Clayton Ilolahia and Christopher Chong of Amouage meet in Sydney, Australia

Last year when Amouage launched new perfumes, Fate Man and Fate Woman, the launch marked the closure of a chapter. The Omani perfume House’s creative director, Christopher Chong, didn’t talk about the closure in terms of finality; it was more about a sense of metamorphosis following eight years of brand development under his direction. Today, Amouage is one of niche perfumery’s great success stories. Last month I met Christopher Chong in Sydney, Australia. He talked with me about the new cycle Amouage began this year, with Journey Man and Journey Woman, and he shared his vision for the future. “When I first started, people didn’t know who I was. It took customers and the press some years to get to know me. Now I think we have reached a stage where they know more about me than I know about myself. So I decided that in the next cycle, it is much more direct. Like in Journey, I told people about my passion, what I like. For this new, second cycle, I want to have a more intimate dialogue with the world, rather than telling my story behind a narrative. So this becomes a much more personal narrative.”

Midnight Flower

This personal narrative continues with the Midnight Flower Collection, a recent offshoot of Amouage’s main collection, which shows another side of Christopher’s personality. Midnight Flower was the pedigree name of Christopher’s beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who passed away two years ago. In celebration of their special  relationship, the Midnight Flower Collection inspires feelings of happiness, hope and love. “This collection has special meaning for me, because I got her when I started at Amouage. We went through this whole journey together, and she was part of my smelling process. She was a very funny, quirky, crazy little dog. That is why it is all about a celebration of happiness.”

Creative Director Christopher Chong is smiling!!!

Fans of the Amouage brand will notice a difference in terms of how these fragrances smell in comparison with Amouage’s Main Collection and the Opus Library Collection. With a smile, Christopher told me, “I’ve reached a point in my creative process where I want to do things without the pressure. Sometimes I want to do things for fun. Life is too short. I don’t want to be all moody, dark and scary. Memoir was scary you know! Sometimes I want to lighten it up.” His renewed approach is evident in his first eau de parfum for the Midnight Flower collection.

"Candy Color", Marie Claire Italia, September 2014, Model: Elsa Hosk

Christopher Chong  has named his new perfume Sunshine, and it is the result of collaboration with Robertet perfumer, Sidonie Lancesseur, a perfumer we hear increasingly more over the past several years in association with luxury niche perfumes. Christopher describes Sunshine as a white floral, gourmand perfume. It contains raw materials not previously featured in an Amouage perfume. Essential oil from Artemesia pallens or davana, an aromatic herb grown in South India, is an important part of Sunshine’s fruity complex, which is further embellished with blackcurrant liqueur and the peachy apricot tones of osmanthus absolute. The rich floral construction is built around jasmine and magnolia. Another element of the fragrance, which works in parallel with the fruity and floral notes, is its gourmand theme. It begins with a finely textured almond note and continues with vanilla. These two raw materials transform the bright floral heart of the perfume into something more textural and grounding. Even if Christopher’s intention was to steer away from being overly dark and moody, Sunshine’s exuberant demeanour is stamped with some hallmark Amouage base notes. A touch of smoky cade wood gives Sunshine a subtle hint of leather. Papyrus, patchouli and blond tobacco add a sophisticated edge to this wonderfully playful perfume.

Amouage Sunshine Bottle : Photo Clayton

The packaging is also new. For Sunshine, the classic Amouage women’s flacon has been adapted. Accented with white and gold, the body of the bottle is an opaque yellow glass that shimmers under light. The wooden box is covered in sky blue paper, which is embossed with a galuchat leather print, and a golden sun emblem adorns the front panel. Perfume packaging usually ends up becoming waste, so I love that these wooden boxes have a removable insert, allowing them to be repurposed as a box to store jewelry and other trinkets. Sunshine is available in Amouage boutiques and launch dates have been set for December 2014  in Australia and February 2015 in the US ($450), making it the perfect gift for the Holiday Season or Valentines Day.

Disclosure – Bottle provided by Agence de Parfum, distributor of Amouage in Australia and New Zealand

– Clayton Ilolahia, Guest Contributor and author of perfume blog, What Men Should Smell Like

Editor's Note: We extend a warm welcome to Clayton whose intelligently written and eloquent fragrance blog is a must read. On a side note,  I absolutely love Sunshine. Luca  who?   If you are new to ÇaFleureBon, we invite you to  read an article Christopher penned in 2012, ÇaFleureBon Creative Directors in Perfumery: Christopher Chong of Amouage, an in depth and revealing discussion of  his creative process . It is one of our most popular posts -MC

Thanks to Amouage who sent me a press sample, I am offering 2ml of Sunshine to a reader in the USA. To be eligible, please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about Clayton's review and your favorite Amouage Perfume. Draw closes 11/19/2014

We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume