Perfumer Interview Series: Madalina Stoica-Blanchard

There is a new French niche house on the scene, and its name is JUL ET MAD. I was immediately charmed not only by their initial three offerings (Stilettos On Lex, Terrasse a St-Germain, Amour de Palazzo), but with the founders, creative directors and my favorite couple of the moment, Madalina and Julien. After the perfumes had a bit of time to burn a solid impression into my psyche (especially Stilettos On Lex), I had become very excited about the brand and was eager to know more about them. Madalina Stoica-Blanchard  was kind enough to indulge me with this interview. Reviews of each perfume are coming very soon.

The story of JUL ET MAD is really a love story told in three chapters based on geographical locations. Can you please tell us the story? And, why did you feel your story needed to be told through fragrances?

The story of JUL ET MAD is a true love story between Julien and Madalina, which is depicted in the three first Perfumes of our collection: Stilettos on Lex, Terrasse à St Germain and Amour de Palazzo.

To summarize, JUL ET MAD’s story begins with the portrayal of a young woman who lives on Lexington Avenue and enjoys every moment in New York City. The “Stilettos on Lex” chapter of the JUL ET MAD story is the exact description of whom I was at the time, and I like to think that this portrait is no different from all young women living life at its fullest.

At some point in my career I had to go to France and, before I realized what’s happening, I fell in love with a young, very handsome Parisian. It was love at first sight at this famous café terrace in St. Germain-des-Près.  This amazing and fortunate encounter completely changed our lives, as only few weeks later I decided to leave everything behind and move to France. The perfume “Terrasse à St-Germain” evokes exactly what we felt at the time, is the essence itself of our “coup de foudre”.

After my arrival in Paris, to celebrate the beginning of our life as a couple, Julien brought me to Venice … It was one of the most amazing experiences, we enjoyed every moment spent here, and everything seemed like a dream. Every emotion we felt, the magic of the place with its beauty and history, we illustrated in “Amour de Palazzo”, the third chapter of our Perfume Collection.

As for the “destination”, it simply happens that these first three episodes took place in different locations. The real purpose of JUL ET MAD is to describe the most important and memorable moments of our love story, no matter where situated.

And the idea of telling our story through fragrances came very naturally, as the brand JUL ET MAD itself is all about passion and celebration of life. We feel so lucky our two souls succeeded in meeting and recognizing each other, regardless the distance, the culture, the language, and we are amazed to see how our romance gives strength and belief to people around us. Moreover, every time we were asked how we met and after telling our story, the reaction was the same: “This is so beautiful, you should write a book!” So, what better way to tell our story, than by simply replacing the words with fragrant notes?

As creative directors, what was it about Robertet (Grasse) perfumer Dorothée Piot that made you and Julien feel that she was the one to bring your vision to life?

It’s a bit by chance, as it is with love. We didn’t plan on collaborating only with Dorothée, as different perfumers from Robertet were working on the first three JUL ET MAD compositions. They had for general direction only our feelings and our story, but absolute freedom in terms of raw materials and complexity. The task for the perfumers was even more difficult as this was a personal story. It just happens that, when presented with their first propositions, without knowing, the three fragrances chosen were imagined by Dorothée Piot. Afterwards, we worked together for several months in order to perfect them. Her sensibility and talent made the rest.

I noticed that the photographic image on your website for Stilettos On Lex contains a few mysteries of its own… the woman whose long legs and black patent stilettos we gaze at seems to have a tattoo on her ankle- the JUL ET MAD logo. Could this be meant to represent how perfume can imprint itself on us and become part of who we are? What is the idea behind the design of the logo?

About Stilettos On Lex, you are perfectly right! The JUL ET MAD logo tattooed on the ankle, means how personal and what a real part of you a perfume should be. You cannot simply remove it; Julien likes to think that a perfume is the only thing that remains on a woman even when nude. It is the first thing that precedes and introduces you, as well as the last thing that envelopes and protects you.

Our visuals are a very personal interpretation of places and emotions that marked us at a precise moment, the very source of inspiration for our perfumes … the striking beauty of a mysterious woman on Lexington, a café terrace in Paris, or a Murano glass chandelier in a Palazzo in Venice… That’s why the JUL ET MAD symbol or the bottle were introduced discreetly in every visual, as they are a distinctive part of the scene where the perfumes were born.

