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“It is one of the most precious joys of my life,” says Renaud Salmon of travel — a sentiment that feels especially fitting coming from the Chief Creative Officer of Amouage, a perfume house renowned for its evocative, far-reaching narratives. Since joining the Omani brand in 2019, Salmon has redefined its creative direction with a modern sensibility rooted in storytelling, craftsmanship and a deep connection to place.

Originally trained in business and engineering, the Belgian native began his career in luxury leather goods at Delvaux and Louis Vuitton, before moving into fragrance development. He went on to help create cult hits like Perfect by Marc Jacobs and Dolce by Dolce & Gabbana. Yet it’s in Muscat, Oman that Salmon seems most at home, channelling the country’s natural beauty into some of Amouage’s most ambitious olfactory works.

His latest creation is no exception. Inspired by a personal journey to Jebel Shams, Oman’s highest peak, Salmon and perfumer Quentin Bisch translated the mystical atmosphere of the mountain into a duo of new fragrances: Decision and Existence. With gnarled juniper trees, thick clouds, and moments of almost spiritual clarity shaping the compositions, these scents reflect Salmon’s unique approach to perfumery, inspired by his instinct and memory.

Schön! alive speaks to Salmon to trace how the country’s raw landscapes and ancient myths became scent.

You’ve been living in Oman for a while now, and it felt clear to me how the country — the landscape, the nature around it — shaped the work. With Decision and Existence, you’re closing The Odyssey Collection. Before we get into the fragrances themselves, what did it mean to you personally to bring this chapter to an end?

For me, it’s an end, because it’s the end of the story I wanted to tell when I arrived in Oman. And, you know, my journey in Oman is not ending — however, in my mind, the collection now feels complete. I feel like every chapter, from an olfactory point of view, contributed to telling that story of being high-born, then liberating, then escaping, and that felt a bit like a climax, if that makes sense. This last chapter is more about eternity. It’s a soft landing from very high.

You’ve mentioned climbing Jebel Shams and feeling both connected to the earth and as though you were floating. How did that experience spark the initial idea for Decision and Existence?

When I hike or run in Oman, at some point you lose awareness of your body — what you’re doing becomes mechanical, and your mind leaves your body. It felt a bit like an out-of-body experience. In one of those special moments, you feel completely in tune with nature and can reflect deeply on your life, the stories you’d like to tell through fragrance. I realised that something I personally experience can be part of a bigger pattern many people have at some point in their life. Two types of energy came to mind: one driven and vertical — Decision — and the other contemplative and horizontal — Existence. One about resilience, the other about contemplation.

You’ve described the ancient juniper trees you saw on the mountain — ‘survivors of lightning strikes, their twisted branches like sculptures.’ Why did they resonate so much, and how did you want that to come across when anyone sprays Decision?

Juniper trees feel like sculptures, they barely have any foliage, yet they’re so vibrant. They’re on the edge of life and death at the same time. I wanted to capture the spirit of a tree on the brink—alive and almost petrified. Juniper wood oil has both spicy, berry-like qualities and woody facets. It sits in between aromatic and woody notes, so it became our keynote for Decision.

When you were collaborating with Quentin Bisch on Decision, was it an immediate choice to use juniper as the keynote? How did that come about?

I told Quentin the story, and the first accord he created was the lightning: metallic, vertical, very dry, vibrant and sparking. I loved it, but it was missing life. It told the story of the strike, but not of the tree after impact. Then Quentin added balsamic notes and vanilla, which brought warmth and resilience — the idea that you can be struck by lightning in life, but it’s your decision to keep growing.

Existence deals with a more abstract, endless feeling — how did you and Quentin turn that idea of infinite horizontality into a wearable fragrance?

If Decision is vertical, Existence is horizontal — like being surrounded by a sea of clouds, where you can’t tell reality from imagination. We wanted a blurred, white landscape in scent. The lily of the valley was essential because it reminded me of my childhood when I was around the 1st of May, I was picking lilies in the garden, and I was selling them on a small plastic table on the street. We recreated that memory and I told Quentin, “Wow, this is so photorealistic.”And I love that dichotomy between hyper realism, imagination and memories. The musks blurred the picture, and the incense and balsams added touches of warmth, so you actually get something that gets very cloudy.

How do Decision and Existence together bring closure to The Odyssey Collection?

They feel like the end of an exploration to me, where your senses are hyper-receptive because of the isolation and extremity of the environment. It’s something I wanted to convey in the bottles and to recreate this same feeling with their colour. I studied Chinese monochromatic ceramic, and I was really blown away by the fact that because Chinese ceramic is so pure and so white, a single drop of colour is going to actually impact the whole ceramic. Both fragrances come from white, but each drop of note resonates differently.

