"My approach is very intellectual. I don’t do a lot of work,” [Jean-Claude Ellena] said, smiling. “I’m thinking a lot and making tiny changes. Christine [Nagel] is trying 20 times – her approach is much more intuitive.” On the day that we met, this was made manifest by two blue stickers on Nagel’s arm – perfume trials that she had been working on earlier that day. Ellena, by contrast, never wears scent – save for Terre d’Hermès about three times a year – the better to neutralise his nose.
— Read more about the changing of the guard at Hermès at Hermès perfume: scents of beauty at The Telegraph.
Oh to be a fly on the wall….
Ha, yes!!
I am looking forward to her first Hermes, although I must say I do not care at all for Nuit Magnetique, which she did for The Different Company last year.
She’s a great perfumer, but I don’t really love anything she’s done other than Fendi Theorema. So we’ll see! I’m sure she’ll do well by Hermes, and frankly, if I no longer love such a huge percentage of Hermes launches, that will save me $.
Very practical, Robin!
I’ve tried only three or four out of her long list of perfumes, that I remember. I think I may like Mauboussin even better than Theorema and Ambre Soie, though.
Also, I wish they’d had a better translator. What does “trying 20 times” mean, anyway? Does it mean she’s experimenting with 20 different approaches to a brief, while he thinks up one and then tweaks it? And let’s hope he doesn’t “neutralize” his nose, at least not before he retires.
Yeah, I wondered that too. Might be just me, but it sounds just a taaaad patronizing. But that could also be because I’m not much of a JCE fan.
I had not assumed it was translated, but just went to check and at the moment, looks like the article is removed from the Telegraph website.
Interesting article! Thank you, Robin.
It amazes me that M. Ellena has chosen to reduce the number of ingredients he uses in his work. Perhaps that is why I have enjoyed each of the samples of his recent fragrances I have tried. I love several of them, I like the rest, and even those I would not wear myself I would not mind smelling on someone else. Or perhaps it is simply that his style of fragrance appeals to me? Either way I’m a fan.
He’s been working with a reduced palette for some time now. He often talks about how there are only 12 notes in music…
Enjoyed the article, thanks for the link