Regarding the design of our logo, it’s been a long work process with our graphic and design team. They presented us with a series of very personal questions to which Julien and I had to answer separately and together. They came to our house and took pictures of almost everything (paintings, sculptures, books, personal objects, as well as small design details). Few weeks after, they showed us different drawings, and this symbol just stood out, as we instantly recognized ourselves in it (there is a photo of a first draft of it on our website). We love these two shapes that are so different, but so complementary at the same time. Together, they form a new figure, but not through a total fusion and mix, more like an unbreakable bound, managing to keep their own original properties. As with our couple, we didn’t become a new entity; we kept our individual personalities which, combined, just became much stronger and solid.

At the heart of each of the three perfumes in this collection lie three very different vibes, almost as if each one is a distinct color or style of music. With this collection, was it your intention to see that each fragrance could stand on its own?

The idea was, indeed, to make three different compositions, as every perfume represents a different stage in our lives, influenced by different circumstances, different places, different people, and so on. This explains why we wanted in the beginning to work with different perfumers for each and every fragrance. And, we cannot say it often enough, Dorothée Piot showed a fantastic talent and sensibility, composing every perfume so differently, but still managing to keep the “lifeline” that animates the entire concept behind JUL ET MAD.

As anyone interested in perfume knows, there is an ever-increasing influx of new launches each year. Can you please explain what JUL ET MAD’s unique point of view is?

Yes, it is true that more and more new fragrance launches happen every year. It is a chance that people who are fond of fragrances can still find new and rare perfumes. Regarding JUL ET MAD, we developed our collection with a maximum of respect for the traditional French “savoir-faire” in perfumery, trying to transpose it in every details of our offer, which is entirely hand-made. We kept the highest concentration we could in our compositions, each fragrance of the collection being a veritable “Parfum”. We work in tight partnership with French companies specialized in the traditional perfumery and always tried to come back where the perfume should have stayed, a work of art in every aspect…

What are yours and Julien’s favorite raw materials, notes or accords, and why?

There are so many notes and accords I love!!! Living in different countries and cultures, I got attached to so many different raw materials specific to every place. But, if I really have to choose one in particular, I should say the ambergris. During my courses of Fragrance Knowledge at FIT, I fell in love with this magical, intriguing, exquisite, rare raw material… I remember how amazed I was by the fact that, when mixed and combined with other ingredients, this matter of dull grayish color and not extremely pleasant smell can magically alter and enhance the quality of the existing notes, making them greater, deeper and vaster than they can ever be on their own. It’s a little bit like in real life, when a person gets stronger and more confident thanks to the love and support shown by the people they cherish.

As for Julien? He told me the story of one of his numerous travels in Asia, where an Indian old man offered him as a welcome gift a beautifully hand-carved wooden box filled with musk-scented beads. He is since very attached to the smell of musk, which he identifies as specific to this mystical part of the world he so cherishes.

Have there been any particular perfumers, houses or perfumery styles that have influenced your aesthetic as a creator?

Inspiration is all around us! The industry of fragrance has such resources!! We are deeply attached to the French Traditional Perfumery era, where every perfume was presented as a unique, rare work of art… Whatever the inspiration may be, our goal was to create a Perfume Collection that will simply last over the years, elegant and extemporal, classic and modern at a time, as Love. Love and its beauty is not a question of fashion or trend, it’s simply intemporal.

I must admit that I’m enamored with the bottle design, the Nomad travel atomizers and even the outer packaging. Can you explain the concept behind the designs?

Thank you, Carrie! From the beginning, the idea was to develop a design based on the image of our love, preserving the purity of every matter. To reflect the complexity of the couple, we played with different aspects and textures. The flacon shows all this perfectly. The front, transparent, is delicately engraved with the brand and perfume names in pure platinum letters, in order to keep a feeling of purity and quiet elegance. The back, in perfect symmetry with the front, is entirely frosted, with the exception of the logo symbol, thus responding to its other half. The couple’s entire duality is expressed in this perfume bottle, the logo recomposing itself through the transparency of the glass, as we look at the front of bottle.

A heavy cap in zamak designed by Julien crowns the bottle, its shape reinterpreting the logo symbol.  It starts as a circle at the base, and gradually “blooms” to become a square at the top.

We also developed the Nomad Spray for every flacon specifically. They come already filled, as we think a perfume should naturally follow you everywhere, anytime. As an echo to the glass flacon decoration, the concept of duality is also found here, evoked by the textures and the effects on the bright and matte silver metal.

And last, but not least, we wanted our outer packaging to represent not only a simple perfume box, but the “home” of our unconditioned love, the chest of our passion, revealing the beauty of our perfumes, with nothing to hide. We developed this elegant leather case in light grey color and silver, with an interior draped in white velvet. The perfume hold was designed to be removable, allowing the reuse of this precious box for personal treasures, if desired.

