When an industry insider with over 20 years experience and is a person who’s opinion you trust and value, informs you that he needs to introduce to the best fragrence he’s ever smelt. You kinda stop what you were doing and sit up and listen.
This is the case with Frédéric Malle‘s latest creation To the Editions de Parfums family, COLOGNE INDELEBILE. Malle grew up immersed in the world of perfumery; his grandfather, Serge Heftler, was most notably the founder of the legendary French house Parfums Christian Dior. Malle started his own career in 1986, at the prestigious perfume creation labs Roure Bertrand Dupont. Over the years, he acquired a profound knowledge of the raw materials of which perfumes are composed, as well as a strong sense of olfactory balance. Simply, he is an “evaluator,” the professional term defining a specialist whose deep understanding of fragrance structure and accords enables him to critique a perfume’s composition.
His contribution to the creation of the different fragrances sold under the Editions de Parfums varies depending on the nose’s personal desire. Perfumers call on him to assess their works in progress and to exchange ideas. His involvement depends on the project and ranges from total non-intervention to sleeves-rolled-up creative partnerships with the noses.
In this collaborative instance a simple seed of an idea while Frédéric was in conversation with Dominique Ropion, who like Malle honed his craft at Roure Bertrand Dupont. This was enough to entice Mr. Ropion (who despite his large body of work had never worked on a cologne) to concentrate his creative might on a future interpretation of this classic perfume.
The first trials of this fragrance were so dangerously sexy that they would have probably satisfied most; but the perfectionist and craftsman in Ropion thought that he could go further and turn the scent into a “classic”. The final perfume is made mostly from an assemblage of modern musk oils interlaced with Orange Flower, Neroli, Lemon and Bergamot. It embraces musk’s nature as both a aphrodisiac and a scent of purity to create a very personal interpretation of Eau de Cologne, the result being a scent that endures, and endures, and endures… Cologne Indélébile (Permanent Cologne).
