Imagine a perfume that connects the past with the future… With each note, you embark on a sensory journey in your imagination… Maison Crivelli, a French niche perfume brand, reflects the experiences at the core of each scent with this inspiration.
We had a pleasant conversation with Thibaud Crivelli, from Maison Crivelli, which he created to create scents full of surprises, to Oud Maracujá, the new fragrance designed in collaboration with perfumer Jordi Fernandez.
● Adventurous, emotional botanist, seeking experience… Can we get to know Thibaud Crivelli, the founder of Maison Crivelli?
I was born and raised in France in an Italian family with ancient roots. Lucky for me, three generations before me lived in different countries such as Australia, Morocco, Lebanon and Vietnam. This unique family culture had a huge impact on my childhood.
Perfume has always been a part of my life and I wanted to fulfill my dream of creating a perfume brand from a young age. I graduated from the university with a degree in business administration and foreign languages. Then I decided to work for well-known luxury French brands to gain experience. I worked in Asia for about 10 years. Then when I felt ready, I started working on my dream.
● What is the story of Maison Crivelli, who sees fragrance as an ever-evolving, unpredictable and mysterious art form?
Maison Crivelli was created with the aim of designing the most amazing perfumes on the market. I am inspired by a moment I live for each perfume, a time when I encounter each perfume ingredient in a very surprising way. In line with my goal of telling my story through a perfume, I inform perfumers. Through this unique creative process, our creations get a surprising yet very modern language based on unexpected contrasts and emotions.
You say “perfume is a living experience”. What is the place of experiences at Maison Crivelli?
Experiences are the essence of the perfumes created at Maison Crivelli. The starting point of all our perfumes comes from a moment I have witnessed before.
I discovered the fields where the herbs used in perfumery were grown, I realized that my senses were constantly moving and I gave myself to them. My journey of discovery was marked by unexpected elements that instilled in me an extraordinary knowledge of perfume at every level. Smell the scent of sandalwood roasted on the slopes of an erupting volcano; tasting hibiscus tea at the gemstone market; I chose to share my experiences in the world of textures, sounds, tastes and smells, such as walking in the rose fields by the sea, through my perfumes afterwards.
Based on my experiences; surprises are the most important point that defines our creations. All of our perfumes are based on unique ingredients and sensory ingredients that you won’t find in other perfumes. Today, many of our users praise our perfumes for their originality and say that they have never used such a perfume before.
● How does the creation process of a perfume take place and progress at Maison Crivelli?
Each fragrance is inspired by a moment in my life, a time when I discovered each and every perfume ingredient in a very surprising way. I always inform perfumers by describing this experience to create my perfume. I send them pictures, videos, sounds… I tell them what I’ve been through and we work together to turn this memory into a sensual, surprising, contrasting and very modern fragrance.
The creative process works in two ways. I can hardly say that I “feed” my inspiration. Often surprises come to me. I am an active and very inquisitive person and always try to explore what is around me, to feel and experience many emotions at the same time. I believe this mindset helps me experience more surprises, which then turn into beautiful inspirations.
From time to time, I also work on a new perfume based on a certain ingredient. In this case, too, I go back in time to recall a surprising experience with that component, and then follow the same creative process.
● What is “Slow perfume”, the brand’s creative approach philosophy?
There are two perspectives behind the idea of “Slow perfume”. The first perspective is related to time; For me, not rushing is a very important point of creating and discovering perfumes. I take as much time as necessary to get inspired, find the best perfumers, share my story with them, create the fragrance and also obtain the best raw materials. Taking this time is the essence of luxury. The second point of view is related to the principle of accuracy we have with regard to formulating perfumes and working on packaging. No artificial colorants are used in any of our formulas, our perfumes do not contain phthalates. We also use handmade paper boxes that do not contain plastic.
●You approach nature, which is the main source of inspiration for your scents, as a loyal friend. Can you tell us about the path you follow by producing fragrances with a sustainable purpose?
I love spending time in nature and working with accuracy and passion. That’s why it was very important for me to add another purposeful dimension to the project. First, we chose to formulate the perfumes without any artificial colors. The bottles are translucent and the color seen is the actual color of the perfume. Secondly, the high quality Italian paper we use is sourced from FSC certified forests.
Finally, during my years in Asia, I realized that it is very difficult to cultivate perfume ingredients. Many local farmers now use chemical fertilizers or abandon the cultivation of perfume ingredients to switch to palm oil production. Because of this, I decided that Maison Crivelli should sponsor a special program to support the cultivation of perfume ingredients, and we started the first program with sustainable patchouli. We donate a certain amount of every 3 perfume sales to an association. This is an important project for me as I visit the fields and meet people involved in local initiatives…
Intense and exotic: Oud Maracuja
● Can you tell us about another unique part of the brand’s sensory adventure, the special collection called “Collection Particulière”?
Collection Particulière means “private collection” in French and refers to a special line of products in our collection. The Collection Particulière line consists of specially developed perfumes with high-quality ingredients for some business partners. As of today, there are two perfumes in the series. One is Ingredients 072012, which we produced exclusively for a store in Prague, and the second is Oud Maracujá, the first oud perfume of our collection.
●Can we hear from you about Oud Maracujá, the newest member of the Collection Particulière? How and with what inspiration was this new fragrance, intense and exotic, born?
Oud Maracuja; It was created with the aim of designing an international yet modern oud-based perfume that is completely different from classical oud fragrances. With Perfume, we wanted to make people feel that they have never smelled such a perfume before. My first job was to think of the times in my life where I had the opportunity to experience oud in an amazing and unique way, and to remember my adventures in the remote oud forests. I remember very well that I had the opportunity to taste exotic fruits, especially passion fruit, and the inspiration came from there to create this unique formula.
● Oud Maracujá invites us to experience the taste and smell of passion fruit in a forest full of oud. What does each of the notes of the perfume add to the perfume?
The perfume has a contrast between the bright, juicy and sharp scented passion fruit and the depth of the oud accord. This unique combination adds originality to the perfume, making it one of a kind in the industry. Top notes of Oud Maracujá; It features a sparkling accord with bright, exotic accents of passion fruit and black currant. This sparkle is accentuated by saffron, which adds a spicy touch, and Turkish rose, which completes the chord with its fruity, full-bodied qualities.
The oud is enriched with earthy notes of patchouli in the middle notes, while the extraordinary softness of benzoin contributes to the versatile feel of the fragrance. While the effect of the fragrance is reinforced with the touch of leather, incense, amber, vanilla, labdanum accord and akigala tree in the base notes, long-term permanence is ensured.
● How did your collaboration with Jordi Fernandez, one of the world’s most famous perfumers, with whom you worked for this new fragrance, begin?
When I first thought of the idea of working on an oud collection, I asked the Givaudan teams from Paris and Dubai who would be the most suitable perfumer for such a project. Both teams suggested that I contact Jordi Fernandez, who is recognized as the best in-house oud perfumer in Givaudan. We met face-to-face with Jordi, as we did with other perfumers. From the moment we met, we formed a very fast bond. Jordi took time to reflect on what we talked about to understand my thoughts and the direction we wanted to take. When he reached me a few weeks later, he said that working on such an original project was a challenge for him, and we considered several different options until we reached the final formula. Thus, our cooperation began.
