Francis Kurkdjian: ‘A great fragrance smells beautiful’

Francis Kurkdjian, the master perfumer who broke away from the industry notion of “signature scents,” has created two new additions to his fragrance wardrobe: Petit Matin (Early Morning) and Grand Soir (Big Night).

Inspired by Kurkdjian’s two favorite times of day, Petit Matin opens with a fresh cologne accord, with citrusy, vibrant top notes provided by Indonesian plant litsea cubeba combined with Calabrian lemon. The heart is composed of “lavandin” — a hybrid note of lavender and orange blossom — and a hawthorn accord takes the fragrance from fresh and crisp to soft and warm. Ultimately, Petit Matin dries down to a beautiful, nuzzle-worthy skin scent.

“The idea behind Petit Matin is when you wake up early morning with a cup of coffee and you smell what’s around you in Paris,” says Thanos Orros, international sales and business development manager for Maison Francis Kurkdjian.

Grand Soir, on the other hand, “was inspired by the lights of Paris, and getting ready for a big night out partying.”

A dramatic oriental that gradually reveals a sexy, animalic side, Grand Soir’s top note is honey-like benzoin, while the heart is an extract of vanilla and amber that adds sweetness, density, and a smoky, almost gourmand element — the better to add to one’s carnal allure. “It’s more wild and dressed up, ready for a night out in Paris,” affirms Orros.

Interesting that Kurkdjian classified Petit Matin and Grand Soir by time of day and not by gender, as both are versatile enough to be worn by men and women.

But then again, we’re talking about the French perfumer who turned up his extremely sought-after nose at the idea of one signature scent capturing a person’s fragrance personality. Mindful that people change from day to day — perhaps even hour by hour — Kurkdjian reasoned that, just as we change outfits to suit different occasions, we needed a fragrance wardrobe to match our ever-changing moods.

Thus, for his fragrance house Maison Francis Kurkdjian (MFK), the perfumer composed three collections. The first, “Essentials,” is so-called because these scents are the white shirt you would build the rest of your wardrobe around: light and fresh Aqua Universalis, the more intense Aqua Universalis Forte, sensual skin scent Aqua Vitae, and its stronger incarnation, Aqua Vitae Forte.

“Easy to Wear” are the scent equivalents of jeans or casual pants you would wear to work or go out: modern floral A La Rose, effortlessly elegant Amyris, and timelessly chic Pluriel.

“Cocktail Lounge” are the statement scents suited for evening or special occasions: black tie-formal Lumiere Noire; warm and welcoming APOM (A Piece Of Me), which celebrates the people of the Mediterranean; and the Oud collection, whose Silk, Satin, Cashmere and Velvet Moods evoke Middle Eastern culture and the mystery of the Arabian Nights.

“Like an actor creating for other fragrance houses, Francis Kurkdjian worked 20 years in the industry, for houses like Dior, Guerlain, Narciso Rodriguez, and Jean-Paul Gaultier,” Orros informed us. “He wanted to go to the next level of being a director and created his own atelier of bespoke fragrances.”

Maison Francis Kurkdjian resulted from a meeting between Kurkdjian and businessman Marc Chaya, who became the cofounder and CEO of the house. “Francis decided to place ‘Maison’ (house) in front of his name because he viewed his atelier as a house in which he wanted to share fragrant experiences with his family.”

In 1981, Kurkdjian first introduced the idea of exclusivity in fragrance, placing no limits on price or the time it took him to create while encouraging absolute luxury. “For him, fragrance creation is like creating art,” Orros says. “He doesn’t confine himself to the laboratory but also does fragrance collaborations and installations with artists and high-end luxury houses with heritage craftsmanship like Hermés, Cartier, Lesage (embroidery) and Baccarat.”

For Chateau de Versailles, the perfumer scented fountains and recreated Marie Antoinette’s fragrance from original recipes experts culled from the era; Hermés then asked him to scent leather gloves with this Sillage de la Reine (Fragrance of the Queen).

Collaborating with French painter Louise Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun and seeing her painting of Marie Antoinette holding a rose inspired one of Kurkdjian’s bestselling fragrances, A La Rose.

For his recent collaboration with Baccarat, to celebrate the crystal house’s 250th anniversary Kurkdjian wanted a perfume that was transparent yet dense at the same time, resulting in Baccarat Rouge 540 — a flowery, spicy, woody composition that incorporates real 24K gold.

While MFK’s bestsellers at Adora and Rustan’s are Aqua Universalis, A La Rose and Satin Oud (a surprise hit whose popularity reached its peak during Father’s Day), Petit Matin and Grand Soir should do well on the Philippine market, especially the morning fragrance with its “I just woke up in a garden and took a walk among the flowers” dewy freshness.

Not surprisingly, Orros would classify Petit Matin under “Easy to Wear,” while Grand Soir is definitely a “Cocktail Lounge” sort of scent.

But the true measure of a great fragrance was explained by Francis Kurkdjian himself, who said, “A great fragrance does not smell good; it smells beautiful.”

* * *

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Petit Matin and Grand Soir will be available on Sept. 1 at Adora and Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza.

* * *

Follow me on Facebook (Therese Jamora-Garceau), Twitter @tjgarceau and Instagram @tj108_drummergirl.