Kilian Hennessy: Perfumery on a Pedestal
An Exclusive Beauty News Interview

“Modernity is the transient, the fleeting, the contingent; it is one half of art, the other being the eternal and the immovable.”- Charles Baudelaire

Kilian Hennessey, Founder of By Kilian

Kilian Hennessy, the soft spoken and charming ’scentsation” behind the By Kilian fragrance brand, could easily have walked out of 19th century France, realized that PDAs and cell phones are extremely useful, and decided to stay awhile in the 21st century.

Yet, one can imagine him using a fine quill pen and a notebook to jot down the formulas for his fragrances. Hennessy is a dichotomy; as comfortable in the realm of ancient Greek history, 19th century symbolist poetry as he is admiring the very latest hand bag collection at Louis Vuitton.

Fleurs de Mal is a volume of poetry written by Charles Baudelaire

When he talks about Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Verlaine– his black eyes shine and he becomes very animated; don’t be put off by references to Faust, ‘Fleurs de Mal’ and Zenon (No, not the warrior princess, Zenon the Belgian physician). He speaks of absolutes, Beauty, Truth, Structure. This is notposturing or affectation; these concepts are intrinsic to his fragrance philosophy.

So what should you make of this former Marketing Executive from L’Oréal and his fragrance ‘revolution’? From its launch in the U.S. (six months ago), his inaugural fragrance collection (difficult for those who don’t speak French to pronounce and translate) L’Ouevre Noire has been controversial– capturing the attention of a swarm of editors’, retailers and bloggers’. Hennessy is somewhat of a media darling; yet his provocative approach to fragrance has had its share of admirers and detractors. It may be difficult to be objective when you meet Kilian at one of his many personal appearances; he is so personally magnetic your credit card is doomed. By Kilian fragrances are packaged so elegantly that they cry out to be purchased.

So, you will need to make up your own mind beyond this new concept; ultimately the finest fragrances are not made through multi million dollar marketing campaigns and breathlessly beautiful packaging, but by the brilliance of their creator to connect emotionally with the wearer. The scent must be perfectly formultated, from its top to its drydown because in the end, the proof is in the ‘juice’.

L’ouevre noire Display at Bergdorf Goodman, New York

BN: Kilian, you seemed to explode onto the fragrance scene last year with L’oeuvre noire (the Black Masterpiece), and the industry was all abuzz about your ‘overnight’ success. Was it really overnight; what is your background?
KH: I have always worked in the fragrance industry. I started my career at Dior, and then I worked with the Puig Group on Paco Rabanne, then the Gucci Group on Alexander McQueen and finally L’Oreal on Giorgio Armani.

BN: Unless my translation is incorrect (L’Ouevre = masterwork or masterpiece) naming your first collection a ‘masterpiece’ might be misunderstood by some as arrogance. What was your motivation behind the collection’s name?
KH: I did not name my first collection the black masterpiece but “L’œuvre noire”, which is VERY different. Calling a first collection a masterpiece would have been very arrogant I agree and that is really not my personality!!!

French author Marguerite Yourcenar

L’oeuvre Noire, for me, is homage to a great French author: Marguerite Yourcenar who wrote a book called “L’Oeuvre au noir” and talks about a man – Zenon – who is a philosopher, a doctor and an alchemist during the time of church inquisition. He symbolises the man who searches the truth and is ready to confront established ideas in search for this truth. We are not far from the mission I assigned to this collection: place perfumery back in its pedestal by going back to the truth about perfume!

Les Poètes Maudits and Beyond Love prohibited by Kilian

BN: The six fragrances in the collection correlate to three themes; the Ingenues, the Artificial Paradises, and the Parisian Orgies. First, let’s review each category and then the fragrances in context of your overall concept.
KH: I’ll try! These themes are poem titles by great French poets, called the « poètes maudits » or « cursed poets ». The Ingénues is a poem by Verlaine. The two scents in this group are Love don’t be shy and Beyond Love prohibited.

Taste of Heaven absinthe verte

The Parisian Orgies is a poem by Rimbaud (Liaisons Dangerouses and Cruel Intentions) and the Artificial Paradises is the way Baudelaire called l’ Absinthe, (Taste of Heaven absinthe verte was inspired by this). Again, the reason I chose these poets is because these poets – who belonged to a movement called the Parnasse Movement – felt that they had a mission: put poetry back on its pedestal, back at the top of the mountain Parnasse (in Greece!). Again…very close to my mission with perfumery!!!!!

tempt me!

BN: Each fragrance has a subtitle…for example Liaisons Dangerouses is also subtitled Typical me. Is the collection auto biographical?
KH: Maybe….How can it not be?

Feminitie Du Bois by Shiseido

MC: You have worked with some of the greatest perfumers of our time. Thus, if there is one woman’s scent you wished YOU had created what is it and why?
KH: With no doubt: Feminite Du Bois. For me, it is a masterpiece…this one is!

MC: What is your opinion about the state of fragrance industry?
KH: In a very bad condition…That is the reason why I left these large fragrance companies. But hopefully, individuals such as Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle or Tom Ford will show that there is another perfumery possible, a perfumery that one day is the only perfumery.

MC: As a follow-up, how do you feel (as an independent perfumer) about the large Fragrance companies frenzy to flood the market and confuse the consumer by churning out so many new yet mostly forgettable fragrances?
KH: The good part is that they have created a need in the public…a need for more unique, more creative, more expensive, more exclusive fragrances.

By Kilian Candle Collection debuts in April 2008

MC: Do you have immediate plans for new fragrance collections or brand extensions?
KH: Of course! I am launching the candles collection in March… Yes. Both are true. The 7th scent is set to launch in August/September 2008. And a very special product in November!!!!! Then one new scent each year hereon out. Once all 10 scents in the collection are complete, I am starting a new collection under the By Kilian brand.

By Kilian’s signature lock and tasselled key

MC: There is a lock and key for each of your fragrances, suggesting being able to keep something secret, precious or forbidden. What do you keep under lock and key?
KH: Secret!

MC: Can you tell us one secret?
KH: In Paris, I drive alone for hours…after midnight.

By Kilian fragrances are available at Bergdorf Goodman and online www.bykilian.com.