With Julien’s design background and your knowledge of and passion for perfume, it seems natural to me that your first collection would feel as concise and polished as it does. What can we expect from JUL ET MAD moving forward? Do you already have new fragrances in the works?

Well, yes indeed! The JUL ET MAD story just began and we have so many moments we would like to share! Since we’ve met, we already lived so many fantastic things, discovering new amazing places, meeting such beautiful people! Although I cannot get into details at this stage, I can tell that the future will reserve many nice surprises, as our collection is just at its very beginning!

I know that you spent your childhood in Romania, moved to New York at a young age and eventually settled in Paris. What is it about France (besides Julien!) that managed to snatch your heart for good?

I don’t know if there is an answer for this… There are so many things I love in France! The history, the people, the culture, the language… If I really think about it, maybe I found here a similarity to my birth country - which I greatly cherish - as Romanian history and culture are very close and historically related to the French… Did you know that Bucharest was called “Little Paris” between the two WW?  Yes, this could be one of the reasons if I really think about it. It could also be the beauty of this country, and this not only from an architectural point of view… And the food, oh yes, the land of fine cuisine which I so very much enjoy, especially when accompanied by a glass of a perfect wine… And the perfumes, of course!! Being able to live my passion for the industry fully, being able to learn and work at the “source” of the perfumery, and finally being able to create and to see my dream come true… 

And I think it is nearly impossible not to get caught up in Madalina's sweeping passions and her intellectual and creative musings. Behind JUL ET MAD is a story that you must sniff to believe.

[JUL ET MAD perfumes can be found at MiN New York and Aedes de Venustas. They are well worth the attention I'm lavishing upon them-- trust me, you'll want to try these]

Perfumer Interview Series Exclusive: Ramon Monegal

Once in a while, perfume aficionados are afforded the giddy pleasure of the discovery of something new and extraordinary. Something that, when we look at it head-on, we can recognize in it something of ourselves. Perhaps there's just a little more glamour, seductive prowess or decisiveness, but you're in there. That's precisely how I felt when I began to hungrily explore Barcelona native Ramon Monegal's perfume line. 

There are 14 fragrances in all for the initial US launch next month (check the end of this post for locations). After spending some quality time together, I have come to know these fragrances almost as facets of myself, and I've got several favorites which I will be reviewing individually very soon. I've been very much looking forward to conducting this interview to gain insight  into the 35-year industry veteran's way of thinking as he strikes out on his own for the first time, what his creative process is like, and what his hopes are for expansion into the US market. I am so pleased to have been granted the very first US interview with Mr. Monegal.

[showroom storefront in Barcelona]

CM: Even people who are serious about perfume will occasionally miss hearing about a brand because they are based in another country, or perhaps just by chance. I am definitely one of those people. What is the single most important thing you wish people to know about your brand, your perfumes, or yourself?

RM: I really think that now is the time for Master Perfumers to regain their prominence like it was in the past, when they introduced their creations in person, without intermediaries, when they worked in their own ateliers, and when they were able to communicate their own olfactory language directly. I have created my own brand to regain the freedom of the Author, to work again with mythical raw materials, forgotten since the extracts disappeared, and to work with the exclusivity that comes from true luxury: scarcity. Barcelona, the city where I was born, (that is why I included it in my brand's name) is a cradle of great artists, where several different Mediterranean cultures converge and flourish. Cosmopolitan, open and Mediterranean, Barcelona has really influenced the development of my personality as well as my olfactory language, and therefore my brand. My store is placed in the core of Barcelona; it is a warm and intimate place where you can enjoy the experience of discovering my creations, and I can see and learn from the customer’s impressions and comments in person. 

I create from absolute freedom, trying to communicate values and attitudes through my compositions, always made by the Mediterranean light and vitality. I make my creations by hand, with the knowledge from my teachers but also using the latest technology. I do everything in my own factory, where we ourselves do the entire manufacturing cycle. From the essence mixtures and the macerations, until the fill and bottling. We also do the logistics. I come from a perfumer family, and I combine the creative direction of my new company with teaching my children in the craft, the fifth generation.

[Ramon Monegal at work]

CM: While working my way through your line of 14 fragrances, I found more than a few surprises. I find that the pendulum swings wildly from one fragrance to the next, and it’s rather thrilling! Who is your intended customer? What is he or she like?

