Symine Salimpour brings to us a ‘world out of time'. Some Cafleurebon’s readers may not be familiar with her beautiful fragrances, inspired by her own life experiences. It is Symone's tenacity, her personal ideaology, spiritualism, and dedication to the art of perfumery that sets Symine apart. When I reunited with Symine at a recent Sniffapalooza event, I learned just how much she is driven by the determination to create evocative scents; that is her compass.
Photo : courtesy of Symine Salimpour
What was the inspiration for starting your company Hors Là Monde? What were you involved in before fragrance?
Photo : courtesy of Symine Salimpour
As I was traveling, I had the strong feeling that the best way to bring people together, to build bridges among us, was to promote Beauty through Art. Here was born the Idea of Hors Là Monde…
Before we talk about your fragrances, I think its fascinating you named your company Hors ‘Là’ Monde instead of the traditional Hors 'Le' Monde. To our non French speaking reader this may seem like a very small detail, but it changes the entire meaning of the brand. Please explain this subtle but very interesting difference
Photo: courtesy of Symine Salimpour
SS: Thank you very much for asking me this question Michelyn!
Actually, most people, French included, believe that the name of the brand I built around a grammar mistake since the word “World”, le Monde in French, is masculine and therefore should come after a masculine determinant, such as “le”. The “Là”, with the accent on the “à” from Hors Là Monde is another way of saying “here” in French. “Hors” means Out of… and “Monde” means the World. Hors Là Monde means, “Anywhere out of here, the World”. Hors le Monde would means “out of this world”.
Maeterlinck
The inspiration came from this French Castle in Nice that use to belong to Belgium poet, Maeterlinck. He gave the castle the name of “Orlamonde”. The name touched my heart. The view from that place perfectly matched the name and it became obvious to me that my ideal world should be called Hors Là Monde. The beauty was that intense that it did not matter where it was located; most people would agree to say that it was a magnificent and peaceful place.
Here was born Hors Là Monde…
The compass logo for Hors Là Monde is so compelling. What do you believe it communicates about the brand? What does it mean to you personally?
SS: The name of my brand is quite difficult to pronounce and understand.I believed that the compass was an easy way to recognize it one which would speak straight to the heart. When people ask me about the meaning of the compass, I usually ask them what it means to them…For me, it’s the guide of your heart. It should help you to go where your heart is taking you because I believe that it’s the only road to go to.
Your first fragrance, Shiloh, burst on the niche scene in 2007 (le nez is the great Michel Roudnitska. Please tell us why you chose that name and a bit about the 'creative brief' for the fragrance and how it was interpreted olfactively.
SS: SHILOH means “gift for him “in the Bible and happens to be also the name of someone that shared my life for a while. Life separated us but still this is my present to him.
I met with Michel and told him about myself, my life and my beliefs and that I wanted to create a fragrance that would bring the elegance of France and warmth of the Middle East, the best of each place to my opinion.
Michel suggested a woody scent, with citrus, Fresh greens, and rose from Esphaan witch is where my father was born. I just added the patchouli note and the miracle was born!
When you were preparing for Shiloh's launch, did you know it would become somewhat of a cult fragrance?
SS: SHILOH was launched before being on the market 😉
People first heard about it because a confusing situation that mixed my perfume with the child of a famous America actress.
People were expecting SHILOH and the response to it was amazing; the fragrance was thought through very carefully and made with so much passion that I did not doubt that it would touch people’s hearts.
Your second fragrance is Lady Shiloh. Whereas Shiloh is evocative of the Middle East (oakmoss, sandalwood, patchouli) with its exotic wood and incense notes, Lady Shiloh smells like a 'different place. Please share with us its inspiration and its story.
SS: LADY SHILOH was created around the idea of the illusion of time. I felt this way many times and I guess that creating LADY SHILOH helped me to give to past important moments the intensity of the present time.That idea is not that new, we owe it to Albert Einstein…""But who did not dream of stopping the time for a moment one day in his life?"
Looking for the formula that would stop time and put into a bottle….. Here was the dream behind LADY SHILOH. LADY SHILOH is an invitation to Love as if there was no tomorrow, as if would be forever.
I thought that it would be a good combination to turn a moment into eternity.
Collaborating with great perfumers from Grasse, we looked for the fragrance that would be the incarnation of that strong desire.The magical mix was made of Bergamot and Tangerine for the light, a hint of Indian jasmine and powdery violet for the softness, a touch of Patchouli oil, white musk and vetiver to remember always… LADY SHILOH
Which of our senses inspires your creativity the most?
SS: The 6th of course!
When I first saw it on your website, I immediately gravitated to the Hors Là Monde pendant and its bold and symbolic design. Will your iconic jewelry be available at boutiques as well? Are you planning any more line extensions?
SS: That’s very nice. Thank you very much Michelyn! The jewelry line designed around the compass is called “JUST BELONG”. It still sells only in France but it will be soon available in the USA.
What is a 'secret' passion of yours that doesn't involve your work?
My work is all about my passions. Without the Love for my family, my friends, my dogs and cat, there would probably not be a place such as Hors Là Monde.
I guess my passion is called Life.
What is on the fragrance horizon for Hors La Monde for 2010? Are you working on any new fragrances or bath and body products for Lady Shiloh?
SS: I’m already working on my third fragrance but I can’t say too much about it. Once you know that it took over 15 tries to get to LADY SHILOH…I'm thinking about developing candles as well since I’m a candle addict myself!
– Michelyn Camen, Editor-In-Chief