Antonio Ortega tapped into retro-futurism for his Fall/Winter 2016 collection in sequinned polka dots and floral applications. Inspired by the memory and love we give to those who have passed, the Mexican designer utilised flowers and pious images that were laser-cut and placed on jackets, coats, and dresses. Photographer Jarka Snajberk captures the first looks backstage.
Sketch of Bauhaus inspired Flacon.
by Frédéric Malle himself
for his Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
Sketch of Bauhaus inspired Flacon.
by Frédéric Malle himself
for his Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
Credits
“He who ruled scent ruled the hearts of men,” wrote German author Patrick Süskind in his historical fantasy novel ‘Perfume: The Story of a Murderer’. In this 1985 cult favourite, the perfumer ultimately gains “the invincible power to command the love of mankind.” Today, if anyone understands the profound impact of fragrance, it’s celebrated French Perfume Editor Frédéric Malle— a true revolutionary and leading figure in the perfume world.
Malle grew up surrounded by creativity. His father produced films, while his uncle was the renowned film director Louis Malle. His mother served as the former Art Director at Parfums Christian Dior, a brand established in 1947 by Malle’s maternal grandfather. Malle immersed himself in this legacy, studying perfumery at the laboratories of Roure Bertrand Dupont before working as a consultant for fashion houses such as Christian Lacroix and Hermès.
Since founding his fragrance house, Les Editions de Parfum Frédéric Malle, in 2000, his team of nine perfumers has steadily expanded. His innovative production philosophy — allowing perfumers full creative control and ensuring they receive credit on each perfume bottle — has been praised by leading publications. This practice was virtually unheard of 25 years ago, when the industry traditionally hid creators’ identities behind fashion labels or designer names. Yet Malle insisted that perfumers were not “ghostwriters” but rather “fragrance authors.”
Malle urges his perfumers to explore new creative horizons while emphasizing the importance of precision and the meticulous crafting of formulas. This philosophy has given rise to masterpieces such as Le Parfum de Thérèse by Edmond Roudnitska — a personal love letter, bottled for Roudnitska’s wife before his death, which Thérèse herself approved for Malle to release.
The rich stories behind each of the house’s treasured scents are compiled in Malle’s lavish 2012 book, On Perfume Making. Schön! alive meets with him to dive deeper into this fascinating world of scent.
Frédéric Malle.
photography. Brigitte Lacombe
Frédéric Malle.
photography. Brigitte Lacombe
Credits
When did you first discover the power of perfume?
It must have been Eau Sauvage by Parfums Christian Dior. I was four or five, and my mother had worked on the perfume which became a landmark perfume for men. We had big bottles of it and we wore it as little children because I just loved the smell. And then I went to boarding school, and I was playing lots of sports and I was always covering myself with it. When you sweat, either through making love or playing sports, the blending of you and the perfume deepens. That was how I developed an addiction for scent. It was a subliminal and organic evolution. I realised how you can fall in love with a person and the way they smelled.
How did you get into perfumery?
Perfumery always lingered in the back of my mind, but the fact that my mother was involved in the industry ensured that it wasn’t foreign to me. I didn’t want to enter her trade but I was always impressed by the job of my friend’s father, who was the [art] director of CHANEL. I loved the imagery. I loved what he did with legendary photographers Irving Penn and Helmut Newton. I wanted to get into this industry, but more as an art director than anything else.
So, I worked as a photographer’s assistant, I studied art history, I was in advertising. I did a whole sort of periphery, as I believed that one should really know the trade. While I was minding my own business in advertising, someone who was the head of the best lab in the industry, which was a legendary lab called Roar, asked me to become an assistant. From the moment I accepted the role, I felt very much at home. For one thing, I was immediately impressed with how modest the team was. These were the people responsible for the world smelling the way it smelled. I mean, I was having lunch with Edouard Fletcher, who had just made Poison, and the world was smelling of Poison, and he was completely modest and informal.
Perfume consultation.
photography. Naho Kubota
Perfume consultation.
photography. Naho Kubota
Credits
Where do you find inspiration for a new perfume?