RM: My target is a high level customer, perfume lover, with perfumery knowledge, with an olfactory image well defined, and highly demanding but appreciative of the quality of the raw materials that they find in my fragrances. No matter their age or nationality. The most important is their desire to communicate their attitude and values with the indicated scent. That is why I am introducing a complete range of fragrances, where you will find very different values and attitudes.

[L'eau de Rose: dry, substantial, voluptuous and uncomplicated]

CM: I find it to be an appropriately modern practice not to specify gender in fragrance. Why does it matter to you that your fragrance line expresses this quality?

RM: The gender of a perfume is a creation of the commercial industry of the past century, which decided that women wear florals and men, woods. This has led to an erroneous stereotype, partisan and with male chauvinist influence. In my opinion, a smell, a sum of smells, or a perfume, defines an olfactory image anyone can identify with. I think you must be able to try a perfume without influences, focusing your attention on discovering if that scent fits with your olfactory image, your values, your attitudes and what you want to show. I think a man can feel he is as attractive as a rose, and a woman, as strong as wood. Carrie, how do you feel? I also think you don’t have to be afraid to mix different smells, as well as you mix your meal or your clothes. Do not be afraid to try!. Let your imagination fly and follow your intuition and feelings. I love the freedom. Do you?

CM: Yes! You just reminded me of something else I wanted to mention-- that I have been experimenting with layering the perfumes in your collection, creating new scents from existing ones. It wasn't until I had played around with them that I finally could clearly see the thread running through the entire collection... it's like that saying "Can't see the forest for the trees"-- now, I can see both! I have often been drawn to fragrances in which the gender identity is neutral, and sometimes even masculine. I feel that this is a good time to be a perfume lover, because our options are much broader than, say, 30 years ago. Tell me, what is the most valuable thing you learned early in your studies of perfumery that you still employ?

RM: When I was in Geneva, learning from my teacher, the Master Perfumer Arturo Jordi Pey (Firmenich), we used to discuss a lot about our different points of view, because I was young and he was very strict, elegant, highly demanding and classic, with a strong personality but very paternal. One day, we were talking and suddenly he told me “Ramón, shut up, listen and learn, but despite what they say, be always true to yourself”. That was the best advice that he gave me; the man who was one of the best perfumers around the world. After a long time, I understood that is possible to be true to yourself and apply the strict fundamentals of classic perfumery, but for that, you must find your own olfactory language. Now, I am still improving my language. Due to the never-ending beauty of the raw materials (either essential natural oils or synthetic molecules) or because of my experience and knowledge of how to blend them, I realize that I am still learning and traveling down an endless road of discovery.

[Kiss My Name: seasonless tuberose]

CM: I must bring up the Inkwell bottle. I am not usually someone who is fixated on packaging at all, but I am fascinated by this bottle. In fact, as I write this, I had to pick up my bottle and look at it again. Can you explain what the ideas are behind its design, and what materials did you use to create it?

RM: I am a great lover of the volumes, forms, lines and designs-- almost as much as the perfumes! Carrie, note that I had begun Architecture studies due to my passion for it, but I ended up being a perfumer by familial tradition, and also because my teacher was able to make me a perfume lover.

When I left the commercial industry, I spent one year thinking about my own collection. I wanted to be unique, special and genuine in all fields, so that is why I wanted to create exclusive fragrances, bottled into an exclusive flacon. When I decided to design my own, I just had ended my novel “La Perfumista” (The perfumer), discovering the magic of an Inkwell, an incredible container loaded with a mysterious black fluid that soaks into the paper’s skin, and on the imagined history of its author written by his own hand. It is a great allegory to adapt to my no-gender perfumes. Thinking about it, one day I found an Inkwell of my great-grandfather's (who was also called Ramón Monegal, the first perfumer in the family). Maybe it was by chance; maybe it was destiny… Then, I redesigned it with new proportions and added the unscrewable diffuser, thinking about the best materials such as semiautomatic glass, Zamak (an alloy of Zinc, Aluminum, Magnesium and Copper), the best aluminum for the diffuser, and finally the Bakelite, a thermosetting polymer used in the past by the best perfumery houses, but replaced by injected plastic due to its high cost.

[Mon Cuir: a leather like nothing else in the world- an original]

CM: “Luxury” has got to be the most erroneously used descriptive word used by companies to describe their products. Luxury doesn’t mean what it used to, but I feel that your perfume line holds on to the concept of classic luxury and simultaneously incorporates important modern advantages. Can you please put into words what your idea of true luxury is? 

