Jean-Claude Ellena has been the in-house perfumer for Hermès since 2004. This month he launches un Jardin sur le Toit, an homage to the garden that sits atop the company’s flagship boutique in Paris.
Where did the idea for your new scent come from?
I’d already done three fragrances based on gardens, and it was starting
to feel formulaic. But when I told friends and customers that we were
going to try something different, they said: “No! We love the garden
scents!” I thought, Okay, but it has to be different this time. The
previous scents were based on exotic gardens, so Pierre-Alexis Dumas
[Hermès’s general artistic director] and I thought it would be fun to do
something inspired by our urban garden. I spend a lot of time up there,
so it made sense.
What’s growing on the roof, and how does it show up in the fragrance?
It’s mostly trees—there’s magnolia, apple, and pear—so the blend is more
fruity than floral.
Do you have several scents in the works at the same time?
Yes, right now there are eight or 10—but in the end, 90 percent of what
I create goes into the garbage. I’ve been working on a lily of the
valley fragrance for a few years, and it’s very difficult. It has to
have a shape that’s unique. A rose is a rose, but so what? Tell me more.
How do you know when you’ve got something special?
When you’re creating a blend, of course you think it’s great. You
created it! But you have to walk away and see how it holds up. First, I
put it aside for two weeks. If it still says something, I leave it for
another two. If it’s still talking to me after a month, it will also
talk to other people. That test is really better than any focus group.
Are there any smells that you detest?
No, because all odors are material. When you start in perfumery, you
encounter certain notes and say, “Wow, this is awful.” Then, after a few
years, you see that awful things can be very interesting to use. Your
way of thinking changes.
When you walk down the street, do you smell everybody and everything, or
can you turn off your nose?
I can’t turn it off but I can identify an odor rapidly, and once you
identify something it’s not so disturbing. It’s almost like knowing what
a wild animal is. Yes, it’s a tiger. Okay, now go away.
Do you burn scented candles in your home?
I don’t like them. Burning candles is a way to avoid your own smell. I
prefer smelling odors from the kitchen, the fireplace, your dogs, your
cats, your kids. The odor of your life is who you are, and I prefer to
know you, not your candle.