Speaking of the bottles and visuals, you’ve worked with Louise Mertens for several years. How did you bring your vision to the actual flacon designs?

Louise and I built natural compositions — sculptures of rock, sand, clouds — in the studio, then she layered her digital artwork on top. That addition is there to blur the lines between reality and imagination, so that it feels very cohesive with the approach when it comes to the fragrances.

The Odyssey Collection ends here, but you’re already thinking ahead. Are there new places or themes calling you for the next fragrance?

From a romantic point of view, I’ve wondering about the afterlife. Creating a little bit of dystopian tension between the thematic of afterlife and at the same time, the idea of something extremely rooted in the traditions of Oman, I think could offer a super interesting contrast from a fragrance point of view, but also from an aesthetic point of view.

How do you hope people will emotionally connect to Decision and Existence?

I want people to feel these fragrances — to perceive their texture, their behaviour, their volume. Each has its own personality. I really want people to connect at a deeper level with those fragrances, through their materiality. I hope they trigger memories, it might be a good memory or a bit of a sad memory sometimes, but I think it’s okay, because not every single fragrance is supposed to make you feel sexy or successful. Fragrance is such a powerful medium; reliving a forgotten moment is the greatest gift.

Was there a memorable or unexpected moment during your creative process with Quentin?

Yes, actually. Quentin and I sat at the top of the mountain, ready to watch the sunset. He said, “Close your eyes. Let’s be aware of the moment.” We closed our eyes and started smelling and then a herd of goats appeared. For a moment, all we could smell was goat. We laughed and took pictures. It was a beautiful moment fully in harmony with nature, and I just realised that life is everywhere.

Finally, do you already have an adventure in mind for what’s next for Amouage? Are there new things you’re exploring?

I mean, I’m definitely exploring. I’m working on a lot of things. With Quentin, we’ve been talking quite a bit about incense — like, really going deeper into it. You might think Amouage is always about incense and sound, but actually, Amouage is more about fragrances. And now we’re looking at it from another angle: incense as something you burn to create a connection between the living and the divine. That got us curious. What do people burn in different parts of the world? In Mexico, it’s copal. In Japan, it’s different woods. In parts of Africa, people burn all sorts of woods. So yeah, there’s something really interesting there — something we want to explore.

Decision and Existence are available now online and in select boutiques.

photography. Amouage
words. Gennaro Costanzo

From May 1 to 4, 2025, the PalaisPopulaire in Berlin transforms into an immersive experience celebrating art, champagne, and conscious living. During Berlin Gallery Weekend, a key event on the cultural calendar, Ruinart invites guests to explore the multifaceted world of its historic champagne house in a new way at the Ruinart Champagne & Art Bar to celebrate its 2025 artist collaboration, Julian Charrière, a Franco-Swiss artist whose work explores the intersections of time, geology, and human impact. 

Known for blending scientific research with poetic storytelling, Charrière challenges how we perceive nature — not as something separate from us, but as a force constantly shaped by human history and intervention. Conversations with Nature brings this perspective to Ruinart’s terroir, transforming the Champagne house’s deep connection to the land into an artistic dialogue that spans millennia. Conversations with Nature makes its debut in the Champagne & Art Bar, inviting viewers into a dialogue with the natural world through the lens of time and terroir. 

Ruinart’s selection of Charrière is a natural fit. The Maison has long been at the forefront of sustainability in winemaking, from regenerative viticulture to eco-designed packaging. Charrière’s work adds another layer, questioning how human activity reshapes the environment and what it means to engage with nature in a time of ecological urgency. “At the heart of my work lies the notion of encounter — an intimate dialogue with place, biome, and environment. These moments are not mere observations but exchanges, where landscape and presence intertwine, shaping one another in a quiet, reciprocal conversation,” he explains.  

The event, which occurs between May 1st to the 4th at PalaisPopulaire in Berlin, includes a carefully curated, sustainability-inspired menu offering light, à la carte dishes crafted to pair perfectly with Ruinart’s champagnes. Guests can register now to indulge — from refreshing starters to refined bites, every pairing is designed to elevate the flavours of each pour. In addition to the art, what guests can really experience is what is at the heart of Ruinart’s philosophy: a deep commitment to sustainability, evident in every aspect – from vineyard practices to packaging innovations. The newest cuvée, Ruinart Blanc Singulier, embodies this vision, reflecting both environmental mindfulness and the Maison’s iconic character. Guests can taste it by the glass and even purchase a bottle wrapped in a Furoshiki cloth as a keepsake.

