In an industry where egos are stoked and the flames of fancies are constantly fanned, Marc Chaya, the CEO and Co-Founder of Maison Francis Kurkdjian is for a lack of a better word on my part, easy going. The first cue of his conviviality was an an all-clear for the following questions by his PR representative (journalists like me practically weep with gratitude whenever this happens) and the second, is the way he warmly engaged me back when I was the interviewer myself.
He is curious about the questions I ask and the reasoning I have behind them, requests I elucidate about an opinion I made about the House’s fragrances and despite being quick to respond to things, one can tell that this is a man who thinks as much as he speaks.
Here, he speaks about what makes Maison Francis Kurkdjian a powerhouse of perfumery; a freedom of choice that starts with its wardrobe of scents and happiness that comes with each spritz. Now that, is a winning formula.
Hello Marc, I’d like to start by asking this question: what do you think makes a Singaporean fragrance customer unique?
Very interesting question! What makes a place unique is its culture and Singapore is an international city; a melting pot of different cultures. It is a hub where cultures exchange when people talk to each other and based on my theoretical analysis, perfumes are linked to culture.
Singapore is such an extraordinary place where cultures fuse and the people are interested in experimenting and building a dialogue. Perfumes can be that very dialogue.
I think it’s interesting that you mention the word dialogue because wearing a fragrance is a way to speak about yourself in a non-verbal manner.
It’s a way to give a part of yourself to someone; you don’t speak about yourself but discreetly telegraph your personality.
Honestly, I can’t interview you without mentioning the explosive popularity of Baccarat Rouge 540 in recent years; how it has gone from something if-you-know-you-know to something everybody wants now. Do you think this has changed the way fragrances are now formulated for the House?
We’ve always operated as a creative House; a House that carries the name of its genius perfumer. Our vision with Francis himself was to give legitimacy back to a perfumer by allowing him to freely create without the influence of a marketing department. He exists in an environment where creativity can blossom freely.
Our Maison is a creative House where all the fragrances come from Francis’s mind and Baccarat Rouge 540 was something that he wanted to create back in 2012 for the 250th anniversary of the House of Baccarat. He had a concept of crystal infusion through perfume in mind and it was initially housed in a 250ml limited edition bottle and was not supposed to be available to the public.
It was so extraordinary, however, that everybody asked about it and we decided to release it. Baccarat Rouge 540 became globally famous in an organic way and the process is always the same with whatever we release; it comes from Francis who gets inspired by something and the creative dialogue we have about the name, story, and samples he shares.
It all comes from a creative journey.
How does the dialogue start then? Do you provide the “left brain” side of things and he provides the “right brain”? Or are both of you able to think using both ends?
We are a unique match; any idea I think of that is not perfect or finished that I run through with him becomes meaningful and the other way around. It is a conversation that has been going on for 17 years and has been behind everything that the House has launched.
When it comes to creating a fragrance, it all starts with him and his inspirations that he bounces to me and when I have a business idea or vision, I bounce it back to him. For the aesthetics like a fragrance’s visual identity and product design, we do it together hand in hand.
We function as the left and right brains of a body.
A question I love asking creatives too would be about their capacity to be open to things; I think it’s more important for fragrances because Houses develop one that has to work on a global scale as opposed to fashion that drops capsules depending on the countries they land in. How open are you to things you think might not work or even personally dislike?
I don’t think you can ever train yourself to be an open person because you either are or you are not. Both Francis and I, however, are super open which is why we were great friends as we both enjoyed travelling and the experience of life itself. Life has so much to offer and since we’re existing on planet Earth for such a finite time, that makes us both hungry and excited to discover new things.
Creativity is an infinite territory because no one decides to just sit and do something. Creativity comes from the inspiration you get when you meet someone or experience things like sunsets, architecture or art. It is an infinite process and most creatives create all their lives. Picasso painted till he was 90 and Karl Lagerfeld was designing till his last breath. It is something you have in you that can not be developed.
When do you know then when to hit the pause button?
You don’t know which is why you have to learn when to do so. In my business relationship with Francis, I always bring closure because closure itself means that there has to be a product launch to fulfil.
I know that it is time for closure when I see that “more becomes less” which is a stage where a limit has been surpassed that causes a waste of time and beauty.
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When I first smelt 724, I honestly thought it could belong in the “family” of Cologne Forte and I thought that maybe, each Maison Francis Kurkdjian launch is simply a chapter in the giant beautiful book that is the brand itself. It might not deviate too far but there’s still something interesting to “read” about it. Would you agree?