It’s an ongoing conversation between myself and the perfumers. We are all friends. It’s a very intimate world, because we are all in love with this thing that we can’t share with that many people. Perfumery is a language that nobody speaks. And so, we are a club who suffers for perfumery, who dreams about perfumery, and we are very close to one another because of that common secret that we share. Naturally, we talk shop all the time and, sometimes, a perfumer or I will come up with a fragrance idea and we will discuss how to make it a reality.
The perfume process begins with conversation. We talk about the formulating process like it’s a collage; from layering extracts to magnifying, removing or blending different scents. Using our own jargon, we describe shapes, colours or raw materials, like a landscape painter who says, “Oh, let’s make a big blue thing and then why don’t we have a dot of red on it?”, and then the fragrance in our minds creates itself. The formula emerges like an illustration of the initial conversation. It’s brought to life in the lab, and we ask questions such as, “Is it too simple? Is it too complex? Is it comfortable?” We also have to consider two fundamental aspects. There is a mechanical aspect, where the perfume diffuses and lasts for a long time; then there is subjectivity, where the perfume needs to be recognisable, comfortable, addictive and harmonious.
Atelier Jean Claude Ellena.
Carrousel of Ingredients for perfume making
image. Courtesy of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
Atelier Jean Claude Ellena.
Carrousel of Ingredients for perfume making
image. Courtesy of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
Credits
How would you explain the recent success of more niche perfume houses?
In what way have they changed the industry? When I started this company 25 years ago, I was always telling people [that], unlike the big brand’s duty free and self-service perfumery (which became the equivalent of supermarket perfumery), artisanal perfumery will deliver something authentic. People soon rediscovered real perfumery through us, I suppose, and it became a big thing. Those who doubted what we were doing then realised that you can make money with this and became copycats, but at least there is an interest in perfumery again.
Is it also because they find that people want to be individual?
We see this in fashion as well. People want to be themselves…to have bigger, more precise expressions of themselves, for sure. Also, you have markets in China who are truly interested in how things are made and markets in Japan who are interested in craft. There is an interest in artistry, and people understand that a chef can be somehow an artist. So, there is this curiosity, this appetite for individuality, this appetite for knowledge. All of this leads to this more considered perfume, a more artistic perfume.
How important are ingredients?
Ingredients are instruments we use to solve a puzzle. They are not the kings. The perfume is the important thing, but then the best perfumers have the best ingredients because it’s like sports people, they have the best materials. Some ingredients are actually quite extraordinary and they have amazing pedigree, but it’s a little bit like art. I don’t care about the pedigree of an artist. What I care about is the art that it produces. I don’t care so much about where the ingredients come from, whether it’s cultivated on the side of the Himalayas or by my next-door neighbour, as long as it smells good and right for that perfume.
IFF New York – shelf ingredients for perfume making
image. Courtesy of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
IFF New York – shelf ingredients for perfume making
image. Courtesy of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
“The world is little, people are little, human life is little. There is only one big thing – desire.” Willa Cather
When looking for inspiration for 48th issue, there was an aspect of creativity which we realised we rarely look at: the initial spark. What moves us, what inspires us and what pushes us to act? At the heart of it all is desire. It’s the inspiration that compels us to create; that sensation of longing for something, the idea which is at the inception of it all. That, dear readers, was the starting point to our issue – the dynamic energy behind all our greatest actions in life.
Desire can be interpreted in multiple ways, as we learnt when we asked our collaborators to embody and represent what the act of desiring was for them. It’s a philosophical question that opens us up to the multiplicity of experiences of human life. From mind and creativity to body and beauty, from concrete IRL love to spiritual longing: desire moves us in many ways.
We start with cover star Emma Myers, captured by Cameron Postforoosh in CHANEL. An example that dreams really can come true, Myers tells us how her childhood obsessions were realised, from working with hero Jack Black and starring in ‘A Minecraft Movie’ to being immortalised as a LEGO mini figure. Meanwhile, model and content creator Calum Harper is soon set to achieve his childhood ambition of becoming an actor, and Stephanie Suganami shares her excitement about her first feature film ‘Opus’.
