Robert Herrmann (RIP), Michelyn Camen, Patrice Revillard, Yohan Cervi and Ermano Picco at Esxence 2018, April 9 (photo by Rania Naim)
Preface: Our Young Perfumer Series began almost eight years ago with Cecile Zarokian. My goal was to shine a light on the next generation of classically trained olfactive artists. I met Patrice Revillard at Esxence 2018 along with Maelstrom evaluator Yohann Cervi, Rania Naim of Jacques Fath, Robert Herrmann, Senior Editor Emeritus (RIP) and Editor Ermano Picco. We were the first appointment of the day.
What was my take on Jacques Fath L’Iris de Fath? In French, “C’est a vous couper le souffle” (It takes your breath away). Jacques Fath L’Iris de Fath was my best in show- elegant and timeless. One can imagine both Greta Garbo and Eva Green wearing it. I was not alone in feeling such emotion. Perfumer Sylvaine Delacourte smelled it and cried. Perfumer Sultan Pasha gave Rania Naim a rare sealed bottle of the original Iris Gris from 1946 and with much feeling said, “it belongs to you.”-Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief
Patrice Revillard© courtesy of the perfumer
I was born in 1992 in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, south-east of France. I grew up in this landscape of mountains, lakes and green pastures from the French Alps. That’s why I am very attached to nature. I am more a country boy than a townie. Some friends say there is always a “Heidi side” in me… Maybe because I love to come back in Haute-Savoie when I can leave Paris and spend time in my garden at my parents’. I came to Paris 10 years ago to start my studies at the Ecole Supérieure du Parfum. Before that, I had a bachelor degree in science (biology) and two years spent at the university. I had started to study chemistry and biology because I wanted to specialize in botany. Since I was very young I have spent my time drawing, painting, and creating things made with all materials I found around me… My mother used to tell “you will be a painter when you’re older, you will be an artist !” But I always said “No!”, because to me painting was not a job, just my hobby. My second hobby was gardening in the little corner of my Grand-Mother’s garden she gave to me, collecting plants, doing herbariums… As my passion for botany grew, I thought it could be more than a hobby (because it was not artistic, therefore more useful in my mind) : it seemed to be a good idea for a job! That’s why, after my bachelor degree I started courses at the university. I love plant biology but this kind of very theoretical training was not for me. I always loved creating and imagining things. As my interest in perfume increased significantly since I discovered it a few years before, I decided to stop these studies which didn’t like to start something else. Today I don’t know if I am an artist (I don’t like this word which means everything and nothing), but my Mom was right in a way: I do a creative job finally! But she was skeptical and surprised when I came to her with my letter of application for perfume school!
Patrice Revillard’s Illustration for Matières Libres Absinthe Gaïac
You could think, after this story about my studies, I speak about drawing, botany and perfume as 3 different things. As 3 disciplines, or fields, that I treat separately as potential subject of a job. That’s true in a way, because we can be a painter, a plant science searcher or a perfumer. Not the three simultaneously (I guess). But it’s wrong because they are closely tied up in my mind and in my perfumer’s work. First of all, plants gave me an interest in smells which later became a passion for perfume. Then, my practice of drawing and painting gave me the key to see perfume as a fully artistic medium with its artistic movements and with its History influenced by the different social, cultural and economic contexts through the ages.
