ParfumPlus talks to French perfumer Julien Sprecher about his passion and the creative juices behind his family brand Parfums de Marly…
Julien Sprecher, born in St Germain-en-Laye in France, belongs to a family devoted to the world of fragrances. From training in French perfume and cosmetic brands like Guerlain and Orlane, Julien went on to taking over the family business brand Parfums de Marly with renewed vigour inspired by the splendour of the 18th century.
ParfumPlus (PP): Considering your background, it won’t be wrong to say you are a child born with a fragrant spoon. How then would you describe your childhood, more importantly the influence of fragrance in your childhood?
Julien Sprecher (JS): We were always surrounded by fragrances at home from all sorts of brands, therefore I began recognising ingredients and olfactive families from a very young age.
(PP): How would you define sense over any other senses a human being experiences: see, hear, taste, smell and touch.
(JS): How many times do you link a perfume to someone? And then if they change their perfume, you find it disturbing. The ‘smell’ sense is associated to emotions and that’s why it is so important in our day to day life.
(PP): What does a perfume mean to you?
(JS): It is the expression of the personality of a person, his history as well. Basically it is an expression of his life and who he/she is.
(PP): What is the most lasting impression/ experience that you learnt during your training or from your experience at Guerlain and Orlane.
(JS): The turning point was definitely when I decided to create my own brand. After many years of working with other brands, I felt it was time to express myself through my own creations.
(PP): Tell us about your fragrances– what makes them an artistic niche?
(JS): As an artistic person, I first create for myself and I do not always follow the trends of the market.
(PP): How did Parfums de Marly come about? What is your connection/ fascination with the Marly court?
(JS): I was born next to Marly Castle and was always fascinated by the history of the castle especially during the period of the 18th century. It then became natural to link my 2 passions: the fragrance industry and the Marly history.
(PP): What is your take on the challenges that the brand had and how has it grown in terms of presence and offerings, in the last few years?
(JS): We have diversified the brand during the last few years adding a feminine range to the brand that was previously considered as masculine. It helped in increasing our consumer portfolio and we are now targeting women as much as men.
(PP): Your most favourite ingredient in a perfume?
(JS): The vanilla that goes deep into the skin and is very sensual.
(PP): What, according to you, is the most exciting part of making perfumes?
(JS): It is always so gratifying to smell your fragrance on someone. This means that your emotions are shared with other people.
(PP): What are the signature traits that are like an absolute must-have in any fragrance, in your opinion?
(JS): Elegance, Trail, Volume and Personality.
(PP): Tell us about Athalia by Parfums de Marly. What is the highlight of this fragrance?
(JS): Athalia is our latest feminine fragrance and will appeal to sophisticated and glamorous women. It is the most sensual fragrance of our range with iris as the main note.
(PP): Your fragrances are attributed to being influenced by the 18th century period, and pays tribute to racing horses. Please elaborate…
(JS): As mentioned above I’ve always been interested in the history and especially during the 18th century which was a time filled with activity. I also like horses as they are very majestic animals, so I gave each fragrance the name of a breed of horses.
(PP): What is your take on the evolution of taste in perfumers by customers across the globe and specifically in the Middle East?
(JS): We see an industrial standardisation of the fragrance industry around the globe but thanks to some brands, fragrance connoisseurs can still find selective and sophisticated juices.
(PP): Any upcoming fragrances for the Middle East that you would want to share with our readers?
(JS): We are launching Layton soon which we believe is one of our best creations so far…
