SimplyAbuDhabi VII

1 3 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I I n 1828, Pierre-Francois-Pascal Guerlain started business as a Parfumeur Vinaigrier, opening a boutique at 42 Rue de Rivoli. All the courts of Europe fought over his creations. He became their official supplier, providing fragrances to Queen Victoria, Queen Isabelle of Spain, the unforgettable Sissi, empress of Austria, as well as the courts of Central Europe and that of Saint Petersburg with Bouquet de Furstemberg and Eau de Cologne Russe. His motto, which appeared on the pediment of the factory, became the corporate credo and every employee had to know it and, most importantly, apply it! “Make good products and never compromise on quality. As for the rest, stick to simple ideas and apply them scrupulously.” This declaration of faith was passed on from generation to generation. In 1853, Pierre-Francois-Pascal’s fame reached new heights. Her Majesty Empress Eugenie gave him the title of “His Majesty’s official Perfumer” after the perfumer created the masterly Eau de Cologne Impériale exclusively for her. The discovery of new fragrances falls within the perfume creators’ purview. Using scents found deep in the heart of far- off lands, the perfumer works like an alchemist to blend ingredients which, at first glance, seem fairly unattractive. This was the case with oak moss, which captivated Pierre-Francois Pascal. The perfumer paid homage to it by creating, in 1840, the first chypré fragrance, simply named Chypre. As the 19th century drew to a close, attitudes and tastes gradually changed. Artists’ imaginations were fired by the Orient, Asia, and even Africa. With the advent of steamboats, the lure of travelling to different places inspired a tendency for exotism. This changing climate formed the backdrop against which Aimé, Pierre- Francois-Pascal’s son, (who was promoted to the position of Perfumer), was to create his new fragrances. He recognized the importance of travel and was determined to draw his inspiration from other places. Some of his creations, dating from 1870s, bear witness to this willingness to venture beyond the frontiers of France: United States Perfume, Violette d’Alger, Syringa du Japon, Moskwskaia, Oppobalsam de la Mecque, and Fleur d’Italie, to name but a few. Aimé entered the perfumers’ hall of fame when he created his remarkable, and provocative, fragrance, Jicky, in 1889. The fragrance symbolized a shift in attitudes and brought about a change in perfume manufacturing, owing to the use for the first time of synthetic products, without which none of the great perfumes would have been possible. Jacques Guerlain, Aimé’s nephew was initiated into the art of making perfume when he was barely sixteen. He produced nearly 400 women’s fragrances. His greatest success was, undoubtedly, Shalimar, which introduced the family of oriental perfumes in 1925, when the Decorative Art Exhibition was setting the trend for a rich and inventive new style that showcased the most precious material and rarest essential oils. “A successful perfume is one whose fragrance corresponds to an initial dream.” Jacques Guerlain The “Marco Polo of essential oils”, Jean- Paul Guerlain, Jacques’ grand-son, has been bitten by the travel bug and his passion for setting off for somewhere new has never waned. Jean-Paul shops for sweet scents all over the world. He travels to Grasse for the May rose, Calabria for Bergamot, and the Nile delta or India for Jasmine. But travelling the world is not enough. He owns his own land and produces his own essential oil. He has a vanilla and ylang-ylang plantation in Mayotte and he distils orange blossom in Tunisia. “Perfume is the most intense form of memory.” – Jean-Paul Guerlain In 2008 Thierry Wasser became Guerlain’s Exclusive Perfumer and follows Guerlain’s tradition as scent explorer. “Before me, the previous Guerlain perfumers travelled all over the world in an on-going quest to find the most wonderful raw ingredients for their perfumes. It is a job, a passion, and even an irrepressible need. Each time, when the adventure comes to an end, a new travel journal is added to the previous ones, with a wealth of images, sensations, scents and emotions. Barely returned, you feel the desire to set off again, as witnessed by this suitcase placed at my door, always ready to accompany me once more along the perfume routes.” Once again, a travel to the Middle East was at the origin of his last creation, Les Déserts d’Orient. There would be no great fragrances without the Orient… Thierry Wasser, Guerlain’s perfumer-creator, wanted to demonstrate this concept in his own way, with sumptuousness and freedom, while giving dazzling expression to the notes that make these lands an inexhaustible source of inspiration. From the dawn of time, frankincense, roses, orange blossoms, herbs, spices, wood, amber, myrrh, saffron and benzoin, to name a few, have been venerated for both religious and cultural reasons. The great prophets recommended perfume as a means of distinction and employed it during essential smoke rituals. From this almost sacred olfactory heritage, and by the grace of the perfumer, Les Déserts d’Orient collection was developed with precise motivations and an infinitely voluptuous atmosphere. Discover the three fragrances in selected stores in the GCC only : • Rose nacrée du désert Woody floral - An intense rose, a bold flower, an established mystery… • Encens mythique d'Orient Oriental musk - A smoky effect, aromatic waves, a divine emotion... • Songe d'un bois d'été Leather - A deep leather, sumptuous woods, supreme momentum… Retail price : USD 270 Thescent explorersof