The man with the nose: François Demachy
Perfumes are precious little things: Bottled in pretty packages, they are perfect gifts by design. Each scent is unique a code and language: One whiff is enough to establish an impression and form a cognitive memory, even emotions.
Having grown up in Grasse, the world’s capital of perfume, François Demachy, Christian Dior’s parfumer-creator, has been following the trail of scent all his life. His earliest memory of perfume, he revealed on a recent visit to the Maison Christian Dior Singapore pop-up, is of his mother, who wore 2 different fragrances, for day and evening.
François trained in perfume manufacturing to raw material specialisation: Advantages to his gift in creating striking aromas, starting from his past career at Chanel. With Christian Dior, he’s added to and enhanced many a legendary fragrance of the maison. This expertise was key to unlocking our innermost puzzles: From how to pick one as a gift, to prolonging its staying power, and the best way to apply it, here are our scent-sational takeaways from the witty and observant François.