Francis Kurkdjian’s Latest Dior Fragrance Honours The New York State of Mind
A olfactory celebration of the House’s innovative spirit, Francis Kurkdjian’s latest fragrance for Dior pays tribute to the ground-breaking silhouettes of the New Look era
When we talk about New Look Dior, the first thing that comes to mind are the full skirts and nipped-in Bar jackets dreamed up by Christian Dior back in the winter of 1947 – those that ushered in a new era of extravagantly feminine wardrobes for women accustomed to the frugal and utilitarian. Described as a revolution of fashion, the House’s passion for couture has never once wavered, with each subsequent designer putting their own unique spin on the founder’s ground-breaking concept.
It may come as no surprise then that when Francis Kurkdjian, the now perfume creation director of Dior Parfums and a man who has worked with some of the world’s most revered labels including Elie Saab, Jean Paul Gaultier and Narciso Rodriguez (he also founded his own fragrance line, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, in 2009) first arrived at Dior, he pondered its meaning. “Better than a legacy and more than just a silhouette, the New Look is a state of mind,” he says. “It provides a lens for observing and reinterpreting the world. This spirit and the power it holds have crossed time, and they allow me to create new fragrances for Dior.”
Indeed today, from Toile de Jouy and houndstooth check to fiery red and iconic grey, flowers and the cannage pattern, the concept of New Look is much more fluid than it was 77 years ago, alternating defined waists with the comfort of streetwear’s new elegance.
It’s this New Look that provided the inspiration for Francis’s latest fragrance of the same name which, having launched just last month as his first project with Dior’s La Collection Privée, marries the worlds of both fashion and fragrance, a movement inspired by the late Christian Dior, who called himself “as much a parfumier as a couturier”, in one suitably slick bottle. “Translating perfume into fashion was the founding act of 1947 and I want to make that connection once again today,” Kurkdjian – who swapped his childhood dreams of becoming a couturier in favour of a parfumier because he didn’t know how to draw – tells Harper’s Bazaar Arabia.
“That’s my vision for the House of Dior. I always try to focus my work on that of the fashion designers, and to me the New Look is a way of going back to the roots of the House while showing the direction that the collection is going to take.”
New Look is a scent that was months in the making. “Fragrance is different to
fashion. It can take between six to eight months to create just one perfume,” he tells us. It was more than worth the wait though and, mirroring the beautiful fabrics and cuts used throughout all of Dior’s couture collections, Francis has combined delicious raw materials including frankincense, aldehyde and rich amber to craft the modern scent – a combination he believes will surprise its wearers. “There are no floral notes in this perfume,” he explains. “Flowers usually represent love and joy, but I felt we didn’t need them this time around to create the feelings I wanted to achieve.”
Instead it’s the amber that takes centre stage, allowing for numerous variations due to its unique properties. “There are so many versions of amber,” he continues. “Yes, it is linked to sensuality, but it’s linked to so many other things too. I think of it like the colour blue – we have sky blue, dark blue, blue eyes. If you put blue with black, it looks different than if you put it with white. The ingredient itself is almost nothing in a way – it depends on what you pair it with – and that’s why I say the New Look scent doesn’t always behave as expected.”
Perhaps surprisingly, Francis doesn’t wear a scent during the day-to-day, instead preferring to experiment with what he is currently working on, calling himself the fragrance’s ‘first client’. He’s not a fan of layering, either, “it would be like asking Maria Grazia which other brand she would like to pair her silhouette with. I’m not so sure she would be happy to.” Not that it matters – it’s clear that Francis is a versatile, creative and visionary trailblazer of his craft – just one sniff of this stunning new scent and it’s easy to see why.
Images: Supplied
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia February 2024 Issue.