Frédéric Malle kicks of new series with fragrance for designer, Dries van Noten

Frédéric Malle is launching a new collection, separate from Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. He says the purpose of the new collection is to "translate the world of people and brands that I admire into scents". The new range is called "XXX by Frédéric Malle", and the first 'translation' is of Belgian fashion designer, Dries van Notes.

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Of the new collection, Malle says "Asking perfumers to work on the olfactory illustration of someone elses world meant losing the closeness that Editions de Parfums had allowed us. The ease of communication between two perfume experts, and the fact that until now we did not have to be accountable to anyone, was to be replaced by a ménage à trois! From now on we would be nourished by the world and guided by the requirements of a creator foreign to our trade, but capable of enriching our creative process with his aesthetics, thoughts and ideas. It certainly made up for this breach in our intimacy."

Perfumer for the new scent is IFF's Bruno Jovanovic. Malle says that he is "a great listener, his perfume technique allows him to master any subject, and he has a taste for warm scents that seemed adapted to my perception of Driess desire."

Notes for the fragrance are designed to reflect different parts of Van Noten's life. The fragrance is built around natural sandalwood, "which [Bruno] chose for its softness and its character, and the fact that it is simultaneously exotic and evocative of the tradition of great classic perfumes ." Malle continues "To the milky smell of Santal Mysore he added the vanilla sweetness of Flemish pastries with a hint of vanilla, ethyle maltol, sacrasol (sulfurol) and Peruvian balm. This monumental warmth is tempered by a large dose of jasmine absolute and a musk accord. A trace of saffron and patchouli gives this ensemble, already very distinct, a unique - almost leathery - vibration. An overdose of lemon and bergamot offers a boost to this particularly contemporary structure and gives it the timeless aspect of the great perfumes of the beginning of the XXth century.
This very short formula composed of very precious materials, generates a sober but distinct sensuality. It is, in my eyes, a fair parallel to Dries van Notens world."

The fragrance will be available at stockists of Fréderic Malle, and in Dries van Noten stores.

We will be featuring an interview with Frédéric Malle talking about this new scent in the coming weeks.