Life & Style | People
He 'nose' best
Smell activates intimate memories. Francis Kurdkjian went one step further by following his nose to success.
- By Zafar Ghori, Freelance Writer
- Published: 23:54 November 13, 2008
- Image Credit:
Smell activates intimate memories. Francis Kurdkjian went one step further by following his nose to success.
There are those who venture beyond the realms of the average sense of smell and take olfaction onto a completely different level of understanding and appreciation. One such man is Francis Kurdkjian, who exercises his delicate sense of smell every day as part of his profession. As a world-renowned perfumer, Kurdkjian has been the 'nose' for perfume giants such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, Elizabeth Arden, Armani, Escada, Lancome and Davidoff to name a few. In Dubai for the launch of his latest creation, Madame by Jean Paul Gaultier, Kurdkjian offers Friday an insight into his life.
I
I was raised in suburban Paris in a family that does not boast a perfumery lineage. My grandparents instilled basic life lessons in their children and grandchildren. My father was a pioneer in computer technology. My mother is one of the hardest workers I know as she spent her life raising my two siblings and me. My family is energetic and funky with every member having a light-hearted view of life. I owe every bit of success I have to my grandparents and parents who tried to give us everything they never had as children.
I was trained in ballet for almost 20 years, starting from my childhood. It is a difficult form of dance as I feel it is not a natural art form.
I am a Frenchman of Armenian descent but this has not really affected anything that I have achieved. I feel people can achieve anything they want irrespective of where they come from and which family they are born into. You do
not need to be from a particular place to be happy.
I thought I was different from other children. I did ballet, played the piano and my name, amongst the sea of French people around me, was not really French as our family hails from Armenia. We would speak Armenian at home and only switch to French in public. These factors made me feel very different from others my age.
I wanted to be a fashion designer as it runs in my bloodline. My maternal grandfather was a tailor and my paternal grandfather was a fur dealer. My mother was also a fan of the fashion industry and she would cut pictures out of Jour de France – a fashion magazine in those days – and design and make clothes based on the magazine pictures. A suit she designed modelled by Chanel was a rage in those days. I was poor at drawing and this made me take a step back as I thought drawing went hand in hand with fashion design. I then turned to accessories, which were building momentum in the market at the time.
A bottle of perfume is considered an accessory so I took up designing perfumes as a profession.
I have been very lucky until now, but my journey has not been entirely smooth. You need to hit the curve balls life throws at you. I fight for things I believe in when they hold a place in my heart.
I firmly believe that I have two lucky stars – one being my mother and the other I have not met yet.
I went to the International Institute of Perfume, Cosmetics and Flavours in Paris. Here I trained for two years after which I took up a master's degree in perfume making.
I am now based in Paris, but I have been in New York for the past eight months.
I prefer Paris for work as I feel the appreciation of perfume-making is better. The American approach to perfume is not as specialised as it is in France as in the US it is not as much of a cultural facet.
I am serious about my profession. I feel part of a mission that gives beauty, pleasure and happiness to people around the world. It is my way of giving back to society. I am part of a profession that touches human beings with their senses. I feel I am blessed to be part of a service that offers pleasure during such a turbulent time in the world.
I won the Francois Coty Prize in 2001 for lifetime achievement in perfume design. This meant nothing to me personally.
I feel they gave it to me because they needed someone who was young and funny and I fit the bill.
ME
Me and my immediate family
My family today is made up of my parents, my brother, who is a banker and my sister, who is a public relations officer. My close friends are like family to me. I do not see my family every day as I have my own private life but when we meet, we have a ball together.
Me and my first creation
I did not expect my first perfume creation, Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier in 1995 to become such a success. It
is still the number one men's fragrance in the world and that makes me very happy. At 25 I was still very young
and I feel that the companies I worked with did not help me handle the success I achieved. They tended to treat me like a chicken that has laid the golden egg.
Me and bespoke perfumes
I established my own atelier of custom-made perfumes in 2001. I have more freedom now. With companies I had to cross a million checkpoints before the final product could be approved.
I have some prominent clients and many good business relationships have sprung from here.
Me and my work
I am very flexible with work. I am not a workaholic in any way. I am either at work very early, slightly late or on the other extreme – never there. I have always had enough projects and have collaborated with numerous corporations. In this way I feel blessed. My own fragrance with my name on the label is to be released in Paris by the end of June next year.
Me and travel
I have been travelling a lot in the last eight months and I am tired of it. I am making a conscious effort to reduce my amount of travelling. I want to base myself in Paris permanently.
Me and selecting projects
Choosing my projects is a very personal process for me. I need to have a certain amount of respect for the company I am working for and this guides me in what work to take on. I have refused many offers when I am not comfortable with the company for personal reasons.
Me and Jean Paul Gaultier
Working with Jean Paul Gaultier gave me my lucky break with Le Male. This remains my strongest business relationship. When it comes to freedom of work, I would be most comfortable with my own atelier and not even that of Jean Paul Gaultier.
Me and my association with other perfumers
I admire the work of Pierre Bourdon who was also my boss when I worked for a company called Quest International. My favourite perfumer is Francoise Caron and my favourite among her creations is Eau d'Orange Verte Hermes.
Me and my life philosophy
Honesty and being true to yourself and others around you are the fundamentals of life. I know life can be tough, but I think what is important in life is to follow what your conscience asks you to do.
Me and my expectation from life
I have received a lot from life and I ask for nothing more.
Me and leisurely activities
I sleep a lot but I do party when the occasion calls for it. I travel a lot but do not really have a favourite holiday destination.
Me and Marie Antoinette's Sillage de la Reine
The entire idea of recreating the French queen's personal perfume at the request of the Palace de Versailles was extremely exciting. The recipe for this was on an ancient document given to me by a historian. The olden day system of making perfumes was significantly different from the one we use today, as they used to literally cook essences, whereas we mix them. The funds gathered from the sales of this expensive perfume would be used to re-purchase the travelling chest of the queen which is not with the palace right now.
Me and my artistic collaborations
I have done numerous artistic collaborations in France. We made a Christmas tree at the Ministry of Culture in Paris which was auctioned. Forty fashion designers and myself –
the only perfume designer – worked on it and donated the proceeds to a charity organisation for children. Le Sapin de Noel is an upcoming collaboration and is also in aid of children.
Me and my favourite perfume
Must by Cartier.
MYSELF
Tell us one thing about yourself that the world does not know yet.
I do not claim to be someone who understands myself very well, but I am a huge fan of chocolate mousse and tiramisu. If ever I were to lose my sense of smell, I would always have my taste buds and would love to use them to make a living.
Is the perfume industry and its workings as pleasant as its products?
There are politics and intense competition within the beauty industry, but I do not really interact on this level. I know there is gossip within the industry and I can say that I am usually the last to hear any of it.
Does it overwhelm your senses to be around perfumes all day long?
No, it does not. I like doing what I do.
What is your take on cosmetics, including perfumes that are tested on animals?
Fragrances that I work for do not practise product testing on animals.
I cannot be sure about others. I think it is a brutal practice that should never be used. Life-saving drugs are a different issue where you could justify this practice to some extent.
In terms of cosmetics however I feel it is an absolute and emphatic 'no' from my side.
If you could make one unique perfume that no other person could possess, who would it be for and why?
My mother, because I owe her everything I am today.
– Zafar Ghori is a Sharjah-based freelancer.
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