Frédéric Malle – On Perfume Making

By Suzanne Scott

A couple of weeks ago I met fragrance legend Frédéric Malle at London’s Claridge’s to see his new book (to call it a ‘book’ really doesn’t do it justice – it’s more like a piece of art for your coffee table).

Malle has been in the business of ‘publishing’ fragrances since 2000 with his line Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle – essentially he collaborates with the most esteemed perfumers of our time, like Jean-ClaudeEllena and Edouard Fléchier, to bring us future fragrance classics (Carnal Flower by Dominique Ropion and Une Rose by Fléchier are just two of EBT’s favourites). Malle’s lineage in fragrance goes back to his grandfather, Serge Heftler, who founded Christian Dior parfums. Needless to say what this man doesn’t know about fragrance probably isn’t worth knowing and our meeting has inspired me to think more creatively about the scent I wear.

But, back to the ‘book’. Expect to be thoroughly educated in the creation of perfume and to lose your self in the stories behind the origins of all his collaborations. The foreword is provided by Catherine Deneuve and the pages are beautifully illustrated by Konstantin Kakanias, a Greek illustrator who has been called on as textile designer for Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix.

An heirloom in the making, for sure.