with him, I learned that classic is not a dirty word!
What inspired you to create the particular scents in your debut line?
In creating my debut collection for Maison Francis Kurkdjian, I was inspired by the people closest to me. I observed the way they live. I am like a sponge, capturing the essence and the esprit of our world today. My Maison, which marries tradition and cutting-edge technology, is a tribute to Paris. It’s dedicated to the great joys and simple pleasures of life. A Piece Of Me (APOM), for instance, was inspired by my trip to Lebanon a few years ago. We were traveling on a road lined with cedar trees and we drank what the locals there call white coffee which is just a hint of orange flower oil infused in hot water. It was sublime. Lumiere Noire was inspired by my friend, the great actress Catherine Deneuve. She has a cool aura of mystery and a natural warmth about her at the same time.
Francis Kurkdjian will be making a personal appearance at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills this Friday from 1pm to 3pm.