Champagne’s limestone-rich soil holds traces of an ancient sea that once covered much of Europe. Forty-five million years ago, the region was submerged under the Lutetian Sea, a vast marine world whose fossilised remains still shape the land. The chalk pits (crayères) beneath Ruinart’s vineyards are ghostly echoes of this past, a reminder that landscapes are never static — they carry the memory of deep geological time. 

Charrière pays tribute to this lost ocean while reflecting on the fragile state of today’s marine ecosystems. His Conversations with Nature series includes a collection of photo lithographs capturing coral reefs — luminous, living structures that mirror the prehistoric marine forests that once thrived beneath Champagne. Using a 19th-century lithographic process, Charrière reimagines these corals through pigments sourced from locally collected limestone and crushed corals. The muted, pale tones evoke the fading vitality of these ecosystems, suggesting both the resilience of nature and its vulnerability in the face of environmental change.  

Unlike a traditional gallery exhibition, Conversations with Nature is designed as a multi-sensory experience. Through large-scale installations, geological textures, and soundscapes, Charrière invites viewers to engage with Champagne’s terroir in a way that goes beyond observation. The collaboration reinforces Ruinart’s vision of Champagne as a product of time, landscape, and human ingenuity.  

Visit Ruinart Champagne & Art Bar from May 1 – 4, 2025, 1 PM to 9 PM daily, at PalaisPopulaire, Unter den Linden 5, Berlin Mitte. Register now at ruinart.com.

photography. Alice Jacquemin, Gregoire Machavoine, Raul Cabrera
words. Gennaro Costanzo

The automotive world has long been a canvas for innovation, but CUPRA is now taking its creative vision far beyond the wheel. Enter the CUPRA Design House, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming the brand’s celebrated design philosophy into a multidisciplinary hub that transcends the automotive industry. Launched during Milan Design Week 2025, the CUPRA Design House is set to challenge the boundaries of design by tapping into new realms of creativity, cutting-edge technologies, and sustainable materials. At its core, the initiative is built around three pillars: CUPRA Collection, CUPRA Collabs, and CUPRA Beyond. These pillars represent a bold vision where the boundaries of form, function, and emotional resonance collide, creating a platform for visionary partnerships across multiple creative fields.

Through the CUPRA Design House, the brand is not just creating products, but immersive, sensory experiences that push the limits of design, performance, and sustainability. The focus on CUPRA Collection will see a line of bold, functional, and sustainable products inspired by the brand’s automotive DNA. Meanwhile, CUPRA Collabs will bring together a dynamic range of like-minded brands and creatives for unique, boundary-defying partnerships. Finally, CUPRA Beyond will explore the world of experiential design, from bespoke interior concepts to unexpected collaborations in industries far beyond the automotive world.

The brand’s move into this new territory marks a pivotal moment in CUPRA’s evolution, so Schön! sat down with COO Cécilia Taïeb to discuss CUPRA’s mission to inspire and innovate, one design at a time.

Cécilia, the CUPRA Design House is described as a space where design goes beyond the automotive world. What was the moment you realised CUPRA needed its own ‘design house’ universe?

We’ve been around for seven years. Seeing the reaction of people, we were doing t-shirts and things like that. We saw this amazing reaction and realized we needed to take this further. The brand and the design around the brand are so powerful. Let’s go beyond. I remember we sat with Jorge and Francesca and said, “What can we do?” We talked about the first pillar, the essentials collection, but you don’t need a design house just for that. Then we said, let’s push the collaborations. We had collaborations, but can we make them bigger? Can we make them more “us”? Let’s find the right collaborators. Collabs are everywhere, but we said, let’s find those people where there’s a match. It’s like dating: “Can we do something cool together?” The third one was the “beyond” aspect. We’ve been contacted by companies asking, “Can you do a hotel room for us, just with the Cupra essence?” Or we did this boat, the Antonio boat, which already existed, but they said, “Can you give it a Cupra feel?” That’s the beyond part. We thought, let’s do this.

It’s also without limits because it’s something new you haven’t thought about before.

Exactly. But also, Cupra is more than an automotive brand; it’s a lifestyle brand. If you’re a lifestyle brand, do the cars, but also do something else. We’re launching in the U.S. in four years. Ultimately, my dream is for Cupra to be known as a lifestyle brand before we even enter with the cars.

You are leading the strategic and commercial development of the three Cupra Design House pillars. Which other pillars speak most to your personal creative side, and why the collaborations?

I’ve been involved in finding the right collaborations. Harper Collective is my first. It’s about creating beautiful things but with meaning. Yes, you can be fashionable, but you can be good too. We created a suitcase made from fishnets taken from the sea. It’s not trash—it’s dignified plastic. Doing that and going through an airport with a cool suitcase that also does good… that’s exactly what I want with collaborations. Always finding that extra layer of meaning that tells the full story. The next generation is all about doing good with everything they wear and how they live.

