Armenian roots of global perfumery and a vision for the future: Artak Aleksanyan’s perspective

World-renowned perfumer Francis Kurkdjian visited Yerevan.

Around 300 people attended the “invitation-only” event. This was reported on his Facebook page by Newmag CEO Artak Aleksanyan.

“Few people know that from the very beginning of his career, Francis has been actively connected to Armenia. This is his third visit. The last one was 10 years ago, in 2016. During his first visit, he went to Artsakh.

Since there was almost no media at the meeting, here are a few interesting stories about Francis and the key points he shared.

▪️Francis wanted to become a ballet dancer. He studied, but at 14 he was not admitted to the Paris Ballet School. That’s when he decided to pursue creating fragrances.

▪️At 26, he created Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier, which became a global bestseller. Later, he collaborated with Narciso Rodriguez and Burberry.

▪️In 2009, he founded Maison Francis Kurkdjian. At first, there were only three people. Now the company employs 400 people across more than 40 countries worldwide.

▪️The company has 800 sales points around the world.

▪️In 2013, the Italian crystal manufacturer Baccarat commissioned Kurkdjian to create a fragrance for its 250th anniversary. The perfume was released in limited quantities, in a crystal bottle. Each bottle was valued at €3,000. The 2014 release “Rouge 540” (named after the temperature used in Baccarat crystal production) sold out immediately. Kurkdjian managed to gift one to Kelly St. John, Vice President of the Neiman Marcus chain. She received so many compliments on the scent that she suggested Kurkdjian produce it for sale. With Baccarat’s permission, Kurkdjian released the now-famous fragrance, which became one of the best-selling perfumes in the world.

▪️In 2017, Maison Francis Kurkdjian was acquired by Louis Vuitton.The deal amount remains undisclosed.

At the meeting, Kurkdjian said:

◉ In a few days, it will be the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. You must look at your past, understand where you come from and where your roots stand, in order to direct your gaze toward the future—where life continues.

◉ I have never forgotten my roots and I remember that I am the grandson of refugees.

◉ My mother had one husband but many perfumes. Fragrances give her new identities.

◉ Being Armenian, when creating fragrances, I prefer to think globally.

◉ Creating a perfume does not start with a formula. It starts with a story. Once you have it, you begin to materialize it.

◉ 90% of my work is inspiration. I can imagine a story, then create a fragrance, spend 18 months on it, but in the end, if I don’t like it, I simply throw it away. If I don’t like it, why should others?

◉ I don’t like answering “the most, the best” type of questions. My taste is more layered and broad.

Upcoming plans

✅May – A documentary will be released on Amazon Prime
✅September – New fragrance
✅December – New documentary
✅2027 – A revolutionary new fragrance,” he wrote.