ParfumPlus Arabia

told to come back after a master’s degree in Chemistry. After acquiring one in Mathematics, I applied and graduated from ISIPCA in 1992 at the age of 20. I then completed a Masters in Marketing while doing an internship at Quest, Paris in 1993. Today, it’s been 25 years working for the craft and all my creations have lived up to the tradition of French luxury perfumery, albeit with a modern vision. AND LET ME MOVE NOW TO MY EARLIEST MEMORIES OF FRAGRANCES. Well, so many memorable fragrances to dig into, but the scents experienced with my family come first. Each member exuded a distinctive scent, which I vividly remember. My grandfather diluted his own cologne, a blend whose recipe I could never decipher. I remember him mixing things, and I was so intrigued and fascinated by it all. He was a hero to me. My grandmother was the typical grandma, tender and loving. She used to wrap me with kisses and her fragrance (Femme by Rochas) would linger on me for hours. My late “Inspiration Is The Invisible Part Of Creation” BORN IN AN Armenian family in Paris, France, Francis Kurkdjian is an ISIPCA graduate and has since then worked for several international labels including Jean-Paul Gaultier, Burberry, Christian Lacroix, Davidoff, Elie Saab, Giorgio Armani, Lancôme, among others. He also steers the luxury fragrance house Maison Francis Kurkdjian, which he co-founded with French businessman Marc Chaya. Here’s more about him by the man himself. I AM SURE YOUR READERS WOULD WANT TO KNOW WHO FRANCIS KURKDJIAN IS. SO HERE’S A LITTLE ABOUT ME. Our family had nothing to do with perfumes or perfumers. I had an undaunting curiosity about everything and loved handicrafts. After a short- lived career as a classical ballet dancer and while trying to embark upon fashion designing, I chanced upon a piece in the VSD magazine featuring Jacques Polge, Jean Kerleo, Françoise Caron, Jean-Louis Sieuzac and Annick Goutal. This article was a revelation and I realized I wanted to be a perfumer. I tried enrolling at ISIPCA (the perfumer school in Versailles, France), but was P A R F U M P L U S 13