And there we come to the term “design obsession.” What does it mean to you on a day-to-day level?

It’s being obsessed with everything I see with my eyes. We always say we want to inspire the world from Barcelona. It’s in every corner of the city. Everything we craft with Cupra is done with design. Cupra is design and performance. Take performance, and everything becomes an inspiration. That’s why we call it an obsession. When I see something, I think, “That’s so Cupra.” That means we’ve created a personality for the brand.

From 3D knitted wearables to parametric lounge chairs, Cupra is diving deep into multi-sensory design. How do you balance cutting-edge tech with emotional resonance in these projects?

Tech needs to be used the right way—not in excess. You use it to create something meaningful. It’s like our cars: you use tech for safety, not to drive the car. The same goes for the products we create beyond cars. In the car, you drive it. You’re in control. The same goes for the rest. You use tech to make things beautiful or to connect with the body, like the adaptive meeting or the multifunctional vest. It’s about using technology to create something meaningful that generates emotion.

Cupra collaborations included bold partnerships with Selvedge Man and Harper Collective. What’s your secret to choosing collaborators who embody the Cupra DNA?

It’s about a match. Is there something authentic and coherent with us? Sometimes, we meet with companies, and people think it’s not commercially viable, but from the first handshake, we know. With Seb and Jaden, it was instant. Just talking to them, you could feel their excitement and love for what they do.

You could see his excitement and love for what he did, how he presented it. It was nice to see.

It’s his baby. And that’s how I speak about Cupra. It’s not fake. You can feel it or you can’t. Everything fake just doesn’t work for us. New generations don’t fall for marketing. They want authenticity, or they’re done.

Harper Collective and Cupra luggage merges sustainability with performance. Do you see eco-design as a must-have or an inspiration source?

Both. When you do something, it has to be good. It can be stylish, but it must have meaning, too. If it’s not sustainable, it’s like selling food that’s not healthy. In everything we do, we try to be as sustainable as possible. Harper Collective uses rhodium, a rare mineral with a sustainability background. Whether it’s electric cars or our design house, we don’t want to pollute. Everything has to follow that coherence. I always look for partners who aren’t necessarily the most well-known. Harper Collective is a small company, just Jaden and Seb. MAM is also small, but they have authenticity. Small brands with real personalities are pushing things.

The Cupra Capsule was one of the showstoppers. How did the concept come about, and what reaction did you hope to provoke?

The sensorial capsule is something Francesca and the design team created. She always talked about being an animal and how this animal reacts to you in the car. That’s the future of automotive. Being one with your car and adopting each other. It came from her, and when I saw it, I was amazed. This capsule senses your mood and reacts to you. It’s where we’re going with Cupra, and it’s something innovative we wanted to show the world. It’s this human-machine connection, like Jorge said—it’s almost sensual. A solid machine reacting to you and your emotions.

As COO, you’re not just shaping a brand. You’re curating experiences. What makes a design feel like Cupra to you?

Cupra is such an emotional brand. It’s all about emotions. The design we create provokes emotion, and that’s what we want to continue doing. We always want to surprise. When people ask me what we’re doing, it’s always about breaking boundaries and doing things differently, but not just for the sake of it. We’re doing it because we want to, and we never stop. When we were getting ready for Milan Design Week, we thought, “We’re never going to make it on time!” But then it comes together, and we think, “How did we do it? I don’t know, but we made it happen.”

You talk about breaking barriers and rewriting the rules. What’s the one design rule that you want to break?

Rules are meant to be broken. I remember when I started in automotive, some people said, “We need to take the picture of the car from three-quarters.” I said, “Why? Who says that?” No one cares. Let’s take it in a way that enhances the emotion of the car. It’s the same with photos at night. Some journalists would ask me to use more light. I said, “No. They look beautiful the way they are!” Rules? No rules. Rules are meant to be broken.

Your spirit has come home beyond cars. What’s next for the Cupra Design House, and where will we see it coming alive next?

That’s why we’re here today. We didn’t want to just launch the Cupra Design House. We wanted to show something tangible, something you can touch. The prototypes you saw today, they’re not prototypes; they’re going into production. The adaptive meeting will inspire our active wear collection launching in September or October. The shoes are already available. We’re also launching backpacks, and we’re creating a full collection of adaptive backpacks with MAM. Everything is happening in the next few months. The sky’s the limit. We’re hustling and continuing to push forward.

See the entire collection of CUPRA Design House at cupraofficial.com.

interview. Raoul Keil