THE LEGEND

Contemporary, internationally-renowned perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, Co-founder of Maison Francis Kurkdjian discusses what it takes to launch a successful brand in the perfume space

- AMY SESSIONS

“Quality, refinement, soberness are the three key words that we had

What do the first 30 mins of your day look like, your morning routine? I am an early bird. I wake up at 6am at the latest and I am instantaneously operational! My brain is immediately ready to go. I drink a hot cup of water to wake up or matcha tea then a couple of hours later I have a couple of expresso shots. Then I go to the shower where I love to use my scented shower gels. It’s like my morning routine to pick which one I will be using, depending on my mood. When it’s cold outside, I use Aqua Vitae shower gel, if it’s a bright sunny and hot day, I use Aqua Celestia. Aqua Universalis, when I travel away from home. What is at the heart of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, the DNA? Maison Francis Kurkdjian is a perfumer’s house that celebrates freedom of creation, quality of products and services and kindness at all levels.

You previously created one of the most widely selling fragrances at Jean Paul Gaultier. Tell us how your past experiences led you to cofound your own brand? Right after Le Mâle for Jean-Paul Gaultier, I went to live in New York for several years, creating fragrances for beauty companies such as Estée Lauder, Elizabeth Arden or Coty. In early 2000, I returned to Paris, continued to create fragrances for many other beauty and fashion companies and started to create bespoke scents at the same time. In 2003, I met Marc with whom I became friends. We both realized that we were sharing the same vision of lifestyle and definition of luxury. Plus, we had complimentary professional and creative skills. We co-founded Maison Francis Kurkdjian in 2009. His vision and sense of business have been one of the key points of the success behind Maison Francis Kurkdjian. I am very proud of what we have built together over the past 11 years.