Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Your questions for Jean Claude Ellena
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Your questions for Jean Claude Ellena

post #1 of 20
9/15/10 at 1:38am
Thread Starter 
Hi all,
Have been given the exciting opportunity to interview Jean Claude Ellena tomorrow for print press and for my blog, theexfoliator.com
Want to come up with a list of 10 unique questions and figured there would be no better collective brain to pick than that of basenotes.net
Reply to this thread or DM me with the questions you'd like to ask the master and I'll select the best of the bunch!
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
post #2 of 20
9/15/10 at 6:52am
Awwww, awesome. I don't have a question (sorry), but just tell him that I like his creations. I can't tell which one is my favorite, maybe his first-"First". Have a great interview!!!
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 20
9/15/10 at 7:30am
Good luck and it's awesome for you Exfoliator ! Paprika Brasil is one that I love.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 20
9/15/10 at 7:31am
What an exciting opportunity! Good luck tomorrow! I would like to know what advice he would give to new perfumers just starting out in the business.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 20
9/15/10 at 10:38am
I always wondered how he went from such wonderfully complex, over the top scents, to the more watercolor, vegetal creations. What a range!
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 20
9/15/10 at 10:50am
Ellena is noted for minimalism, but earlier in his career he created some rich, overblown scents such as Rumba and VCA First. How does he feel about those now? Also, I saw an interview with him (on Tauer's site) in which he said he was happy to be free of the creative restraints imposed by the marketing depts-art directors of some of the houses he's worked for. Some of his creations got bastardized that way, he said. Which perfumes got spoiled by too many cooks, in his view?
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 20
9/15/10 at 11:52am
Thread Starter 
These are FANTASTIC - thanks guys! Keep 'em coming. Most of the questions I've got from this site and Twitter seem to be concerned with how he became a minimalist and whether it was a conscious decision, given his earlier creations. Promise to keep you updated.
Keep posting your questions!
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 20
9/15/10 at 12:07pm
I was wondering about the minimalism, too. Any plans to go in a lavish, opulent direction again?
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 20
9/15/10 at 12:16pm
His perfumes are often described using art terms. Given that he is a painter and collector of art himself, I wonder if he'd share one of his favourite paintings with us?
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 20
9/15/10 at 1:51pm
Certainly some questions about Iso E Super and its use in contemporary perfumery, or something simple like.... what is your favorite era of perfumery?
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 20
9/15/10 at 2:04pm
GREAT oportunity for you!
I'd also like to know: If he has any plans for some "complex" creations in the future? Who of the younger generation working in the industry now does he think has the most potential for creating future classics? What does he think about the marketing trend to put the money in the topnotes?
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 20
9/15/10 at 2:54pm
good for you.
what's the most important thing he has learned from roudnitska, and why?
plus, what would be the most important thing he could teach a student?
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 20
9/15/10 at 5:18pm
If he had it to do over again, which, if any, of his perfumes would he like to re-formulate? Which one is he most proud of?
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 20
9/17/10 at 8:22am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all your questions. Interview is all done. Only lasted 15 minutes but I can safely say the man is as charming as he is talented. Will let you know when the transcript goes live on theexfoliator.com
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 20
9/17/10 at 4:07pm
Thanks, TheExfoliator! That will be interesting to read.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 20
9/20/10 at 2:56am
Thread Starter 
It's live! http://www.theexfoliator.com/2010/09...de-ellena.html

Not a particularly exhaustive interview - and definitely nothing new for the hardcore enthusiasts here - but an interesting read for casual fans nonetheless. Hope you enjoy. More interviews to come...
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 20
9/20/10 at 5:36am
No, not exhaustive, but certainly very interesting to read. Mr. Ellena always has something intelligent and constructive to say, doesn't he? It's always a pleasure to read his remarks. Thank you again, TheExfoliator! I enjoyed that.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 20
9/20/10 at 5:46am
Nice! Interesting to see his responses and how you adapted our questions to a short time frame.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 20
9/20/10 at 6:56am
Good job!
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 20
9/20/10 at 11:56am
Nice article, TheExfoliator, thanks! Iris Ukiyoé ????I'm excited! Did you get a chance to smell this? I've googled it, but am not finding any info....? Or on the Hermes website...? (but googling around, I learned that IRIS is the name of a messenger of the gods, a sort of female counterpart to Hermes. She would travel on the rainbow... so I'm wondering if the fragrance is iris as in orris, or Iris as in goddess? Or both?) It was interesting too to learn of Elena's interest in Japanese prints -- Ukiyo-e being a style of Japanese prints. The word means "the floating world", the ephemeral world of pleasure.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Female Fragrance Discussion

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Your questions for Jean Claude Ellena