LEADING French perfumer Francis Kurkdjian was appointed Dior’s perfume creation director in 2021, succeeding François Demachy. Since then, he has brought his own style and energy to the house. In 2024, Dior introduced its Esprit de Parfum collection, elevated interpretations of the house’s signature luxurious fragrances, La Collection Privée.
Last year Kurkdjian interpreted Gris Dior, Lucky, Rouge Trafalgar, Ambre Nuit and Oud Ispahan as Espirits de Parfum. And now it is the turn of the ground-breaking iris- and frankincense-infused Bois d’Argent – created by Annick Menardo in 2004 – to be reinvigorated by Kurkdjian as an Esprit.
I spoke to Kurkdjian a week before JW Anderson’s first show for Dior and Kurkdjian was wearing a JW Anderson cap – very on brand. I have interviewed and met him a few times over my years in the fragrance trenches, so was delighted to have this opportunity to catch up with such a brilliant creator.
Francis Kurkdijian. Photograph: Brigitte Lacombe for Christian Dior Parfums
What method or approach do you take in reinterpreting perfumes from the La Collection Privée as Esprit de Parfums?
When I joined the house, I reviewed all the scents from the collection and, basically, I went through different things for interpretation. Either the story was relevant to me or resonated with me. This is the case with Bois d’Argent. It was an iconic perfume that was interesting in its olfactory form,
So, it’s down to your preference and your taste?
It’s totally based on my preferences. And also, relevancy. Am I going to be able to make a more modern version, or to make something relevant to me as well as to today’s market? Because it’s not about just doing it for the sake of doing it. I ask, is it going to be cooler? Bois d’Argent is one of our major pillars of La Collection Privée.
Bois d’Argent is one of the first fragrances in La Collection Privée – why did you choose it to be the next Esprit?
It’s one of our major pillars of the collection. Why now? Because I couldn’t do it last year as we had already launched five perfumes [as Esprits]. We need time, and I need a bit of creative time.
We also signed a partnership with a Tuscan farm in Italy to get a very specific quality of iris, because the amount of iris we need for this perfume is very important. I need to make sure that I have the quantity and quality. Then everything can be made. People love – we love – things to be made fast, but not everything can be made like this.
Then everything can be made. People love, we love, things to be made fast, but not everything can be made.
Francis Kurkdijian. Photograph: Brigitte Lacombe for Christian Dior Parfums
What sort of elements of the structure of the original Bois d’Argent did you want to highlight, foreground or emphasise?
I really love its powderiness and warmth. To me, Bois d’Argent is like wearing a very expensive enveloping sweater, and I truly wanted to capture and enhance that feeling specifically. That was very important. This is how I started to work on the project. I wanted to keep its abstraction. To me, Bois d’Argent is abstract. are created like this.
The signature is important, but it’s about also abstraction. There is something that is very different from any other perfume. Annick Menardo, she’s a true genius.
It’s an iconic perfume, even in the perfume world. Bois d’Argent inspired a lot of different perfumers around. And I believe it was important to give a tribute to that as well.
It was important to me to do so. It’s quite abstract, isn’t it? It’s sort of comforting and abstract in its structure. And there is something ethereal about it, which is kind of unique because very few perfumes are created that way. But Bois d’Argent is.
It’s very specific. Especially for a major brand. Because you get those sort of abstract perfumes in what they call the “niche brands”.
How did you approach interpreting this Bois d’Argent?
First of all, I ask myself what type of feeling I want to get. Where do I want to bring, where is my journey? It’s more about the emotional journey I want to give to the client. It’s more about when you smell the perfume, when you feel it.
It’s more about what can I bring. Almost like you take a thread, and you pull it out.
And how far you can go in twisting or how far you can go in shifting the perfume. And then you start to think, okay, this is how I feel the formula is built up.
And Bois d’Argent is an oxymoron in perfumery. In French, basically, it means silver out of wood. Which doesn’t make any sense in a way, but it sounds very nice.
What do you feel when you approach these classics or these icons? Do you find it kind of scary or you just think, oh, I can do this? No. I let go of any fear when I was on the threshold of Dior on the day when I joined.
Because it’s a big task to be at Dior. it’s a big house and a big responsibility. But I decided if I was going to join Dior, I shouldn’t be scared because it is a big assignment.
It’s a lot about the psychology you have. You have to be happy. You have to feel, if not free, but you have to feel at ease.
Bois d’Argent Espirit de Parfum Christian Dior Parfums
Has anything surprised you about working at Christian Dior?
Maybe it’s how the audience is massively connected to the brand. What I mean by massively is every single thing that we speak about becomes a comment on its own.
Every move we make, everything we think we, every time we communicate, people are very, not only excited, but it can resonate a lot. And sometimes far bigger than what you can expect yourself.
The brand is very part of, uh, people’s life. Everyone knows Dior. If I tell people that I work for Dior, there is always like a wow effect. So, working at Dior is a bit like a kind of open sesame. I was so surprised.
by Caroline Simpson