IN CONVERSATION WITH FRANCIS KURKDJIAN
interview NATALIE GAL
Francis Kurkdjian is widely regarded as one of the great revolutionary minds in modern perfumery. With the release of Baccarat Rouge 540 in 2015, he cemented his place as one of the most influential names in the fragrance world. In 2021, he was appointed Creative Director of Perfume at Dior, a role that elevated his influence even further and confirmed his place at the very top of the industry. We sat down with him for an exclusive conversation about his latest creation, Bois d’Argent Esprit de Parfum.
What was your starting point for Bois d’Argent? Do you start with a story, a note, or a mood?
Compared to many of the perfumes I create from scratch, this one has a starting point. The starting point is the original order of the perfume from 2005, which still exists. The idea was going back to the roots. That was important to me, to understand the mood in which the perfume was created.
Then after that, the idea is to embody the subject in a way, as if you compose a text that is not originally yours. The story is the starting point, and you build on it. So it’s me adding to something that already exists.
Lately, I’ve noticed that the idea of having a ‘signature scent’ has become really trendy again, the term itself can be heard a lot. People are looking for that one fragrance that feels like an extension of who they are. But I wonder, what actually makes a scent worthy of that kind of identification? Do you personally believe in the idea of a single, defining scent, or do you think scent should shift with our moods, seasons, or stages in life?
I think people are eager to find their identity in a world where you have less of it, because things tend to look alike. Products are mass-produced, and there is a demand for customization again.
I am old enough, so I knew this trend 25 years ago when I started to create perfumes for private clients. That was the 2000s, at the beginning of globalization. Today the world is even more global because you can order in one click and get things delivered from far away, with all these fast fashion companies and fast perfume companies as well.
At the end of the chain, each of us needs to know who we belong to, to find ourselves. Scent is very powerful in this, because it works on the part of the brain that links memory and emotion. When you smell something you’ve remembered once, every time you smell it again, you recall that face or image. So scent is linked to identity, and the need for a signature scent comes from that.
However, today we all have multiple identities: me at work, me with family, me with friends, me with a lover. Finding one scent that captures all those facets, from early morning to late at night, is very difficult. Add to that the complexity of growing up, the little girl who becomes a teenager, then a young adult, then experiences maternity. Different stages of life make it harder for one scent to encompass everything.
I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I don’t want to go back to a time when the press insisted that everyone must find a signature scent. Many people never find it. It’s like love, telling someone they must have only one love in their life. That doesn’t work for everyone. We may marry, divorce, or change partners. There is freedom in that. My fear is that insisting on a single signature scent limits people.
It’s not about will, it’s about luck and trust. As if you had to find one hairstyle for life, or one clothing style forever. That would be very scary and dangerous to me.
Was there a particular note or material that became the key to reimagining Bois d’Argent in its Esprit de Parfum form, something that shifted the direction or unlocked the new structure?
Two things. A Tuscan iris farm, where we had the exclusivity of the entire production. That gave us not only traceability, but also high quality. In this new extrait parfum form, that specific high-quality iris gives strength and power, and brings back the uniqueness of Bois d’Argent.
Second, I added my personal touch. I shifted the musky vanilla accord towards something more honeyed, warmer, more golden. Bois d’Argent in French means “wood of silver,” which is an oxymoron. It sounds nice but doesn’t mean much literally. I wanted to twist that “silver” into something shinier, brighter, bolder, with more charm. So I twisted the vanilla and musk into something honeyed, which was not in the original formula.
