Fragrances require more than a good scent cocktail to make it big
Maisons Diptyque, Memo Paris, Atelier Cologne, Acqua di Parma and Jardins d’Ecrivains offer memorabilia, limited editions, postcards and books, to make their mark
“Fragrance kindles an excitement similar to that of a departure,” Memo Perfume founders John and Clara Molloy say. “It is about openness and abandonment. We are open to the world, and we want to include our customers as a part of Memo, in the same way we involve artists who work with us: they enjoy and share the journey.”
Securing a niche in the saturated world of fragrances is some feat – reserving space takes more than a good scent cocktail. For those brands that have attracted loyal followers and adulation from the experts, there is a thread linking their approaches to creating fragrances – the stories that colour in the brands and their concoctions.
Diptyque, which is on most niche fragrance lovers’ must-have list, has honed in on their founders’ stories and propensity for collecting vintage, quaint objets d’arts on their travels. Since setting down humble roots at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris (the store still stands), the scented candle and perfume maker has spun out bestsellers Baies, 34, Do Son and L’Ombre Dans L’Eau, complete with poetic stories and memorabilia.
Memo Paris is another niche French fragrance on a rapid upward curve – after only 10 years in the scent game.
“We are always thinking about people who like to travel when we create a new fragrance,” the Molloys say. “For Memo, smelling a perfume is like taking a magical journey in a way, an olfactory round trip. The bottle is a destination. It has the same rite-of-passage dimension as travel, serving as a threshold between the known and the unknown.”
The duo love collaborating with artists and perfumers from different artistic mediums to produce memorabilia, such as limited editions, postcards and books. “Art has been a part of my life and my well-being since I was a child,” John Molloy says. “I have enjoyed it every day. All the illustrators, artists, photographers and perfumers who have worked with us have become friends. We want to use art to share our vision of the world.”
Memo has Paris in mind for spring-summer 2017. Returning to the brand’s roots excites the Molloys – it all began on Rue Cambon in Paris with a new scent christened L’Eau de Memo. “Memo is a collection of scents from afar that now boasts 18 fragrances; it takes a destination and makes it the point of departure for a sense-awakening epic. This year we are celebrating our 10th anniversary, and we created a perfume to celebrate the origins of Memo. L’Eau de Memo is the source.”
