Simply Abu Dhabi XX

2 2 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I P arfums de Marly has a fabled history dating back to King Louis XV, whose lifestyle shaped this magnificent fragrance brand. The King was obsessed with thoroughbred horses and kept the most elegant of horses at his stud farms in France; perfume was his other passion. One of the earliest known stallions, and one of three founders of modern thoroughbred horse-racing bloodstock, is the influence for Marly's newest concoction. Byerley was born in the midst of a powerful thunderstorm, and it was said that as his dark brown form emerged into the world, he was not fazed by the storms around him, nor the noise of canons and gunfire. He was therefore considered, according to legend, a most fearsome war horse. This majestic creature took an important role in European history, whilst having a high calibre of breeding and reputation. No surprise, then, that is should be the perfect inspiration behind Marly's new perfume. Top notes of bergamot and cardamommove on to sensual woody notes of cedar and guaiac, as base notes soften the palette with vetyver java and balsam. All in all, it’s a heady combination that will stir the senses and awaken the soul. To discover more about this exciting addition to Marly's collection, I went to The Ritz in London to experience the fragrance first hand and to meet the gentlemen behind the brand, Julien Sprecher and Yvan Jacqueline. I posed them some questions and they were more than happy to oblige. Tell us about the new Byerley fragrance... Julien: Byerley is vetyver, from Java, which is specifically smoky; that is what the rest of the fragrance is built around. It also gives a slightly rubber smell, so it's a very specific fragrance. It's a bit more niche, because sometimes we want to make a more complex fragrance to show what our brand is able to do. Yvan: Yes, this is a really interesting fragrance because the vetyver from Java gives it something really unique. It's really rare that this ingredient is used because of the smoky effect, and it's totally different to all others. Once on the skin, the smoky effect goes and it settles beautifully – it's a very energetic fragrance. And like most of your fragrances, this one is unisex? Julien: Well, it's probably slightly more masculine... Yvan: But it's so difficult to say, because so many ladies love our male fragrances and wear them. But our feminine fragrances are really feminine. Remembering King Louis XV and his lifestyle, how important is his influence and how have his obsessions shaped Marly as a brand? Julien: It's crucial. I'm really passionate about French history, especially the late kings. By studying it, I realised there was a really strong link with the perfumery that I didn't know. By digging, I saw that the King had his own perfumer, then was creating fragrances to perfume his fountains in his castle. Did King Louis XV have a favourite fragrance or element that you still use within your perfumes today? Julien: We have vanilla that they were using at that time. They were also using a very high-quality bergamot which is the main ingredient in the Eau de Cologne. They were using a lot for the top notes that we always put in all our perfumes; the bergamot gives a freshness as otherwise it can become 'sticky'. It's very important. The Marly logo of the majestic horses is quite iconic. Do you have any interest in horses, or indeed ride yourselves? Julien: For me, it's purely aesthetic. I tried to ride before but I'm not very good! There are a lot of horses in Europe and theMiddle East, the beauty of which is such that they're like a piece of art. I also like the link of the horse with the monarchy. What would a king be without a horse? It's very important. Humanity would not be where it is without the horses. How do you go about creating a fragrance? Julien: The main thing about creating a fragrance is to respect the logic in the range. You can't always do the same kind of perfume. The best way to start is by choosing one or two main ingredients that mix well together, like vanilla and tobacco, or fruity with vanilla, or flowery with fruity. You then start to build the perfume around it. This brief then goes to the perfumer so they can work on the heart formula that you can develop with them afterwards. Yvan: We always want to smell the rawmaterials. Once you have all decided on the ingredients, you then have the ‘backbone’ of the fragrance. Each one in your family of fragrances is very different. Is there something that ties them all together? Julien: Yes, there is a signature in all of them. We always have a fresh top note; most of them have vanilla and then a woody or musky base. When we show our fragrances to our partners around the world, a lot of them say "Oh, that's veryMarly", which is great when you can begin to recognise that. Yvan: When creating a fragrance we always try to go in a new mood to target a different audience. We want to touch new people and please more customers. We are lucky to have six or seven fragrances that are really successful, which can be quite rare. When a Marly customer comes to smell a new fragrance, having loved the previous