Frédéric Malle: On Perfume Making

Perfumier Frédéric Malle was born into the world of fragrances: his grandfather was Serge Heftler, founder of Dior Parfums. However, Malle describes his own role as that of a publisher, likening his label Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, founded in 2000, to the great French publisher Gallimard: “Not only did Gallimard publish the best authors in its time, but its books also look like nothing else,” Malle explains. “I said to myself, ‘I’ll do an Editions de Parfums like Editions Gallimard.’” The packaging of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle is modeled on Gallimard’s simple red and cream cover design, declaring the modest, unostentatious sensibility of its founder. Malle also functions as something of a curator: when developing a fragrance, he invites the best contemporary perfumers and gives them absolute creative freedom, supplying them with both an unlimited selection of ingredients and as much time as needed to compose the best possible scent. Pierre Bourdon, Jean-Claude Ellena, Edouard Fléchier, Olivia Giacobetti, Dominique Ropion, Maurice Roucel, Edmond Roudnitska, Michel Roudnitska and Ralf Schwieger are among the many perfumiers who have collaborated with Malle. In this beautifully produced luxury volume, Malle describes the process of creating a fragrance and collaborating with these great perfumiers. With a foreword by Catherine Deneuve, On Perfume Making offers a rare glimpse into the refined world of contemporary perfume.