RM: I do not like to talk about luxury, because it encourages talk of what luxury is not, but I am going to make an exception with your smart and well done questionnaire, and am going to tell you something about what luxury is to me:

True luxury is enjoying a unique experience. It is not classified by the price, but the excellence and exclusivity. You cannot buy or sell it; just look and find out! For me, luxury is the freedom to choose exactly the raw materials that I want, with no cost limitations.

When the craft was industrialized, and marketing arrived, everything became banal and fictitious, because now, sales are more important than the essences. A good perfume can be an unforgettable experience able to make you fly and dream. When that happens, we are taking about luxury.

The quality of the raw materials, the handmade processes, the Art of the craft, the personal touches, the knowledge, or the latest technology to improve the old techniques, are some of the ingredients to get to that stage of excellence. But finally, I really think the most important ingredient, and unfortunately currently quite missing, is the honesty.

[Ramon Monegal]

CM: I know that the quality of the raw materials you use is of the utmost importance to you in the creation of your perfumes. Can you talk a little about these raw materials?

RM: I must admit that when I ended my perfumer training, I came into the Maison Myrurgia, the company of my family. There is where I received formation as “Nose” (“Nez” in French). In perfumery, there are two different roles, the Nose and the Perfumer. The nose is someone who specializes in the search, evaluation and approval of raw materials from around the world, and the Perfumer is someone with a special sense of smell, with specialized training in the mixture of raw materials who can then compose a note. So as you can also note, I am both nose and perfumer.

In Myrugia, we used to work with 1.000 different references, and every year I received at least 15 samples of each reference. I had to try all of them, evaluate them and choose the best and most refined. We had some raw materials only comparable to those of Maison Guerlain, a house very close to us, with whom we were very good friends. (Many years ago, we had an amber infusion with 10 years of maceration. We received a stunning offer for them from Jean Paul Guerlain, who told my father that they were the best infusions he had ever smelled). 

Working with the best raw materials is the basis of my work. My laboratory is based in Switzerland, where I work with the best Absolute Sambac Jasmine from its concrete, we fractionate the Cedar, the Oud, the Patchouly or the Vetyver, we get Rose essence and its Absolute of an amazing quality, a unique distillation of Iris over Cedar, as well as we get the best Iris essence and its Absolute (my favorite over all, and the most expensive raw material around the world), an impressive Tuberose and Orange flower extracted in Grasse, as well as the best Spanish and Italian citrus, and so forth. Obviously, and in keeping with my interest to constantly be learning, I work with the best and newest synthetic molecules, such as Cashmeran, Ambroxane, Ambermax or Norlimbanol. 

My current palette only includes the most exclusive natural and synthetic molecules. That’s my way to create unique and genuine creations, unmatched by competitors, because they either can't or don't want to go to the trouble of seeking out and buying the very best. Once again, this is also a luxury to me.

[Ramon's cozy perfumer's organ in the RM showroom]

CM: As you prepare to launch your fragrances here in the US, can you tell the readers of this blog what they can expect from Ramon Monegal Parfums, and what sets your fragrances apart from the rest?

RM: Customers will find that our perfumes are made by a true perfumer. As you know, the most well-known current Signature brands are not signed by true perfumers. In my collection, customers will find exclusive fragrances, capable of love, seduction and surprise. Olfactory histories like “Lovely Day”; a watery floral fragrance, radiant and silky, around a bridal bouquet of beautiful roses, or like “Kiss, my Name”; a nectar of Tuberose, Jasmine and Orange blossom, a timeless myth reinterpreted according to a perfume-- outgoing and exuberant. Or, like “Entre Naranjos”; a vital elixir, fresh, sparkling, lively and a sunny interpretation of some verses of the great Andalusian (Spanish) poet Antonio Machado, dedicated to an orange tree, or like “Agar Musk”; a perfume of worship around the Oud agar wood; sober, majestic and elegantly opulent, or like “Mon Patchouly”; the desire for freedom, the revolutionary idea of “flower power”, but from the Spanish island of Ibiza, the smell of Patchouly bathed by the Mediterranean becomes a provocative breeze, and offers a sense of affirmation.

My maxim, besides “Less is more”, is “A good perfume should always add”. The distinguishing features of my work, my perfume, are the passion for what I do, the purity of the aesthetics, the divine proportion, the non-negotiable quality of my raw materials and its mastering, my Mediterranean origin with its contribution of freshness and vitality, the naturalness and originality of my creations, the fusion of the classical basis with our own technological evolution, and finally, my own language based on the projection of values.

[the unique atomizer and Bakelite cap of the satisfyingly heavy Inkwell bottle]

If stories are to be told with perfume, Ramon Monegal certainly has created his own olfactory language to tell them with. It is refined, frequently intangible, sometimes daring and unusual, but always attractive. Finally removed from the shadow of anonymity as a perfumer, he speaks this language in a voice imbued with clarity, purpose and passion... and he's just getting started.

[Starting sometime in August, Ramon Monegal Perfumes will be available exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman in-store and at www.bergdorfgoodman.com, select Neiman Marcus stores and at www.neimanmarcus.com, as well as selected specialty boutiques, including www.luckyscent.com / Scent Bar].

The official website is in the process of being redesigned and will be ready very soon, but in the meantime, below you'll find a list of the names of the 14 fragrances in the collection:

Agar Musk

Dry Wood

Mon Patchouly

Kiss My Name

Umbra

Cotton Musk

Impossible Iris

Entre Naranjos

Mon Cuir

Cuirelle

Lovely Day

Ambra di Luna

Cherry Musk

L'eau de Rose

All photos courtesy of and copyrighted by Ramon Monegal Perfumes, Barcelona, Spain 

Perfumer Interview Series: Liz Zorn

Liz Zorn of Soivohle Perfumes is one of a kind. She's someone who is not afraid to speak her mind, regardless of the consequences. It's one of the things I really like about her; you never have to wonder where you stand. She's faithful to her vision, her art and her amazing (and adorable) cat Beanie, and her talent is boundless. In short, she's a very interesting person. Read on to find out why.

CM: When I first started seriously collecting and studying perfume, I had ordered some samples from you and realized that I had never before experienced anything similar to what you do. So, in my personal perfume story, you represent a major marker along the journey. Can you describe your aesthetic and creative goals for those who may not be familiar with your work?

LZ: Like most artists I live in my head, so that is where the work begins. It has always been that way for me and this is how I have been telling my story for as long as I can remember.  I do not usually set goals, but desires. I desire things to be a particular way so I will work it out in my head until I feel that it is worthy of repeating on paper or in the lab. Like a new song that gets played over and over in my head until I can't stand it. At that point I must decide to either take the next step and finish it, make it tangible, or let it go. I do this with scent. I either get to a place where I finish it, or just let it go. 

CM: I’ve always considered your style of perfumery to be “rustic luxe”, and I think the consumer’s appetite for this kind of thing is on an uptick. Do you agree, or would you characterize your work differently? 

LZ: Rustic is not a word I would use to describe my work as it implies unrefined, lacking sophistication, backwards etc. When I think of rustic I am reminded of my childhood and our horrendous family camping trips. You would be hard pressed to get me out in the woods in a tent today. I love the outdoors but pooping in the woods is not my idea of luxury.  I try not to put labels on the work because it boxes me in. I will say that the overwhelming feedback from collectors, is more in line with allegory and sensory connections. Less about perfume speak and more about the artistry of the work and how that fits the personal paradigm of the individual.

CM: I know that you’re a musician and have been for some time. Does music have any influence on how you create fragrances?

LZ: Of course there are similarities in structure. The spark of creation, the mulling it over, the tangible work. I do not compartmentalize my creativity. Music here, painting there, perfume  etc. It all comes from the same place. An inner drive to create, regardless of the medium.

CM: Can you give hints about any new scents you may be working on at the moment?

LZ: At the moment I am working on new things in the Soivohle eau de toilettes collection. This collection is set to be expanded to include an oil perfume and perhaps a lotion for each scent in the collection.  It (the collection) will first be paired down to the scents that can transition to an oil, and then new scents are scheduled to be added this year. First up are Wild Ginger Chai and Rosa Sur Rose.   I am also working on new natural perfumes that will be in the Signature Collection Absolutes. These are inspired by Egyptian Mythology, the first one will be called Tears of Ra, a honey scent, based on the story of the same name.

CM: What is the most gratifying part for you about being an independent perfumer?

LZ: Being the boss of course. Setting my own pace. It is a luxury of sorts to be able to make a living doing what one loves in life.  I also feel a deep sense of gratitude to be able to do what I want. I do not take it lightly.

CM: And what is the most difficult part?

LZ: Paperwork. But perhaps it is more dislike than difficult. I do it, but I do not like it. Also setting time boundaries. If I had no other responsibilities I could easily ignore all else in my life. This sometimes gets me in trouble because there are only so many hours in a day. I rush around trying to fit it all in. I am not always successful.

