In four weeks I will be finishing my time at Esxence 2011 in Milan, Italy. As the International Web Media Partner of Esxence 2011 it is my goal to bring you coverage of the goings on for all four days of the exposition. As of today there are 122 exhibitors presenting their fragrances. Among them are some first time exhibitors like Atelier Cologne, Agonist and Carner Barcelona. Others include Erwin Creed, of CREED, Keiko Mecheri, Clive Christian, Laurice Rahme of Bond No.9., Martine Micallef and Geoffrey Nejman of M. Micallef. See orignal list here.
There are some old friends making a return as Jean-Paul Millet Lage of Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier will be there and I am looking forward to trying their new “Les Eaux Extravagantes”. Of course on the heels of Bertrand Duchaufour’s appointment as in-house perfumer at The Different Company I will be interested to try Celine Ellena’s last fragrance “Pure Virgin” and perhaps get a preview of M Duchaufour’s first fragrance, as I will be meeting with Luc Gabriel. Mark Buxton will be there premiering his new release for Cale Fragranze D’Autore. I have enjoyed the releases form Humiecki & Graef and they will be unveiling their latest. Sergio Momo of Xerjoff will be unveiling a fragrance exclusively for Esxence. It is also the unknown, to me, that is part of the excitement. As with any show of this nature it is the new fragrance house or small Europe only house that I will see for the first time that will surprise and delight me and bring it all to you with the the help of Michelyn Camen, Editor-In-Chief, who will be posting daily. And I will be looking to meet Michael Edwards as he is making the rounds for his upcoming Perfume of the World 2012 book.
As much as I am excited to experience the new it is the past, in another of the premiere exhibits at Esxcence 2011, that will also grab my attention as the Osmotheque de Versailles exhibits the history of perfume. It will allow visitors to experience the historical fragrances that form the foundation for the modern artistry on display in the exposition hall. As someone who has not been to the Osmotheque in person this opportunity is one of my most anticipated experiences at Esxence 2011.
Along with artistic perfumery’s past and future on display there will be numerous roundtables and talks covering many different topics. I have been invited to chair the roundtable focusing on Artistic Perfume in the US Market. It will be a panel of many of the most influential retailers, e-tailers, distributors and perfumers we can collect.
For those of you who want to attend, the dates of Esxence 2011 are March 31st to April 3rd The first two days are only open to the industry and press but the weekend is open to the public. For those of you who can’t make it I will be covering the whole experience by live blogging on CaFleureBon, tweeting onTwitter under fifthsensenyc and sommetromanwith the hash tag #Esxence2011. I'll also be uploading videos of interviews I will conduct with the perfumers in attendance as they happen. I’m looking forward to covering Esxence 2011 from beginning to end and I hope you all will join me in Milan or here at CaFleureBon.
–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor