Gerald Gislan: Handwriting History

To write the story of outstanding people, to tell about the most amazing periods of human life, to reveal the secrets of the most incredible substances and materials ... It would seem that is special? Sit down for books, study, write.

So, no. Not so simple. Gerald Gislan is neither a historian nor a writer. He writes his stories with the help of spirits. And in order to be able to express all his overwhelming emotions in aromas, he reads a lot, listens, studies and travels the world to rediscover it at some point. He devotes himself to his projects. Therefore, his "perfume library", created in 2000 and called Histories de Parfums, is constantly updated. We talked about it with Gerald Ghislan when he flew to Dubai to present his new "trilogy" - Tubereuse.

Gerald, why did you decide to write a story in scents?

I do not know. It just seemed to me that I had absolutely no time to write my own books, so I decided to describe my emotions in perfume. I thought a lot about this and came to the conclusion that my “books” will convey the feelings and aromas of those people who lived and worked in different historical eras. Now, pay attention to the packaging of my perfume. They all look like books. And if you put them on the shelf, you get a whole "library". It turned out that for me this is the best way to tell the world about how I feel.

What fragrance started your “perfume stories” and the Histories de Parfums brand?

The first was a female perfume called "1804". This is the year of birth of the famous French writer Georges Sand. They are very warm, floral amber, but at the same time with a pronounced character. They were followed by the "stories" of other world-famous women - Mata Hari (1876), Eugenia de Montiro (1826), Colette (1873). These women and their extraordinary fates became sources of my inspiration. Then I turned to outstanding men who also left their noticeable marks in history. I created the fragrances "1725" (Casanova's year of birth), "1740" (Marquis de Sade) and "1828" (Jules Verne). Casanova’s romanticism, Marquise de Sade’s eroticism and the spirit of adventure inherent in Jules Verne are hidden in these aromas. So my library was replenished.

By what principle did you choose all these characters? And what happened next?

The life of each of my characters makes me think about the most diverse aspects of being, about differences in characters. All that I heard or read about this or that person, I tried to convey in spirits. And then there were completely different stories that I called "Colors and Emotions." In this series of "books" I tried to talk about the secrets of flowers and their aromas. So the spirits “Noir Patchouli” (“Black. Patchouli”), “Blanc Violette” (“White. Violet”) and “Vert Pivoine” (“Green. Peony”) were born. In these aromas I wanted to capture the pure smells that I have absorbed since childhood. I was born in Toulouse and I remember well the aromas of night violets that opened in the dark. I didn’t like him terribly then, since the whole of Toulouse was obsessed with violets - they made sweets with them, released soap and perfumed talcum powder. Later I dedicated perfume to these violets. Peony is a completely different story related to my lover who loved freshly cut peonies. That is why the aroma of peony is “green” or fresh, if we speak the language of a perfumer. Patchouli is my recollection of going to the spice market after a sleepless night spent in one of Ibiza's clubs. In a word, these are all my stories told to everyone.

How many “stories” are in your collection today?

Twelve. There are also "cult books": "1969" and "Ambre 114". And today they have been supplemented by three unique tuberose fragrances, released under the numbers, or, if they’re “in three volumes”: “Tubereuse 1 Capricieuse”, “Tubereuse 2 Virginale”, “Tubereuse 3 Animale”. Why tuberose? When I was in a Parisian perfume school, they gave me a sniff of pure tuberose extract. He seemed terrible to me. However, I understood that tuberose is a capricious plant from which it is almost impossible to isolate pure essence, therefore its extract is one of the most expensive in the world. And then I decided that I would create a fragrance based on tuberose to convey the charm of this unique night flower - a symbol of secret desires and dangerous pleasures. As a result, I got three flavors, completely different, but in each of them tuberose is guessed.

Gerald, it’s known that you own several bars and restaurants in Paris. Why did you decide to start creating perfumes?

When I think about perfumes, I don’t try to come up with something specific. At me all my stories were born and are born spontaneously. For example, I always wanted to create the aroma of a kiss, and it was created by the perfume "1889", dedicated to the year of the creation of the famous French cabaret Moulin Rouge.

True, and what kind of kiss is he?

Sweet, slightly powdery and elusive. A bit like the smell of lipstick. Very very feminine. We plan to introduce it to the UAE in December this year.

Which of your "stories" can you safely and unconditionally call a bestseller?

"1969"! This is my most sensual story, which is loved in all countries of the world. It is feminine and erotic, it is filled with aromas of flowering peach and chocolate. As a restaurateur and cook, I like to add culinary ingredients to my aromas. They sound great in perfume compositions. Wow! Then what other stories should we expect?

Very different. Chocolate, vanilla, flower ... And the most feminine, because everything that men do in their life, they do for women and in their name.

Watch the video: How to Pronounce Ghislain - (March 2024).