CM: You regularly take some of your perfumes off of the menu, but will often times bring them back in the future—sometimes with slight changes. What is your motivation for this? 

LZ: If you are looking just on our website this will be the case. Nothing is really gone, it is just out of the current rotation. Most things can be purchased by request or in my studio where I keep a larger variety of perfumes. As to the changes, I rarely if ever change formulas. I do however upgrade or change out materials. For example the Vetiver for Blood Orange and Vetiver was changed because the original was no longer available. I have made changes to the new Solstice by using a different Oud and Frankincense, but the formula has not really changed. I try to keep things as close to the original as possible, but with natural materials it isn't  possible to have a standardized version of every material.  I also buy special limited quantities sometimes, things that cannot be replaced. I always know going in that to create a scent with this rare material means that it will not be around forever. This is how art works. It isn't always about a never ending stream of commerce, the supply and demand.

CM: I really like how you have a few different lines of fragrances within your brand because there really is something for everyone. When any one asks me for a recommendation for your scents, no matter who they are, I can easily rattle off a few that would suit them. Is it important to you to try to have options for many different people and their varying tastes?

LZ: Nope. I am very selfish in that regard, I am only interested in satisfying myself. I always set the bar very high.  If that materializes into a myriad of things, it is because there are a lot of things that interest me. In reality, I am just trying to get from point A to point B.  It would be too overwhelming to incorporate the desires and varying tastes of others into my equation. I would never get anything done and it would no longer be my point of view, my art.

CM: Where do you see Soivohle in 5 years?

LZ: I am a beginners mind kinda gal, so my brain is not wired for such an overwhelming long term projection. No big changes, no creative deviations. I would hope that it continues on the same path. I tend to fine tune as I go, and I always think things out before acting. I am the least spontaneous person I know. I believe that like follows like. People, like minded people do seek me out, and I am a big believer in cause and effect. With this in mind I am hopeful to stay the course and keep a positive outlook and maintain a level of integrity in my work. I think people have come to expect that from me. They expect from me what I  naturally expect out of myself.

CM: There may be one or two people in Perfumeland that don’t know about your cat Beanie, but I count myself among his biggest fans. Can you give us all a brief version of the story?

LZ: Beanie (Beacon Free) is an amazing spirit.  He was born with disabilities that our vet did not think he would overcome. Now he is 3 1/2 years old. He needs daily care to survive, and I am his only caregiver. I do this gladly and with love and devotion. We talk about perfume, art and music, and all of these things are fine. But it is our service, our selfless giving of ourselves to others that defines who we really are.

I have had Beanie since he was a few days old. His mother was a feral pregnant female who ate from our community outdoor food bowl. She delivered and housed her babies tucked into a stack of firewood at the side of our house near the road. A very busy state highway. I knew they would not survive that road, so I decided to bring them all inside. At first I caught the mother and then got the babies. I noticed immediately that something was not right with one of the babies. His back legs were hyper extended and he had no ability to balance himself. He was smaller and the others got the lion’s share of the milk. Each day I would pull the others away so that little Beanie could get his share. In the animal kingdom the mothers will sometimes kill or leave behind the ones who are sick or lame, Beanie’s mother Peggy Sue, loved him and cared for him. I was amazed at how gently she treated him.  Eventually the other kittens began to play and jump and move around in ways that Beanie could not. At night they would all gather in a box up on a shelf to sleep.  In the morning I would always find Beanie sleeping alone on his blanket. They were all eating solid food by then so I started taking Beanie to bed with me at night.  It took a long time to work out his diet issues and get him to a stable place where he could live a normal life. Today he is such a happy little guy. Has the biggest personality and he is so smart that it is spooky. He has the attention span to sit and watch an hour long TV show, and a vocabulary of sounds and meanings well beyond anything I have ever witnessed in a cat before. When I think about the relationship that I have with him, I feel like he is the wise omnipotent leader and I am just the awe struck student along for the ride. 

Check out this video of Beanie on the move! He's amazing:



[All photographs and video property of Liz Zorn and are used with kind permission]

Perfumer Interview Series: Maria McElroy

It was a unique pleasure for me to interview Maria McElroy of Aroma M Perfumes recently, for many reasons, one of which was a spontaneous Vulcan mind-meld that occurred (read on for explanation). The trajectory of Maria's career as a perfumer is an interesting one, as are her various cultural influences. As a fragrance writer, living in a world where there are upwards of 1200 new perfume launches a year, it's refreshing to meet someone like Maria who chooses to focus on quality over quantity.

