Issey Miyake’s perfumer on their newest fragrance, finding inspiration in nature and… salt?
WHAT IS YOUR FIRST OLFACTORY MEMORY?
The perfume my mother used to wear: Shalimar by Guerlain. She had a bottle of it with her when she gave birth to me, so I could probably smell it when I was born.
HOW DID YOU BECOME A PERFUMER?
I have always been fascinated by scents, but I didn’t know anyone that worked in perfumery, and unfortunately I wasn’t good at science. I thought I couldn’t be a perfumer without it. So, I decided to focus on the performing arts and even managed a theatre company for six years. But the pull of perfumery was too strong and I ended up writing to Jean Guichard, director of Givaudan Perfumery School. He thought my profile was interesting and recommended that I start as an assistant perfumer. I began working with Michel Almairac at Robertet in Grasse, who taught me about raw materials and accords. The following year, Givaudan contacted me and I was accepted into their school.
WHAT CONNECTIONS DO YOU HAVE WITH ISSEY MIYAKE AND L’EAU D’ISSEY IN PARTICULAR?
A deep fascination and admiration, both as a customer and a perfumer. L’Eau d’Issey, whether the men’s or women’s version, is a series of paradoxes:
signature strength and intense freshness — but freshness that is very real, very present, not vague or evanescent. This fragrance represents a certain frugality, but at the same time is extremely complex, with endless facets that you gradually discover as you wear it. I have to admit I’m very mindful of nature and its changes. I like the seasons and all the contrasts that nature has to offer, and I really identify with this perfume and this brand.
HOW WILL THE ISSEY MIYAKE TEAMS TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT?
The question was: if you had to create a major men’s fragrance 30 years after L’Eau d’Issey for men, without it being the same but without completely ignoring it, what would it be like? The idea was that there is a spiritual connection, not just an olfactory connection, between these two fragrances.
WHAT CONNECTION DO YOU SEE BETWEEN L’EAU D’ISSEY AND LE SEL D’ISSEY?Purity and a certain amount of minimalism, the power of a blast of air.
SALT IS AT THE HEART OF THE CREATION. HOW DID IT INSPIRE YOUR COMPOSITION?
I wanted to create the scent of the exact moment the waves roll back, transitioning between the earth and sea. Salt is the memory left behind by a wave on the earth and on the skin, almost like an imprint. I wanted the focus to be salt, which naturally complements the idea of water previously showcased by the brand – with the huge success it experienced -, as well as the rhythm and movement of nature.
DID YOU HAVE THE IMAGE OF THIS MOVEMENT IN MIND WHEN YOU STARTED TO WORK?
I had a very specific vision of a wave covering the earth, and then uncovering it. Like an inevitable life cycle that never ends. That’s why in the formula I used upcycled ingredients, reused from other industries, in particular cedarwood, to represent this never-ending cycle of life.
THIS FRAGRANCE SHOWCASES THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE SEA. WAS THAT YOUR IDEA?
Yes, exactly! Le Sel d’Issey is a dialogue between these two elements: the earth and the sea. The salty, marine accord is made up of oakmoss —previously an algae — and laminaria digitata extract, a fresh and uniquely salty note. Earth is structured around vetiver, native to India, where it grows in the sand. Le Sel d’Issey was born from vibrations, from the contrast between these elements.
HOW DO ALL THESE INFLUENCES TRANSLATE INTO AN OLFACTORY CREATION?
It was a real challenge to create a scent with salt, when salt really doesn’t smell of anything. Salty wood immediately came to mind. To be more specific, a woody heart immersed in mineral freshness, but I chose to use wood in a multitude of textures and facets: cedarwood, moss, vetiver and akigalowood®, a neo patchouli obtained through biotechnology.
YOU PLACE A LOT OF IMPORTANCE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A PERFUME. WHAT SPECIFIC WORK DID YOU DO ON THE SILLAGE AND PERSISTENCE OF LE SEL D’ISSEY?
In my mind, a perfume that you can’t smell, doesn’t exist. Issey Miyake perfumes have always been potent, with a strong sillage. I had to respect this signature, live up to it. By working on the contrast within the note, I was able to really give salt its resonance, its momentum, its strength. It is a dynamic fragrance, creating the illusion that it is eternally vibrating, like the continuous movement of a wave.
DID YOU EVER THINK ABOUT WHAT MR MIYAKE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS CREATION?
I hope he would have liked it. I think he was able to approve the work on the bottle. I wanted to ensure the fragrance would embrace, reflect and embody the purity of the bottle, the way the light smoothly passes through the glass, the movement intrinsically linked to the design, asserting the freedom of the lines.
IF YOU HAD TO EXPLAIN THIS FRAGRANCE TO SOMEONE WHO HAD NEVER SMELLED IT, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
It is full of life. A fragrance that blends sensual wood with refreshing salt that never seems to lose its flavour.
WHO IS THIS NEW BRAND PILLAR INTENDED FOR?
The philosophical response: every human being, in their universal nature, in connection with the elements and natural movements inherent to life cycles. And on a more ordinary level, it is for men who want a fragrance that promises a perfect balance between freshness and sensuality.
Le Sel D’Issey is Available at the Perfume Shot from 26th of August 2024 100ml- £101.00
