Supreme Roundtable: Francis Kurkdjian's Manila-inspired scent

MANILA, Philippines - Renowned French perfumer creates scent inspired by Filipino spirit

Francis Kurkdjian’s nose is insured just like J.Lo’s behind is. The renowned French perfume designer has worked with Jean Paul Gaultier, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Dior and he recently visited Manila to launch his own line, Maison Francis Kurkdjian (available exclusively at Adora Department Store in Greenbelt 5, Makati).

Supreme editor and creative director Tim Yap hosted a private dinner with Francis Kurkdjian, and gathered actress and humanitarian KC Concepcion, filmmaker and Supreme editor-at-large Pepe Diokno, and Adora president Emmanuel Pineda for the intimate conversation that follows.

We spoke to Francis about how his craft is influenced by countries, cultures, history, people, movies, and even the simplest of scenarios — he recalled getting inspiration from riding to the beach on a motorbike in Spain at four in the afternoon, with the scent of pine and fig trees, and the dry warmth of the air hitting his face.

We even asked about what Francis’ nose thought of NAIA. We all held our breath.

“A woody, smoky smell,” is how he described it. “I couldn’t tell if it was from the old carpeting or incense burning somewhere. Hong Kong was one of the worst experiences I’ve had so far.” Cue our sighs of relief. “It smelled like a steam room with dirty fried fish all together at once. Like an old canteen cooking stuff.” See? Our airport’s not that bad!

ATTUNED SENSES

Francis and KC Concepcion really hit it off, both of them being the kind of people with highly attuned senses.

During the five years she lived in Paris, KC visited an exhibit of holograms in Versailles. The 3D visuals showed Marie Antoinette and King Louis horsing around the garden and running through the woods in the early evening. There were sounds, music and bubbles blowing out of a machine. “Then all of a sudden I was wondering, ‘Why does it smell so good?’” she narrated. “At first I thought it was just the old woman who passed me. But then 30 minutes later, it was still in the air. And I realized it was the bubbles! I was so overwhelmed because I’ve never smelled anything that good!”

Four years later KC was in Adora, checking out different perfumes when she stumbled upon the exact scent of the bubbles in a small bottle. Fast forward to our dinner, where she found herself seated next to the man who created the scent. Suffice it to say that she was raving the whole night and is already scheduled to meet Francis again in Paris come October to have her own scent made.

There are plans to repeat the same bubble art installation in Manila in February next year. Intramuros was everybody’s favorite bet that night. Adora will also be releasing Francis’ newest scent, Amyris, under his brand Maison this month. Amyris is a scent that was inspired by Francis’ sister. It is of a little Jamaican tree, the name of which comes from the Greek amyron, which means “intensely fragrant.” Its resin exudes a luminous, unctuous orange-yellow scent, which is slightly powdery and grainy. It is combined with the fragrance of the Florentine iris flower, one tiny drop of which is enough to make a pleasant fragrance sublime. Together they kindle a glowing warmth.

CAPTURING MEMORIES

“Perfume is about you and your memories and even the personal issues that go beyond that,” Francis explained when KC asked how he came up with scents for specific people. “Most of the time, when I can’t find the right scent for a person right away, it means that they’re hiding something and they don’t want to talk about it. I don’t ask. That is not my place.”

“Preferences for scent change,” he continued. “For women they change a lot. The moment you clear up your issues in a particular area of your life, your preference will alter.”

Francis also discussed movies with Pepe Diokno, and revealed that he captures a scent the way a director tries to capture the moment of a scene. He visualizes and embraces these “frames” in different ways until it finally comes to him. All his scents are story driven. He’s even working on one inspired by the scenario of a dead woman lying in flowers. And just like coming out with a movie, a bottle of perfume can’t be rushed. It takes him exactly 18 months to complete a scent.

Francis shared that the most challenging part of training to become a perfume designer is being able to put a certain smell into words. “Sometimes the scent is so strong that it’s very hard to go over your feelings and rationalize it.”

INSPIRED BY FILIPINOS

For many, the world of scents is exclusive and detached, but dinner with Francis was a meeting of the minds to discuss sensory experiences, and how inseparable they are from daily life. After KC shared her experiences as a UN ambassador for the World Food Program (WFP) — she’s been to dangerous missions around the world, from Mindanao to Uganda — Francis revealed how proceeds from his work go to charity.

Francis only stayed two nights in the Philippines, but he was so moved by our culture and the Filipino spirit. Weeks after the dinner, when habagat put Manila underwater, Francis tweeted Tim and said he felt the need to help out. He is now creating a scent, and 100 percent of its proceeds will go to the relief efforts for the flood victims.

The fragrance will come in scented candles, and the product is now in production. Francis sent the formulation to Manila, and Tim sourced a local candle supplier via Adora. The inspiration is a light of hope, one of the things that struck Francis about our country.

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Maison Francis Kurkdjian is available exclusively at Adora Department Store in Greenbelt 5, Makati. Visit www.adora.ph for more information.

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To get the latest on the Filipino-inspired scent, follow Francis Kurkdjian on Twitter @FKurkdjian and Adora @AdoraMNL.

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Tweet Tim Yap @officialTIMYAP, KC Concepcion @kc_concepcion, Pepe Diokno @PepeDiokno, and the author @catedeleon.