Francis Kurkdjian Talks Dior Parfums at Château de la Colle Noire

This month, Dior Parfums debuts “Esprit de Parfum,” an indulgent new suite of scents for La Collection Privée Christian Dior from the house’s Perfume Creation Director Francis Kurkdjian. Brought to life with unparalleled ingredients, these full-bodied perfumes—names Lucky, Rouge Trafalgar, Gris Dior, Ambre Nuit, and Oud Ispahan—are a total olfactory experience including strong notes of floral, citrus, oud, and amber. “Creating the Esprits de Parfum has been an opportunity for me to pay tribute to the iconic fragrances of La Collection Privée. For each fragrance, I have redefined a readable olfactory line and a narrative that allows for a pure and radical reinterpretation of the composition’s structure,” said Kurkdjian. “The Esprits de Parfum are like the canvas before the final model: they are its synthesis.”

Earlier this summer, Whitewall visited with Kurkdjian in the Var region of the South of France. There, within the stunning gardens and interiors of Mr. Christian Dior’s Château de la Colle Noire, he discussed his longstanding passion for perfume and vision for its future.

WHITEWALL: You said that you knew since you were 14 that you wanted to create perfumes. What made you so sure then?

FRANCIS KURKDJIAN: I think I made it as a challenge to my parents. I was sure because I felt it would allow me to convey two things: art and science. I couldn’t figure out if I was more into science or more into art. And I think that perfume is a balance between the two of them.

WW: And what keeps you so sure of that now?

FK: This is the only thing I know how to do, and I believe I do it not so badly. I keep going because it’s exciting. Because creating perfume is about translating the era we live in. It’s about today, and a bit of tomorrow. It’s definitely not about the past. And I think it keeps you alive to stay connected to the era.

“This is the only thing I know how to do, and I believe I do it not so badly,”

— Francis Kurkdjian

How Francis Kurkdjian Creates a New Fragrance

WW: Where do you typically begin when working on a new fragrance?

FK: I have a very basic routine. Without a story, there is no perfume. Because there is no need, in a way. If you don’t have the desire to say something, there is no need to say it or to do it. What do I want to do? What do I want to express?

It’s about my relationship to Christian Dior first and to the house of Dior. It’s about diving into the archive first, the history of the maison for any topic it could be. Inspiration is invisible—it can come from a book, it can come from a picture, it can come from in between the conversation, but you have to look for it. You have to work for it. Inspiration doesn’t fall from the sky and fall on your feet. If you don’t work and seek and do research, you can’t find inspiration.

WW: And where have you been finding inspiration lately?

FK: It really depends. The beauty of my work at some point is that many things can be inspiring, but not everything can become a perfume.

WW: What drew you to your current position at Dior?

FK: I was excited by the challenge. I questioned myself on my capability to handle two houses. That was something that I put a lot of thought into. I said, “If it happens in the fashion world, why can’t I do it in the perfume world?”

I am the first perfumer in such a position to have two hats. I stick to two maisons and they all have their DNA, they all have their codes, and they all have their languages. My week is built to have my routine in between those two. At Dior, I challenged myself to bring something different and more assertive, something more radical.

WW: In visiting Grasse and going into Mr. Dior’s archives, what have you discovered?

FK: I’ve discovered so many things and there are so many things I haven’t seen yet. It’s the treasure of the house, of the maison. In ten years time, Christian Dior was able to build something that no one else has done since.

There is a letter that I love that says a lot. It’s a letter from the Secretary of the President of Dior Parfums back in 1951. It talks about a visit of Christian Dior at the factory—he had an office at Avenue Montaigne and at the factory. That shows how much he was into the perfume business. We knew it, but knowing it and reading it is something else. Then the second part of the letter, he talks about fragrance notes. He talks about, what if we blend those notes together. Can you make it happen? And that’s very interesting because I’ve worked with many designers before, but the way he put those things together was very unique.

“Fragrance is what makes us human,”

—Francis Kurkdjian

Francis Kurkdjian on the Power of Fragrance

WW: How would you describe the power of a fragrance?

FK: I would say fragrance is what makes us human. We all talk about artificial intelligence, for example. But in the coming years, what would be the difference between machines and us? They think very fast, faster than we can do. They do things that we can’t do. But we breathe and we eat, and because we breathe and because we eat, we smell. So I think that fragrance is what’s left of humanity.

WW: How do you strike the balance between contemporary and timeless in creating a new fragrance?

FK: It’s very me. This is why I love being at Dior. At Dior, I can express the dialog between the past and today. Mr. Dior said, “Respect traditions and their audacity.” Nothing starts from scratch. The blank page doesn’t exist. People think that creation is a blank page, but you always start with something that you heard, something that you learned.

I’ve been in the field for almost 30 years. I have a background of things. So, every time I start, I try to wipe out what I’ve learned. Not the technique, but I start to get rid of the emotions. I start to get rid of what I know aesthetically. Otherwise, I will have a tendency to go back to something I like and something I know. This is, to me, the difference between artistry and art. The artisan goes to something he knows, he relies on the technique he has done for so long to reach perfection. Art is about imperfection, in a way, because the artist goes in a field that he doesn’t know. He goes somewhere he doesn’t know yet. I think you have to balance between the two.

“Art is about imperfection, in a way, because the artist goes in a field that he doesn’t know. He goes somewhere he doesn’t know yet,”

— Francis Kurkdjian

Dior as the House of Happiness

WW: There’s a real loyalty to fragrance. How does that impact your creative process? Knowing something will be worn for years, becoming a part of that person, of their memories, of their identity?

FK: I am not so sure if people are loyal anymore. People now have multiple perfumes to express the multiple facets of a personality. When I create a perfume, I always try to balance classicism somewhere. It’s not necessary as an ingredient, not necessarily structure, but somehow something classic. I say I try. I’m not succeeding all the time, but I try to bring a breakthrough thing, something that makes it different—and not even contemporary, but almost futuristic for the coming years.

WW: What is the scent you’re most loyal to?

FK: The neck of the person I love.

WW: You’ve spoken at length about the future of fragrance. How would you describe the future of Dior fragrance? In a few words.

FK: The future of Dior, and the entire Dior house is working on it, is happiness. We are merchants of happiness. And to me, that would be my wish for the house. Let’s make the house of Dior the house of happiness.