ones, they won't necessarily like the new one straight away. Then after a while the sales explode because we are connecting to a new customer, which is really special. It always takes time. How do you find your inspiration? Julien: I'mmore into the imagination of the brand. I like to really immerse myself in the brand. I enjoy the stories and the history behindMarly. I have inmy mind where I want to bring the brand and what kind of product I would like to do in the future. It's a long process of digesting and living with the brand every day, but it's clear to me where I want Marly to go. The inspiration also comes from the team and the people around us. It's always interesting to see what others are doing, even though we have a very positive direction of where the brand is going. What is your favourite smell that conjures up the most memories? Julien: I love vanilla; it's very deep in everybody. I rarely meet someone who doesn't like vanilla. I don't think there is one culture that isn't touched by vanilla at some point. Especially in our Western culture, putting vanilla in the milk for babies, for example. What I'm trying to create is to hook people and create a sensuality in what they smell. There are so many levels of vanilla and to blend vanilla is very specialised. You have to harvest it, then boil it, then keep it for three to four years in a distillery – all at different temperatures, taking them back to the sun if need be – then we blend them. The real difficulty is to keep all the vanilla consistent at all times because it's constantly changing. How important do you think it is for men and women to wear a perfume? Do you wear a fragrance? Yvan: It's very important. Our sense of smell is the only sense that is linked directly to the subconscious and emotion. The power of perfume is much more than people think. It affects our mood, confidence, power and so many other elements. I truly believe that a perfume can change someone's life. Then of course there’s the imprint you have on others, to convince and alter someone's perception of you. Julien: How many times do you link a perfume to someone? Then if they change their perfume, it's disturbing... you think, “you smell different, that's not you.” Or if you love someone who wears a particular perfume, then you don't... and you smell it on another person, it's extremely disturbing! The packaging of Marly perfumes is unique; all of the bottles are very heavy, for example. Do you get involved in this process too? Julien: Yes, we do everything fromA to Z. We work with the best French suppliers of glass. The more you use natural ingredients, the more the perfume is always moving and the colour changes. Vanilla, for example, is always brown. So it's more modern to have dark glass, or the matte black I really like. It's also very important to protect the perfume; we have found that it lives a lot longer without light. What obstacles have you faced with your work? Yvan: This is interesting because we are not at all following the trends. The 'less is more' concept is not for us. We have a strong heritage and want to be who we are, without compromise. For me, in the beginning, it was interesting to see the kind of resistance we received from the trade. They were surprised how luxury we were, and howwe were not following the trends going on within the industry. Then, after a couple of weeks they are on the phone to us saying how it is selling so well and how fantastic it is. Success, in the end, comes from our clients. They are very faithful to us, and word of mouth works a lot. I do believe that people love to have luxury objects and good value for money. We create products with no compromise at all – that's who we are. Do you have a daily routine when it comes to grooming and looking after yourself? Julien: No, I don't do too much at all. I tend not to use perfume very much. I need to smell a lot and I don't want that sense to be disturbed. Smelling is like a muscle: I always feel its presence and the more you train it, the more it becomes strong. I sometimes wear Galloway, the white one, which is more light. What piece of advice would you give to your younger self? Julien: Continue to do what you're doing! I hate regrets. I don't have any regrets. I don't want to dwell on anything that I'm not happy about. I try to avoid mistakes if possible; you can foresee some of them if you are careful. I wouldn't let fear stop me from doing something, or listen too much to others’ advice. It can be very dangerous, because afterwards you accumulate regrets in your drawer, then one day you'll open that drawer and it's not good. It's always better to live life to the full, but in a clever way with maturity and thoughtfulness. Yvan: I have to say that Julien is really important to the Marly brand. He is chief of the orchestra and a bulldozer of the brand because he has no fear. He has great self-confidence and together we know where we want to bring the brand. Julien: Failure is not an option because we are really into it and care about what we do. We respect the people we are working with and for whom we are producing this brand.

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