Maria in her native NYC

CM: There has been an overwhelmingly positive response to your latest fragrance launch, Geisha Amber Rouge. What was your process like when you created it?

MM: Thank you so much, it has been such a wonderful journey creating my latest fragrance. Geisha Amber Rouge was inspired by my trip to Tangier two summers ago and also the lingering memories of my travels to Istanbul.  I have always felt such an affinity to that part of the world.  The crimson pink light of the desert set against the azure blue sea, and the evocative scents and sounds of the ancient markets, set my imagination aflame when in creating Geisha Amber Rouge.  Once I experienced the extraordinary perfume oils in Morocco, I knew then that I had my next aroma M perfume.

Geisha Amber Rouge

CM: It was surprising for me to learn that it’s been five years since the last Aroma M launch! Why did you wait that period of time to release a new fragrance?

MM: Each of my fragrances has had a different gestation period. The longest being Geisha Rouge. It took five years to finalize that scent.  I do not like to create fragrance, on a schedule.  Like painting a painting, there is a process that takes hold and you have to see it through. Some fragrances are easier and quicker than others.  I always have a very definite idea of how my perfumes should smell, so it makes it a bit harder, as I do not rest until it is exactly as I have imagined.

Maria in Morocco

CM: Your fragrances have a well-edited aesthetic to them which is very much in line with their Japanese influence. What aspects of traditional Japanese culture do you connect with the most, and why?

MM: That is a lovely compliment, thank you. There are so many aspects of the Japanese culture that work their way into my life and therefore into my perfumes. I love the Zen purity and the “wabi sabi” concept, which finds the simplest objects interesting, fascinating and beautiful. Fading autumn leaves would be an example as well as the clouds lightly covering the moon-a natural simplicity, which is actually very difficult to achieve.  This is an aesthetic seen in Japanese cuisine, traditional dance and painting as well.  I hope that these values come through in my perfumes.

[unknown photographer]

CM: I recently told you that I had a dream that you released two specific new scents in your Geisha line, and you’d responded that you had indeed already thought of doing them. That was a very cool “a-ha!” moment for me. Have you had other moments of odd synchronicity like that in relation to your creative process?

MM: I have to say Carrie, that experience with you was a first!  I was so astounded when I heard about your dream. Indeed, so cool!  I have had though, a very wonderful creative synchronicity in collaborating with my Cherry Bomb Killer Perfume partner, Alexis Karl.  It has been so fun and fascinating to share in the creative process together.  Our latest collaborative perfume, Immortal Mine, which was created for the Clarimonde Perfume Project, has had an incredible response, one that neither of us could have imagined. After almost seventeen years of working on my own at aroma M I am really enjoying the collaborative process.

CM: Besides perfume, do you work with any other medium to create art?

MM: I love flower arranging and I write a bit of poetry that I only share with my husband and kitty, Tama!

[flower arrangement by Keiko Kubo]

CM: I sense many different types of feminine energy in your fragrances and find that there is a different face (or character) one can put on for every mood or whim. Is this something you went in with the intention of doing?

MM: I have always wanted to make sure that each of my perfumes was different and distinct.  When my line started growing it became even more important to me.  I wanted to create a perfume wardrobe so to speak, one you could wear for every mood.  It is a challenge to keep each fragrance unique, as I have sixteen perfumes now. I hope that they all maintain a certain aroma M personality, which might be the feminine energy you find.  By the way, I love that you sense that about my perfumes!

CM: Do the different seasons inspire your work at all, and if so, how?

MM: Yes, I think that the seasons and climate have a great effect on my perfume process.  The way that Central Park smells after the first snow fall of the year, the warm night air in Tangier perfumed with Jasmine flowers, the sweet scent of orange blossoms mixed with the salty Mediterranean sea of the Greek islands, the incense- laden air hanging heavy in the ancient street of Kyoto are some of the inspirations that come to mind.

CM: Finally, as is the tradition here at eyeliner on a cat, do you have any cats, and may we ogle them?

MM: Yes most definitely!! I have had two Maine Coons; my beloved Bogey of 18 years passed away this last summer, and our new six-toed Kitty Tama!  Tama has the most perfect eyeliner that any girl would love to have…we adore her!

Bogey

we must give respect to those special kitties who have passed over

Tama-chan 

the new addition to the family

[I happen to have a thing for Coonies because my mother has several, and they all have way more personality than any cat should be allowed to have. I've always had mutt-kitties, but a Maine Coon cat is a beautiful thing to behold.]