Nathalie Lorson and Fabrice Pellegrin talk to ParfumPlus Magazine about thier latest perfume and more…
THE JUST CAVALLI WORLD
1. What do you think of Roberto Cavalli as a designer (his designs, his world, etc.)?
Nathalie Larson: It’s a brand that has a real sexy, provocative and also very animal side. We also find a great deal of fluidity in the materials. His designs are very feminine, they bring out women’s animal side.
Fabrice Pellegrin : For me, the first image that comes to mind when I hear the name Roberto Cavalli is the whole animal side. Then, I think that Roberto Cavalli is someone very creative, very provocative. His designs are sexy and ultra-feminine.
2. What does the Just Cavalli brand represent for you?
NL and FP: It’s a younger and more affordable brand than Roberto Cavalli.
3. In your opinion, what absolutely had to be taken into account when creating the first fragrance for the Just Cavalli brand?
FP: We can’t say that there were really constraints when creating this perfume, but we had to capture the young, sexy and urban side of the brand.
NL: This fragrance had to bring out the different facets of the brand: provocative, sensual, young and trendy. We weren’t trying to create something diaphanous; on the contrary, the Just Cavalli collections are highly colorful, it’s a dimension that had to be found in the perfume too.
THE FRAGRANCE
4. What was the brief that you received to create this fragrance?
FP and NL: The first intentions were to create a radiant and sensual floral that reflects this new stylish yet relaxed generation that lives in the present. An original fragrance that adopts the codes of fashion but is focused on a floral note.
5. What were your sources of inspiration when creating the Just Cavalli fragrance for women?
FP and NL: Our inspiration was to work around a sunshine flower through the combination of tiare, neroli and orange blossom. We wanted to create a fragrance that was both delicate and at the same time incredibly enchanting. This is why we chose these flowers that seem “pretty” but have a very marked, almost “animalistic” scent. The heart of the flower is very intense and very strong, which allows us to capture the brand’s sexy side.
6. Could you describe the perfume? What family does it belong to?
It is an oriental floral. We called it a “creamy sexy floral”.
7. What does each ingredient bring to the fragrance?
FP: The flowers chosen seem delicate in appearance but are in fact very powerful and sensuous, which allows us to make the connection with Roberto Cavalli.
NL: At the heart of the fragrance, we find this whole floral bouquet with tiare, jasmine and orchid, which are really heady, enchanting and sensual flowers. There is another opening floral tone that is lighter with neroli and bergamot, which bring a fresh and vegetal aspect to the jasmine and tiare part. Finally, there is magnolia, which is also a white flower but lighter than those that we find in the heart.
THE JUST CAVALLI WOMAN
9. How would you describe the woman who wears Just Cavalli in terms of age, style, temperament?and interests?
FP and NL: I think that the Just Cavalli woman is quite young, urban and fashion-forward. She is a
seductress who plays on and totally embraces her provocative and sensual side. The floral notes make this woman incredibly luminous with a real dimension focused on pleasure and a highly studied naturalness in opposition to the more sophisticated and distinguished aspect of the signature scent.
10. When and where does the Just Cavalli woman wear this fragrance?
FB and NL: The sunny floral aspect gives the young and fresh side for a daytime fragrance and at the same time the very sexy and sensual facet can make it a perfume for nighttime. It’s really a seductive perfume that can be worn at any time of day.
GENERAL
11. How did your passion for perfumes begin?
FB: My father was a perfumer in Grasse, so I have always been in the perfumery environment. I think that it’s a real vocation and the revelation was when I was working with my father during the summer and I was able to see all of the raw ingredients that could be transformed into a harmonious elixir. For me, perfume is an element of seduction and I am fascinated by this development process to finally obtain the fragrance.
NL: I spent my early childhood in Grasse where my father was a chemist in a perfumery. Just like Fabrice, I have always been surrounded by this environment. After graduating from high school in Paris, I came back to Grasse to be trained in a perfumery school and I then joined a perfume company.
12. What are your main sources of inspiration?
FB: I’m interested in music, literature, travel, people, atmospheres. There’s no particular area that inspires me more than another. It can be a woman or a discussion; everything is a source of inspiration. You mustn’t confine yourself to perfume, you must go to find inspiration.
NL: Cooking or a flavor combination can be a source of inspiration. At the end of the day, creating is also based on combining rather unusual scents.
13. What is your vision of perfumery today?
FB: For a long time, we had a whole generation of products that had to please everyone. But today we are returning to more authentic things. Chemistry has allowed perfumery to develop with the emergence of synthetic products that give a particular style. We are returning more to the roots of the profession with natural products and beautiful perfumery signatures.
NL: Exactly, there is a return to fine materials, which can be seen especially with all the niche brands that are highlighting a natural ingredient.
At the same time, we are also seeing the emergence of another younger and more commercial type of perfumery. Perfumery that does not necessarily endure and is a reflection of our consumer society where we are always looking for something new. These two styles are increasingly developing and ultimately leaving a great deal of room for expression. There are real opportunities for growth. Every year, there are quite a high number of launches, which means that brands are looking to differentiate themselves. We are observing an awareness with a view to tightening the market: launching fewer but more carefully crafted and differentiating products.
14. Do you have scents that you are more especially fond of? And others that you find more irritating?
FB: There are raw ingredients that I am especially fond of, such as patchouli, a natural raw ingredient, or ambrox, a synthetic raw ingredient. These two scents are perfumes in their own right: they are highly faceted with a strong direction, strength and sillage.
NL: I really like working with rose, sandalwood or vanilla. What’s interesting with scents that I like less is finding a way to use them that gives me just as much pleasure. Personally, what I like or don’t like is not important because I don’t create a perfume for myself. Ultimately, what counts is managing to work with all of these ingredients so that in the end you are proud of the product that you are presenting. You have to be able to stay in the background in order to showcase the brand successfully. We have the role of intermediary and our personal taste must not interfere with the creation.
15. In your opinion, what is the secret to creating a good perfume?
FB and NL: From the outset, you have to have an idea, a little spark based on the brief and then it takes a lot of work and perhaps also a bit of luck. Our aim is to translate a project in olfactory terms, you have to immerse yourself in the world of the brand and put yourself in the shoes of this future perfume. It is a lengthy process that takes many tries before you achieve the desired result.
16. Can you tell us a little bit about your collaboration on this project? How did you divide the tasks between you to create this perfume?
FB and NL: From the outset, this collaboration was Fabrice’s idea. Throughout the project, we were constantly taking turns regarding the tasks. Today, it is difficult to imagine a perfumer carrying out a whole project by themselves. Most especially because it is a job that requires a great deal of time and we may be absent or have to work on another project at the same time. Also after a certain amount of time, you are so involved in the project that you find it hard to determine what works or doesn’t. So having another perfumer’s interpretation allows you to get beyond an impasse and move forward more quickly. Finally, working in collaboration means that you do not run out of steam over time.
