A brand comes to you and asks you to develop a fragrance. What comes next? What is that creative process?
It starts with the first meeting, when you share ideas. You put some ideas on the table, and the client usually has specific ideas. Then, we come up with a brief and a vision of where we want to go and which direction we want to take. It’s very much a collaboration and partnership from the beginning. The goal is to develop a very unique fragrance. The challenge is not being redundant. You want something that has a point of view that will resonate with the consumer.
With the Assouline candles specifically, how did you hone your process to create a sense of place?
This was a very special project. For the Assouline family—with their books, their history, their memories, their past—it was about trying to capture a place for them. It’s the pine trees in the South of France. It’s drinking wine in Napa Valley or in Tuscany. It’s feeling the earth and the humidity in the air. You want to capture that and transport them. My goal was to make them travel and dream during the creation process. So I would have them close their eyes and try to see if—just by smelling—they can see themselves there and see if it fits, if it makes sense with their books and their history, with their conviction.
How do you design a fragrance when someone’s vision of a destination might differ from another?
You adapt yourself. I think the role of the perfumer is to adapt himself based on the customer's reaction. It's totally true, though. To me, St. Tropez is warm and woody, and I have that vision. But they may think it’s about the sea. So we have to come up with a deal between the two of us. I’ll say, OK, I can add a bit of saltiness into it. Again, it’s a collaboration because, in the end, we are speaking the same language. But in the beginning, our language might be different, but as we get more familiar with each other, we start to understand each other and share the same references.
Which destinations evoke the most scent to you personally?
I spent time in St. Tropez when I was young, so I'm very passionate about this one. But last summer I was in Capri, and to me, it was about trying to find something cool in my mind. Tuscany, for me, was a tomato, as though you can almost taste it when you smell it. I think a perfumer needs to be curious. I like to travel and experience many things, and based on my past and experience, I can come up with some scents that I can start to link to a specific location.
Are there certain scents you love working with?
I definitely have a signature style. I like to use scents from the woods. I think all of my fragrances have a woody background. Papyrus, for example, or patchouli, cedarwood. Then I’ll contrast them with either fruit or flowers. I love roses. So yes, my style is to create a contrast and make a statement. Things that I don't really like—I don’t know. I love smelling lily of the valley or frangipani but I don't really use it in fragrance. It’s not that great in fragrances. We haven’t mastered those notes yet. They can still smell a bit synthetic. I like to smell nature.
What do you do to get into the state at which you feel inspired to start this work?
I'm lucky enough that I walk to the office every day, so that's the moment where I set my day based on my work. I usually go through Central Park. It's very unique, and you feel so high in nature, even in New York. It's an amazing park.
Then when I get to the office, I don't look at my phone. I just create. I spend two hours just creating ideas and challenging myself to come up with new ones. That’s from 7:30 am to 9:30 am. Then my day keeps going with all the rest, but I think that creative process—not looking at clients or projects—makes me very happy and keeps me curious and interested.
So you're a morning person.
Yeah, I’m a morning guy. I love it.
How do you wind down after work?
Usually, after a good day of work, I go home and cook. That's my way to destress or decompress or just chill. I use a lot of herbs. Maybe it’s a glass of wine and then eating what I made, and then a show and I go to bed.
And what keeps you inspired outside of work?
Everything. I mean, everything. Traveling for sure. Listening to music sometimes gives me an idea, or just reading something. It's everything. That's also me. I'm curious. I want to try to get inspired by everything. Food, for sure. Cocktails. Being in nature.
What makes this Assouline project special?
Assouline is about connecting a scent with a city, and I like that because I haven’t been to all of these cities. So it's cool to smell it and be transported. Just having the candle, you know, it's an affordable way to travel! But then I think the books are beautiful, and I usually take inspiration from the book. I’ll just go through the books and I say, Oh my god, I see that. I think we should do something like that. The goal is to create an environment where you’re home, and the smell fills the room and it’s amazing.