Francis Kurkdjian, Dior Perfume Creation Director, explains the unique story behind the house’s latest fragrance.
Upon joining Dior as Perfume Creation Director in 2021, Francis Kurkdjian found a world of symbols, signs and superstitions, highlighting moments and memories from the brand’s rich history. He began searching through archives and finding momentoes that could be the starting point for his future fragrance creations. One such find was a video of Mr Christian Dior, filmed in 1955 and featured a piece of wood that the house’s founder would carry as a lucky charm. When Francis Kurkdjian discovered these rare and moving images, he realised that his own superstition of carrying a cube of sugar for good luck, happened to reflect that of the brilliant couturier. So, he decided to combine these two ingredients to make a very special fragrance.
Bois Talisman, the house’s newest addition to La Collection Privée was the result. Combining Cedarwood with the precious scent of vanilla, Kurkdjian created a unique and subtle blend that would become a welcome addition to the luxury fragrance line. Here, we find out more about the inspiration and story behind Bois Talisman.
How did this fragrance come to life?
This fragrance is based on the combination of two superstitions. We were very lucky to have the Dior archive, which is where we looked to for the inspiration for this fragrance Christian Dior has a special relationship with its past, and I think this resonates with people in the Middle East. We have a huge department that takes care of looking after the brand’s archive and everything that happened in the past – this can be printed documents, old products, notebooks, sketches, movies, documentaries and more. I came across one documentary featuring Christian Dior from 1955 that highlights a trip he made to The United States to promote one of his shows. During the film, he talks about the lucky charms he carries. One of those was a piece of wood. My idea was to merge his lucky charm with my lucky charm, which is a white sugar cube. I always carry a sugar cube with me in my pocket for important meetings or occasions. It was a tip that was given to me by a colleague to bring good luck and I have been carrying this with me for many years now whenever I have a very important meeting.
Tell us about the ingredients of this scent and how they combined.
We then looked into this piece of wood but it was not clear which type of wood it was. So I thought of the idea that Christian Dior was sketching with pencils, and I would therefore use the same tree that the wood for the pencils comes from, which in France, is the Cedar tree. So, I blended Cedarwood and vanilla (which represents the sugar cube), and it’s a very simple combination. It’s his superstition, my superstition, a piece of wood, a piece of sugar, and there you have it!
What is so special about this fragrance for you?
I try to make every fragrance I create special. I like the fact that this was super easy to put together. It’s very easy to understand. It’s very easy to explain. There aren’t too many layers, it’s a simple story, and I always feel that the most simple stories are always the best ones.
You know the Middle East very well – Tell us about how your perception of clients in the region.
I truly believe that The Middle East has the most demanding clients in the world. Even more demanding than France. In the Middle East, perfume is very integrated into the culture and history of the region. In France, we link perfume to the world of beauty. To me, perfume in the Middle East is linked to a more elevated level. It’s more about the soul. There is almost something philosophical about it. It’s more about the connection with your brain and something more spiritual than just smelling good.
What inspires you?
To be inspired is not just something that comes to you. You have to look for inspiration all around you. It’s a quest. To be inspired means you have to dig and look for something you don’t know. It’s like you are in the dark, and you’re looking for the switch. You feel, you touch, you listen, and exactly when the moment is right, the inspiration will come. Many things can be inspiring but it’s a journey.
When you are stuck for inspiration, how do you break this block?
You keep going! You have no choice; we are on a deadline, so you have to find the answers eventually. I have 30 years of experience in this, so I know how to manage it, but when things are not going the way I want them to go, I return to the beginning and start again. It happens, but sometimes you have to take a step back, reset and go back to work.
What is the biggest challenge you face as a creative in the industry today?
My first challenge is myself and how excited I can be to do something. How do I keep faith in what I can bring to the perfume world? It’s by being alert, as well as looking to the youth and the younger generation. I feel you become old when you start saying things were better before. You have to focus on the future.
How are you approaching the youth of today through fragrance?
You can’t fool young people today, so we must be transparent and true to this audience. When you are young, everything is possible, and everything is seen with a very open and genuine eye. This is sometimes what I miss the most as I’m getting older! I think the young generation is smarter than we give them credit for.
What is an ingredient that you still haven’t tapped into that you would love to experiment with.
There are many, but the ingredients are not important. What’s important is the stories that I haven’t told. Once you have the story, the ingredients come easily to support it.
To what extent do you think it’s important to revisit the history of the brand, and how do you balance this with being relevant today?
As I said earlier – if you think things were better before, then quit! I’m very excited about what artificial intelligence is going to bring to the world. I can be scared, I can question myself, but I’m excited because, within technology, there is always a positive and a negative. I have a scientific background, and there are always two sides.
What fragrance are you wearing today?
Nothing – I don’t like wearing perfume for my own pleasure. I wear them when I work on them but this is it.