Accomplished actor Jason Isaacs recounts how he coveted a role in ‘The White Lotus’ and why “having an interesting time at work”, such as in his latest film ‘The Salt Path’, is more important to him than career goals. The desire to weave stories seems to be a common theme; Alicia Von Rittberg entrances in Fendi, as she contemplates her character’s true motivations in ‘Dinner for Five – Killer for One’. Wunmi Mosaku stuns in Pandora, while telling us why discovering new characters, worlds and genres motivates her, including horror film ‘Sinners’. Meanwhile, Zoë Bleu Sidel talks us through making Luc Besson’s ‘Dracula: A Love Tale’ and why it’s less about horror than about a love and longing that transcends lifetimes.
But weaving stories spills into many disciplines. Actor, artist and musician Booboo Stewart explains how art addresses his yearning for greater self-understanding. Kelly McCormacklongs for a way back to the truth, which she finds through music. She also tells us what drew her to her new film ‘Sorry, Baby’. Michael Cimino wants to up his game and resonate with audiences through his upcoming music and screen projects “Until Dawn” and “Motorheads”.
Dressed in Louis Vuitton, recording artist, DJ and producer Badchieff tells us how he explores themes of desire and loss. Summer Walker reveals why she’s ready to start a fresh chapter and explore new themes and genres in her music. Both talk us through their new albums.
The multi-faceted Jameela Jamil aims to put “uplifting and positive content out into the world” with movies such as Pixar’s ‘Elio’, while staying true to herself and embracing her imperfections. On the set of a Miu Miu special, author, entrepreneur and sustainability advocate Kiara Nirghin shares why she strives for a future where technology and AI are used for the greater good.
Fashion and desire have long gone hand in hand. In Paris, we shoot the H&M Studio Resort Capsule Collection against the iconic skyline and explore the dynamic energy of movement with the Fall 2025 Collection’s Lifestyle Capsule from Dior Men. In Milan, meanwhile, we enter an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ style universe, with the DEDAR Milano x Westwing collection.
Falling in love with life, exploring new dreams, letting yourself be inspired, opening yourself up to new possibilities; these are just some of the sensations we’d like to conjure within these pages. We hope you’re as inspired as we were making this issue.
British perfume house Penhaligon’s has long been known for its eccentric storytelling and richly layered scents. Established in 1870, the brand blends heritage with a playful, almost theatrical approach to fragrance — most notably in itsPortraits Collection, a series of perfumes inspired by a fictional aristocratic family filled with intrigue, scandal, and secrets.
Each scent introduces a new character from an aristocratic British family — think secret affairs, whispered betrayals, and the occasional vanishing husband. From the ever-dignified Lord George to the cunning Lady Blanche and the rebellious Duchess Rose, every bottle plays its part in this delightfully dramatic tale. And the best bit? The bottles themselves are topped with intricate animal heads, turning the whole collection into a chessboard of perfumed mischief.
The latest arrival at the Portraits Mansion is Fortuitous Finley, a fragrance as captivating as its mysterious equine muse. Steeped in the elegance of British equestrian style, the fragrance belongs among polished leather, precise tailoring, and aristocratic refinement. Much like Penhaligon’s creations, it embodies heritage with a contemporary edge. With its sculpted horse-head bottle, Finley enters the Portraits collection like a chess piece in play — another charismatic figure in Penhaligon’s ever-evolving tale.
Opening with a spicy kick of cardamom and black pepper, the fragrance quickly softens into a creamy yet fresh heart of salted pistachio and violet leaf, balanced by the refined earthiness of matcha and violet. At the base, patchouli, orris, and the leather-like Saffiano accord add depth and texture, giving the scent an unmistakable presence.
Like all Portraits characters, Finley comes with a backstory — this particular stallion has caught the attention of Lady Blanche and, curiously, her daughter. His scent is equally hard to resist, making him the latest scandalous addition to Penhaligon’s ever-growing cast.
Fortuitous Finley launches April 15th online and at Penhaligon’s boutiques.
