Shyamala Maisondieu is a Malaysian born perfumer who collaborated with Calice Becker and Nadège Le Garlantezec on L’Occitane’s Terre de Lumière. After studying at the Givaudan Perfumery School in Grasse, Shyamala moved to their Paris office and has worked with Comme des Garcons, Lancôme and Etat Libre d’Orange amongst others. Her love of Iris is well known, but what else would I discover during “Stephan’s Six”?
When Guerlain launched the L’Art et la Matière series in 2005 it was a capsule collection of three scents. Originally conceived as a way of showcasing a star ingredient, the concept was to celebrate the artistry of the perfumer by focusing on the way that they used the material. Technically the first commercially available “exclusive” range from the brand, it set the benchmark for the collections that would follow. With the release of Joyeuse Tubéreuse the L’Art et la Matière series now has nine members, having said goodbye to Iris Ganache and Myrrhe & Delires, but what does the latest addition add to the collection?
Tessa Williams is the author of Cult Perfumes, which looks at the releases and history of the boutique perfumeries. Alongside launching her own fragrance range, Tessa is a journalist who was written for Vogue and The Times, amongst others. At home with being the interviewer, I thought it was time the tables were turned as I asked her “Stephan’s Six”?
"Transparency" is a word that you often hear mentioned when it comes to the perfume industry. For many years perfume houses would release fragrances under their own name, or assign them to an in-house "nose", when they had actually been created by an outside company. This wasn't done maliciously; it was just the way the industry worked. Customers were not particularly interested in who had made the juice in the bottle, just that it came with their favourite company's logo on the glass. Of course there had always been fans that wanted to know every detail but it’s only recently that "transparency" has become the industry's key word.
If you don’t recognise the name Dariush Alavi then you might know the man by his pseudonym, Persolaise. He first appeared on March 11th 2010 and since then has challenged, praised and critiqued hundreds of fragrances via his Blog and in many publications. A Jasmine Award Winner, a flamboyant dresser and a mean hand at jam making, I thought it was time to discover Dariush’s own perfume memories during “Stephan’s Six”.
It’s always interesting to find new ways of using fragrance but people still seem to make a very definite divide between perfume and home scents. Perfumes are seen as a daily necessity whilst home scents are regarded as fairly functional. I’m sure that most people have had a Jo Malone candle at some point or a White Company Room Diffuser but was it exactly the scent that you expected? So often the fragrance that we really want doesn’t exist in a home product, but 4160Tuesdays have come to the rescue. With the help of their Dangly Do-Dah, yes you read that right, you can now have any scent that you desire.
The job of any good perfume consultant is to find the customer their perfect scent, but they're choosing from a selection of fragrances that have been made to fit into very specific trends. Even historic perfumes still have a particular style that was chosen by the perfumer in order to make it a commercial success. So, your "perfect" scent might not be as perfect as you actually want it to be. A new company has come up with a novel, and very entertaining, way to create your very own "bespoke" fragrance without even having to leave your home. Not convinced? Come with me and let me show you WAFT.
It happens every year but it never gets any easier. I’m talking about the annual discontinuation of one of Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria range. Since the series first appeared in 1999 the collection has seen many fragrances come and go, but it is still a surprise when the final cut is made. Sometimes the choice is made based on sales figures, sometimes due to trend, but occasionally the decision leaves everyone surprised. In 2014 Guerlain introduced Limon Verde to the Aqua Allegoria range but it leaves the collection this year to make way for Bergamote Calabria. So, what is the history of this caipirinha explosion?
Susie Willis is no stranger to success. She sold her first company, Plum Baby, in 2010 for £10m but she still had a desire to further investigate the natural ingredient market. So, in 2016 she launched the skincare range Romilly Wilde and their first fragrance, Idle, was listed in two categories in the 2017 Fragrance Foundation Awards. With nominations for Best New Fragrance In Limited Distribution and Best New Independent Fragrance, I wanted to find out Susie's own perfume memories during "Stephan's Six".
