After starting her career in Perfumery in 1999, Sonia Constant soon made her debut at Givaudan Fine fragrances, where she worked from 2004 until 2006 to join the fine fragrance creation team in Paris. Azyaamode had the chance to catch up with the talented and creative perfumer to know more about her career, inspiration and experience.
How did you start you career as a perfumer?
I began my career in 2004. I do not have any relatives who are in this line of work, thus I started from scratch and had to work harder to prove myself. Before becoming a perfumer, my dream was to become a fashion designer. At the same time, I had a special attraction to fragrance and flowers. Becoming a perfumer was the perfect job to satisfy everything that I like: creation, odors, and fashion design.
Today, my favorite part of this job is the relationship between fragrance and fashion.
For me a fragrance is like a jewel, it needs to fit perfectly with the dress that you are wearing. This is the continuity of style...
What inspired you while creating Narciso Rodriguez Rose Musc?
For Rose Musc, I wanted to create a very special rose scent for Narciso Rodriguez.
Rose is quite common in the western region. I wanted this fragrance to be the result of a cross-cultural vision between east & west.
I didn't want this fragrance to smell directly of rose. Rose Musc is crafted like a Narciso Rodriguez dress: pure lines and clear architecture; an abstract shape, similar to the one from ‘for her’. I used rose oil from the Moroccan rose and added a rose extract along with the rose water from a brand new technology from Givaudan. The rose water comes from extract steam distillation of freshly piqued roses to obtain oil. It is then retained and mixed with alcohol to obtain an emulsion which is then filtered and passed through 3 absorbing resins, then recovered using alcohol to obtain the 'Rose Natsource extract'.
This unique rose extract brings an addictive facet never explored before. Until now, rose water has been used in cosmetics and pastries, but could not be used in fragrances. For the first time, we have all facets from the rose.
In order to reveal the architectural structure of Narciso Rodriguez fashion, I used a woody architecture to support the rise of the fragrance along with a burst of black pepper with gold saffron. The fragrance finish is a rich and mysterious Labdanum which gives an oriental rich facet. Of course, we should not forget musk which has always been the Narciso Rodriguez olfactive signature.
This is not the first time you create a perfume for Narciso Rodriguez. How do you manage to reinterpret the spirit of the brand in your own way?
The last fragrance I created for Narciso Rodriguez was for him Bleu Noir, a male fragrance. The idea then was to create the new counterpart for “for her” and communicate a completely different story.
For Rose Musc, the brief was to create a rose that could fit Middle Eastern taste; it is very strong and long lasting for both men and women.
Is there a signature scent that sets the perfumes you create apart?
As a perfumer, I derive inspiration from my own background & travels and from my different collaborations. As I am working both for niche and international brands, I am able to create many different scents. That being said, rose has always been my signature since I started my work in perfumery. When I was studying at Givaudan perfumery school, my final test, to validate my diploma, was to create a modern rose
At that time, rose was very old fashioned. It was before Stella McCartney and Chloe re-launched it and made it trendy again. This creative work still influences me today. For Narciso Rodriguez I wanted to create a rich rose with a very clear architecture.
How do you describe the act of creating a perfume?
I know that some perfumers disagree, but for me creating a perfume is a form of art.
When I create fragrances, I want to arouse emotions in people similar to those felt when experiencing a painting or a sculpture. My objective is to create a strong feeling, an addiction. I want to transport people into a new world and to have them dream for few minutes....
I see the creation process as a “Calder Mobile”. I see the different shapes as different planets within the Solar System. Depending on the brief and inspiration, some planets – which can be compared to a simple note - meet together, like a big bang and a new idea is born.
I am a very intuitive person who feels modest in the presence of Mother Nature. I really believe that many great ideas can come by mistake and surprise.
When you create a scent, what kind of women do you have in mind?
It really depends on the brief. I worked in theater a few years ago and loved the way actors or actresses can interpret so many different men and women. In reference to fragrances, I love to imagine different personalities.
For the female fragrances I create, there is always a part of myself in them. I can identify myself with many different characteristics of women: romantic, glamorous, or business oriented.
I really don’t like the fact that we identify women in a single role or one cluster.
We can be a very sweet mother, a glamorous wife as well as a hard working business woman. Women can embody all of these characteristics at the same time!
A Narciso Rodriguez woman is the image of couture; very simple and exuding self-confidence.
You have worked with so many brands such as Narciso Rodriguez, Tom Ford, Montblanc, Burberry and many more. Do you have any future endeavors?
Yes I am working with different luxury designer brands at the moment, but cannot say more. However, there is more to come with Narciso Rodriguez, so stay tuned!
Is this your first visit to the Middle East? What do you find so special about this region?
I travelled many times to the Middle East. One should really experience the culture in order to understand the importance of fragrance in this region. The way I create a fragrance for the Middle East is completely different from the way I would craft a fragrance for western countries.
The preferred balance and strength of the scent is so different. I can concentrate certain raw materials 10 times more when creating for the Middle East. I truly understood this when I came to Dubai for the first time and realized the amazing strength of the fragrances available in the market...
This region is both traditional and very modern at the same time. The region bridges between East and West and this is apparent through the culture and the exquisite architecture.
Do you have a preferred destination for a time of relaxation?
I love this hotel in Kao Soak in Thailand. It is in the middle of the Thanyamundra jungle. I also love vacationing in Kerala, India.
Mirella Haddad