724 might smell similar because it is a fresh fragrance but different because it is a sophisticated take on freshness itself. 724 means seven days a week and 24 hours a day which is a reference to megacities that never sleep like Singapore. You usually will wear blue jeans in big cities like New York or Singapore and 724 is inspired by this very piece of clothing.
The lifestyle is inspired by this dressed-up freshness that makes you feel fresh and elegant but cool at the same time. It’s like a shell that protects you from the city; a softness and kindness that becomes a piece of armour.
How does the development of a fragrance start between you and Francis?
It starts with an idea that Francis has in mind and that usually is the name of the fragrance itself which gives him a scope and frame to work with. The name then becomes a source of inspiration; for example, Grand Soir was inspired by a grand evening in Paris where a man wears a tuxedo and walks down the River Seine.
Gentle Fluidity was inspired by gender fluidity where Francis wanted to create an olfactory concept where one could choose a fragrance depending on what he or she wants. It’s like silk where one can wear the fabric as either a dress or as a tie.
Francis always starts with a name and when he feels like he’s ready, he gives me vials that I wear before giving him both emotional and technical feedback. Emotional-wise, I would mention that a fragrance is too this or that and technical-wise, I would mention issues like its diffusion or stability. This helps him to fine-tune it and when we both feel it is ready, it goes to our team who gives their feedback.
We know that a fragrance is a gem when everybody is smiling but prior to that, we work on the packaging, campaign visuals and even the colour of the bottle which is once again inspired by the fragrance’s name. It is a 360 story that starts unfolding in parallel with the creation of the fragrance.
Which do you think is more important feedback for Francis; emotional or technical feedback?
I don’t oppose either because as human beings, we are as emotional as we are logical. It’s called having empathy which is the combination of both parts. It involves intuition too which you’re able to feel and while you might not be right with the decision you eventually make, you instinctively go for it. Intuition, however, is a property that we all have but is culturally undermined.
For example, if you’re able to calculate something obscure like 1,245 multiplied by two and a half million and you’re able to instantly get the result, I have a theory that your brain is able to do so based on the things it has been exposed to. You might not be able to rationalise it but it is something your brain is able to do because it thinks it is the right thing.
Intuition is the rational combination of the tremendous knowledge your brain has been exposed to that you can not rationally explain. It does not mean, however, that the result is not true or accurate.
If you don’t mind me saying, the brand launches great scents but I’m revealing my age by telling you that I remember when the brand released scented bubbles. Why has nothing been done since then in recent years?
At some stage in the House’s journey, we grew a lot and focused on its maturity but in the coming months, you’ll see a lot more playful things that we have always loved. It is a part of our brand DNA but we have been dedicating our resources industrially to areas where sophistication is needed.
Francis is scenting a beautiful symphony concert played by the Philharmonie de Paris at the end of the year and is scenting an opera next year in Vienna at the Vienna Opera House. Creating a scent is no different from creating music because you’re combining things to create an emotion that uplifts you.
At our House, we talk about having artistic conversations instead of collaborations where two creative talents from two different fields come together to have a dialogue.
I was having a conversation with another editor that day and we had our views about “luxury perfumes”. To me, I think it’s not really about the price because luxury is finding something that truly fits you. What is your opinion of the term then?
Luxury stems from the extraordinary and the genius of creativity. It involves the combining of someone’s extraordinary talent with extraordinary know-how meets craftsmanship and then, creating an extraordinary experience.
Actually, I was thinking too that the true luxury of Maison Francis Kurkdjian is that it ignores gender which is to say, gender is never the point in my opinion with the fragrances — you are free to choose whatever suits you and this luxury is freedom. Would you agree?
The House ignores gender but celebrates the bucking of its conventions at the same time; not your sexual identity but instead the codes that come with it. For example, a lady wears a skirt and a man wears pants. Or, boys wear blue and girls wear pink but the more mankind is evolving, the more we realise that we are perfectly equal.
As a man, you can be as sensitive as you are masculine and fragrances can help reflect the aspects of your personality. I identify as a cis-gendered man who wears traditionally masculine clothes but I can choose to either wear a classic men’s cologne or something that is rose scented. Our House is centred around this freedom that enables one to be their best no matter what they would like to be.
Lastly, just out of curiousity, which is your favourite?
I don’t have a favourite but instead, have a collection that I go by. I wear Grand Soir, Amyris Homme and Gentle Fluidity Silver a lot but I tend to wear Baccarat Rouge 540 from time to time; I think about all of them as a wardrobe of emotion where I can think about what I would like to express about myself with the fragrance I am wearing. It’s a beautiful exercise.
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