Cover La Collection Privée Cuir Saddle is inspired by the iconic Dior Saddle bag
La Collection Privée Cuir Saddle is inspired by the iconic Dior Saddle bag
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White florals, the Saddle Bag and velvety notes of suede. This is the making of Dior’s newest icon, La Collection Privée Cuir Saddle
In the world of haute parfumerie, few challenges are as daunting—or as compelling—as reinventing a classic. For Francis Kurkdjian, Perfume Creation Director at Parfums Christian Dior, the mandate was not just to compose a scent but to translate the soul of the House into an olfactory experience.
With the launch of La Collection Privée Cuir Saddle, Kurkdjian turned his gaze to one of Dior’s most distinct fashion legends: the Saddle Bag. Originally created by John Galliano at the dawn of the 2000s, the bag became an immediate It Bag, celebrated for its shape that adopted the classical lines of a riding saddle. However, for Kurkdjian, the allure of the Saddle bag goes beyond its visual status as a fashion icon.
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“It’s an iconic bag, the shape is very relevant,” Kurkdjian told us over Zoom. “It’s close to the skin. Leather is an important fragrance family in the perfume portfolio. So I thought it was interesting to tell a story like that.” This tactile intimacy became the guiding principle for the perfume. It’s a fragrance that defies the heavy, smoky conventions of its genre to offer a luminous, organic interpretation of leather that clings to the wearer like a second skin.
“We don’t have a leather category fragrance in the existing [La Collection Privée] collection. We used to have one, but we don't have one anymore. It was discontinued before I joined. So I believe we are adding a new shade, a new olfactory fragrance within the portfolio,” Kurkdjian said. “Even if I give you words of what it smells like, you may interpret it in a different way. To me, it’s very sensual, leathery, warm, fresh, clean. It's definitely fresh.”
Above Cuir Saddle is a new take on the traditional leather scents, lightened with white florals
Cuir Saddle is a new take on the traditional leather scents, lightened with white florals
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To achieve this modern luminosity, Kurkdjian employed a ‘trompe-l’œil’ effect—an illusion where the perfume seems classic but surprises the senses with unexpected lightness. The composition is described as a ‘leather floral’, where the classic notes of leather are lightened by white florals. While official notes include velvety suede and modern woody amber, the floral component is deliberately enigmatic. “It’s abstract flowers,” Kurkdjian revealed. “You could really tell, you believe it’s flowers, but there is not a specific name because it’s absolutely abstract.”
The creation of Cuir Saddle was a rigorous process of refinement. Kurkdjian estimates that the fragrance went through “maybe 50 or 40” variations before the final formula was achieved. This dedication to precision mirrors the work of a couturier; just as a designer masters the drape of fabric, Kurkdjian masters olfactory material to give it a “perfect shape”.
Interestingly, this mastery is achieved in isolation. “I create in silence,” Kurkdjian shared. “I like to work in a very quiet and quite dark environment because it helps me to focus on the sense of smell.” This intense focus is necessary to find novelty within a traditional palette. Kurkdjian compares perfumery to playing a piano: “We all use the same instrument... but we are all able to basically create something new.” For him, innovation isn’t always about discovering a new raw material, which he dismisses as often being a “marketing effect,” but rather about “looking at things with a new perspective.” With Cuir Saddle, that perspective was found by looking at the the classic leather accord—and giving it a new vision.
Despite the specific inspiration, Kurkdjian is adamant that the fragrance is not limited to a single persona. “When we launch a perfume idea, we speak to the world,” he says. “I think the beauty of perfume is to speak to different types of personalities. When I create a perfume, I’m story-driven, I can’t think about only one individual wearing a perfume. You know, it doesn’t make sense. I think what is important is to speak about the emotion. The perfume here is all about trying to translate things into a scent.”
