The luxurious cosmetics company has launched their first collection of haute couture fragrances
Born out of Valmont owner’s Sophie and Didier Guillon’s passion for Venice, Storie Veneziane is a haute couture fragrance collection inspired by the canal city and the art of Murano glass. Comprised of five scents, each fragrance is named after a pigment used by Murano glassmakers and tells the stories of five neighbourhoods in Venice. Each extraordinary bottle is unique and features a hand blown mask in Murano glass designed by Didier and fashioned by master glassmaker Leonardo Cimonlin.
MOJEH sat down with the woman behind the scents, Sophie Guillon, to find out what exactly went in to creating the brands first ever collection of fragrances.
What was your first olfactory memory?
My first olfactive memory was back when I was 15, a French cologne called “L’Eau Neuve “by Lubin. This fragrance was launched in 1968, the year of the massive youth revolution in France, when a whole new generation was protesting against the old bourgeois codes. “L’Eau Neuve” symbolises this rebel spirit: it’s a perfume that can be worn either by a man or a woman, it is not a perfume, it is not traditional cologne: it’s an “Eau Fraîche” that blows all of the senses. It opens on fresh and juicy notes of oranges, lemon, bergamot and aromatic notes of thyme, lavender and marjoram. Then comes a subtle and elegant accord of rose petals and jasmine. In a wonderful final, woody notes of cedar and sandalwood make the composition last along with a chypre accord of patchouli.
Can you take us through the process of developing the scents?
It starts with inspiration, then the notes, followed by the method and finally, the selection process. For me Perfume is all about emotions. I want women to wear the most refined scents. I am always thinking of women that are to going to wear the fragrance while I’m developing it: it’s really drives my whole selecting process! I work the same way when I develop cosmetic formulas: I want my final client to have the very best! Picking the best ingredients in fragrances makes all the difference and really gives a long lasting hold on the skin.
Do you have a particular style or approach to creating fragrances?
I am always thinking of a specific kind of woman when I create the fragrances: I think about the way she is, the way she dresses, what she likes, how she acts in everyday life and then I try to bring this woman to life through the fragrance I create.
How has your experience working at other perfume houses shaped the creation of your own fragrance?
I wanted these perfumes to represent the women I meet in my daily life, from the most natural to the most sophisticated. My professional experience has proven that perfume is really all about a reflection of a woman’s personality.
All creative projects have their challenges. What was the biggest challenge you faced working on these fragrances?
The greatest challenge has been creating a collection of 5 perfume extracts that represents 5 different districts of Venice. We had to represent in five perfumes the beauty of a Venetian sunrise in Verde Erba I, the artistic modernity of l’Arsenale in Alessandite I, the forbidden beauty of San Francesco Della Vigna in Rosso I, the sensuality of Dorsoduro’s tight streets in Gaggia Medio and the opulence of Chiesa San Moisè in Blu Cobalto I.
Can you tell us a bit more about the bottle?
The bottle is a creation by my husband Didier Guillon. He wanted to pay a tribute to all the know‐how of Venice by using Murano Glass and Venetian Leather. The square shape of the bottle is a reminder of the cubism that my husband particularly likes.