Rania Naim of Panouge ,Yohan Cervi Patrice Revillard (Jacques Fath L’Iris de Fath)-photo by Amber Jobin©
Although few of my perfumes on the market pay tribute to flowers for the moment, I love to rebuild their scent to understand how they are made. Try to capture the beauty of their smell to keep in bottles the memories to which they are attached . It’s a kind of personal work for the moment. Sometimes, I make candles with them, for my friends or for myself. However, if they are not the main subject of a perfume, flowers and plants are (to me) always an inspiration for the delicacy and ephemeral approach of the perfume. A kind of beauty and poetry which is lacking in perfumery today! When I entered my perfume studies at ESP (École Supérieure du Parfum), I had in mind the desire to become a perfumer, for sure. I have a lot of respect for all the careers/jobs around the perfumer (evaluators, marketing, technicians…) but if I started this new formation it was to express my creativity and my personal vision of the perfume. With time, I realized that the best for me would be to become an independent perfumer. A little optimistic and idealist maybe. Our professors tell us continuously that only a few of us would become perfumers (undoubtedly true when you see the labour market of the profession) and be independent was totally utopic. Especially directly at the end of our studies. But I stayed with this dream and this hypothetical option in mind and in 2017, before to be graduated, I founded Maelstrom with two friends: Marie Schnirer and Yohan Cervi.
In hindsight, we can say it was crazy to give it a try, but it was an opportunity that should be seized. I was 25. The excuse would have been youth!
Patrice Revillard© courtesy of the perfumer
Before starting the project, we knew a lot of people in the perfume industry, moreover in the niche part of it (professional connections we made with Yohan during several years before, by writing about our passion for Perfume in our blogs or in several websites or magazines). However, I can’t say we were peaceful and that the beginning was easier. For sure, it was better than nothing, but we had to prove ourselves. Even now, for me, each day and each creation is a proof I give for my current clients and for the future brands which will work with us, that I am an experienced perfumer. Even if I don’t work for a big company. I think it’s linked to my attention to details and my eternal dissatisfaction when I work. It’s why I couldn’t work completely alone. To be independent doesn’t mean to be alone. It’s important to have it in mind. The work of Yohan is important for that : his job as an evaluator is a support to me in my work. He knows when to tell me “Stop! It’s perfect to provide this version to the client”. Or “do some other modifications on the base note, on that note, try maybe with this other note…”. For some years, one of the most important things I learned is to work with someone who criticizes and questions my work. For the best and the worst. The best is the compliments, the shared feeling to have something good or interesting, and our common goal to satisfy the client. The worst is that you have to push your pride aside to hear the advice that apparently doesn’t work with what you imagined originally. And finally, the worst is to do the best. These discussions stimulate our work and our common goal : satisfy our clients and create something beautiful !
L’Iris de Fath Photo by Ermano Picco©
One of my first creations was L’Iris de Fath. I won the competition organized by the brand Jacques Fath to re-create its mythical perfume from the 40’s: Iris Gris. Yohan made a valuable contribution in this work with his great knowledge in Perfume History. The both of us are proud to help the heritage conservation of the Perfumery and to have such a mythical perfume as a first creation. This win benefited us to acquire legitimacy and recognition of the industry. A way to prove to our future clients that they can have confidence in our young laboratory. After that, I signed for different niche brands as Chabaud, Sylvaine Delacourte, Téo Cabanel, Visiteurs…
Patrice Revillard© courtesy of the perfumer
The two things why I wanted to create my own lab was doing what I want and working directly and closely with the clients, listen to them and share a beautiful moment of creation. By trying unexpected things together, or more in a classic way, but always for the same aim: create beautiful things. Two years ago, we met Téo Cabanel’s team. It was a perfect match at the first meeting. Caroline Ilacqua is such a beautiful person with a lot of ideas and who is not afraid to take risks. She came with a lot of ideas and challenged us during all the creative process of Les Expressions Parfumées, the new collection of the brand. It was a perfect atmosphere of creation : a lot of ideas came from all sides, we understood each other, Caroline paid attention to our suggestions and managed us to go further.
photo courtesy of Teo Cabanel
For example, without Caroline, I would have never created Je ne sais quoi! She had a clear idea of what she wanted for this one: a genmaicha with its smell of green tea and roasted rice. She loved my first proposal but she challenged me on the rice accord to enhance this facet. To me, the rice had to be unobtrusive, kept integrated in the tea accord, not too much predominant. With her fantastic artistic director’s nose, she brought me where I would never have gone with my perfumer approach. She told me several times “increase the rice ! Increase the puffed rice again !”. It was funny but totally insane to me to overdose this facet. At the end of the development, I was a little terrified by this creation. I was scared by what people would say about it. But Caroline and team Teo Cabonel liked it a lot, and it reassured me. Finally, I heard and read a lot of good comments about “Je ne sais quoi”. I am very proud of this creation. With time and projects, I understood that the best part in creative freedom is not doing what you want, it’s having fun and pleasing yourself.
