On 4th July 2016 the subject of “Stephan’s Six” was Lawrence Roullier-White. He had been a great supporter when I started my writing and I was determined to get him to open up about his own perfume choices. He was surrounded in his store by the most beautiful scents and so I was interested to see whether his choices of what to stock had been influenced by his fragrance memories. My interviewees usually give me far too much material to use and so it gets archived for future articles, but I never imagined that I would using his as a tribute. Lawrence died in January 2017 but just reading this material makes me remember a remarkable man.
When Olivier Baussan first started manufacturing soap in 1976 nobody could have imagined that he would go on to form the globally recognised L’Occitane. With an emphasis on sustainability he attracted a loyal following, which meant that he was able to open his first store in 1981, but it was a focus on the Provencal traditions that set him apart when he ventured into fragrance in 1991. L’Occitane’s most recent release is Terre de Lumière, a “Gourmand Aromatic” fragrance, and it is definitely one that will surprise a lot of people. Come with me as we discover what is known as the “Golden Hour”.
ISIPCA is a school based in Versailles that teaches the formulation of perfumes, cosmetics and flavours. Now, many perfumers have passed through its doors but one of the newest is Daniel Pescio. His background in cinematography has definitely influenced his style, with bold choices littering his creations, and when I met up with him in Paris I took the opportunity to find out more about this new perfumer during “Stephan’s Six”.
You often read about the power that fragrance has for transporting us back into the past. Those forgotten perfumes, that selection of banned ingredients, these are all ways of "experiencing" the scents that would have been worn in previous decades. However, bottling a true snapshot of real life is a little more difficult. There are so many things to consider and, ultimately, it will be an interpretation based on facts and memory rather than a real "fragrance photograph". So, you can imagine how excited I was when I got to experience a real journey back in time to 1960, and even the mess that it caused was worth it.
Michael Angove first collaborated with Jo Malone London back in 2014 but this month sees five of his designs used to re-promote their iconic soap line. Originally from Barry in South Wales, but now living in Devizes, he studied at the Winchester School of Art and then the Royal College of Art before working as a print designer for Jean Paul Gaultier, Hugo Boss and Liberty Department Store. With his work now exhibited all over the world I thought it was time to catch up with this fellow Welshman and ask him “Stephan’s Six”.
With many companies now opting for more than one "range" within their catalogue it can become confusing just what the differences are. Along with the ever-present "exclusive" collection that each seem to include, fans are bombarded with flanker after flanker; a sport version, an intense version, even that troublesome Eau Fraiche. One company that has taken a different direction in the way that they offer their products to the public is Jo Malone London. Now under the control of Estée Lauder, just what makes their approach so different and why have millions fallen under their spell?
Ria Jones really is one of the First Ladies of British Musical Theatre. The daughter of an Opera Singer and the sister of Ceri Dupri, one of the UK's leading female impersonators, she was born in Swansea and at the age of nineteen started her career in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. More recently she was Glenn Close's understudy in Sunset Boulevard at the London Coliseum where she took audiences by storm when she played the role of Norma Desmond. Just back from 42nd Street in Paris, she took time out to answer "Stephan's Six" ahead of her return to the role of Norma Desmond in a UK Tour.
Every so often I get sent a fragrance just for fun. By that I mean that it's not something that is commercially available. Sometimes it's a modification, sometimes a trial, and sometimes an unused test. This was what happened last year when 4160 Tuesdays, more specifically Brooke Belldon, found an unreleased fragrance in the workshop and sent me a sample. A combination of luck, Brooke's squirrelling and my love of gin meant that I was unexpectedly given the ultimate feel-good fragrance. Throw in my not being able to read Brooke's handwriting and this years INVISIBLE PALLADIA was born.
The days of “point a camera at a bottle of perfume” have well and truly gone because a sense of creativity is now demanded by every company. One person who certainly has this gift is Roberto Greco, an incredible photographer who splits his time between Paris and Geneva. From Le Galion to Liquides Imaginaires, his work has been featured in the Harrods magazine as well as by The Perfume Society. So, I thought it was time to find out a little bit more about Roberto in the first of a new series of “Stephan’s Six”.
