Why perfume?
I’ve always been a creative soul and needed an outlet to express myself. I began working weekend jobs with someone working with essential oils when I realized how scent can be used as a form of expression.
I trained professionally for two years in Paris and set up a laboratory in the South of France, where I experiment with different raw materials and create something enchanting.
It may seem like a swift process when you hear the story, but it was a ten-year journey. As an outsider, one might think it all came together rather smoothly and creating perfumes is like mixing a potion.
Frankly, it takes a great amount of dedication and commitment to the craft.
Is it something you always wanted to do?
Not really, I didn’t grow up with the idea of being a perfumer, but I did want to be in a creative field.
If you weren’t in fragrances, what would you be doing?
If I weren’t a perfumer, I’d be a tennis player.
When it comes to senses, many people put a lot of emphasis on touch, taste, sight, etc. How important is scent?
For me, the scent is supremely important. It’s a powerful element in life; it can trigger memories, feelings; it creates emotions and transports us in space and time.
It is also extremely important for us humans because we are constantly surrounded by scent, and this creates a sense of comfort and familiarisation.
At the same time, I think we are not always aware of the power of scent; we don’t pay much attention to it. It is not given the due respect it deserves.
Where does your inspiration come from?
You can find inspiration in just about anything if you are open to new concepts and ideas. If you look outside, you can be inspired by a tree, animal, food or simple movement; just about anything you see can stimulate you, as long as you keep an open mind and are willing to be inspired.
So how do you translate that concept or idea into a smell?
As a perfumer, you visualise a certain world and then proceed to choose raw materials to fit that vision.
Obviously, some things work out better than others, and that’s what makes the process of creating a perfume so lengthy: by the time you’ve achieved your vision, you’ll have had dozens – sometimes even hundreds – of attempts.
In fashion, every season brings with it a new trend. Are there trends in fragrances?
I think when you deal with anything commercial, there always needs to be trends because that’s what the mass market buys into. And that is exactly why I do niche.
Niche is synonymous with freedom. In the niche industry, we don’t follow trends, we create art, movements, and there is no commercial input.
That’s why people buy into it. Customers are looking for uniqueness, and they can easily find it in niche, which is a very diverse and soulful world.
What’s currently on trend?
These days people tend to see ‘oud’ as a trend, where as it has been present throughout history in the Middle East. It is not a trend and has never been a trend; it is just that Europe has recently discovered how entrancing the smell can be.
In the Middle East, Oud has been used as a form of relaxation. To welcome guests and pay our respects, we burn Bakhoor. Large commercial perfume houses use synthetic oud in their manufacturing as natural oud is hard to come by and impossible to attain in large quantities.
I love oud and use natural oud in my perfumes as I’d like to keep the tradition alive.
Why do people wear fragrances? Just to smell nice?
It’s most certainly more than that. Wearing a scent is an identity statement, a projection of one’s personality and it triggers, teases and intrigues the people who surround us; a scent makes them want to know more about you. It’s a matter of attraction.
Niche brands, like yourself, seem to be doing very well within the industry. Why do you think customers are starting to branch out from the big label fashion brands-come-perfumers?
I think it’s because – like in any other industry nowadays – the customer understands more about the products.
They understand what’s natural and what’s not. To give you an example, Middle Eastern customers can now tell the difference between natural and synthetic oud very easily. And that’s something that makes them more demanding in terms of what they’re looking for, which is a fragrance that is different and very unique.
Do you think this trend will continue into the future?
Niche is not a trend; it’s the future of the perfumery industry.
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