A lot of nice things will come in the future. I am very impatient to share them with you !
–Patrice Revillard of Maelstrom
L’iris de Fath, Jacques Fath Read Michelyn’s review and interview here
L’Iris de Fath was a top ten perfume of 2018 by Ermano and Michelyn
Patrice Revillard© courtesy of the perfumer
Perfumes by Patrice Revillard as of 2/9/2022
– Île Mythique, Chabaud
– Beach Bizarre, Visiteur
Creative director Rania Naim of Panouge, Matières Libres fragrance collection & Maelstrom perfumers Marie Schnirer & Patrice Revillard (collage by Despina: photos courtesy of Panouge & Maelstrom)
– Oranzo, Sylvaine Delacourte
– Cycle 001, Violet
– Oh là là, Téo Cabanel
– Je ne sais quoi, Téo Cabanel
– Ca boum, Téo Cabanel
– Et voilà, Téo Cabanel
– Cuir Nappa, Première Note
– Maghrib, Uniform
– Étoile d’Oranger, Les Néréides
– Swing feather, Nolença
– Le Thé, Nolença
– Verde, Venti4
– Eden Volcanique, Poécile
– Ambre Archeoceti, Aïeul (Candle)
– Oranger du levant, Aïeul (Candle)
– Altar, Aïeul (Candle)
– Trio de Schubert, Dièse Paris (Candle)
– Seiko Paris, olfactory signature of the Parisian boutique
– Icicle France, olfactory signature of the parisian boutique
– Candle “Trio de Schubert”, Dièse Paris
– Vermeil, Bienaimé
– Eden volcanique, Poécile
In Support of Patrice Revillard both Panouge Paris and Teo Cabanel are offering the following:
Courtesy of Matieres Libres
Thanks to the generosity of Rania Naim Creative Director and founder of Fath Essentials, Panouge Paris, Isabey and Matieres Libres we have a draw for a 100ml bottle of Matières Libres Datura Amaretti (value: 107€)
Visual interpretation of Matières Libres Absinthe Gaïac by Cristian©
OR
A 100 ml bottle of Matières Libres Absinthe Gaïac for one registered reader in the EU, UK, USA or Canada. Absinthe Gaiiac for one registered reader in EU, USA or Canada. You must register here or your comment will not count.
Teo Cabanel Ca Boum visual by Olya Bar©
Big Merci to Caroline Ilacqua of Teo Cabanel, we have a draw for a 100 ml bottle (105 €) of Ça Boum for one registered reader in the USA, Canada, UK and EU. You must register here or your comment will not count.
To be eligible please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about Patrice Revillard , his path to perfumery, if you are familiar with any of the fragrances he signed, your choice should you win (please leave one from Matiere Libres and/or Teo Cabanel if you are in the USA) and where you live. There will be two winners Draw closes 2/12/2022
Follow Patrice Revillard @patrice.rvd on Instagram to follow his journey as a perfumer.
Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebonofficial, @maelstrom_parfumeurs @yohancervi @marie_schnirer@jacquesfathsparfums @panougeparis @ranyabana @teocabonel @carolineilacqua @visiteurparfum @premierenote @lesnerediesparis @nolencaparfums @chabaud_masion_de_parfum @sylvainedelacourte @violet.parfums @benaime_1935
This is our Privacy and Draw Rules Policy
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like ÇaFleureBon and use our blog feed … or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.