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Olivia Giacobetti, Andrée Putmann's nose
She is one of the more original and accomplished talents in perfumery. Into scents even as a child, at the age of 21 she had already signed l'Artisan Parfumeur's Premier Figuier. It was soon followed by other accomplishments, such as Hiris by Hermes or Andrée Putmann's Préparation Parfumée.
By Johanne Courbatère 17/01/02
What was your encounter with Andrée Putmann like?
I admire her work tremendously, and even setting the perfume project aside, meeting her was a great pleasure.
What guidelines did you have for the creation of the fragrance?
She wanted an original fragrance, different, simple but meaningful. I worked with the concept of wet wood, like those pieces of wood you find on riverbanks.
Is the creative approach for a brand such as Hermes different from creating for a personality like Andrée Putmann?
What I am after above all is coherence, a bridge between my creation and the image of the brand I create for. I have a new vision, a new desire for each project. Some encounters are like responses. I had dreamed of working with iris. And with Hermes, pure, unfettered iris was just the thing. It reflected Martin Margiela's fashions perfectly. The creative approach is different when creating for smaller brands and for major groups. You obviously have more freedom when working with a product that has less hype surrounding it.
Does the notion of unisex fragrance mean anything to you?
Actually, giving a gender to what I do isn't a big deal for me. I like unintended and unexpected things like the soft and milky smell of fig leaf on a man or dry wood on a woman, which to me is more modern and seductive.
Food connoiseurs often say that men cook differently from women. Do you think this applies to perfumery too?
Everyone, male or female, has his or her own sensibility. In the world of fashion, men often caricaturize women, and you do see that in perfumery sometimes .