As Francis Kurkdjian, Christian Dior’s Perfume Creative Director, continues to shape the super luxurious and refined La Collection Privée Christian Dior, fragrance has become a way of carefully excavating the Maison’s history through scent.
The latest addition to the line, Dior Paradise, turns its attention to Château de La Colle Noire, Christian Dior’s Provençal retreat near Grasse. Here, far from Paris, the couturier cultivated acres of fragrant flowers and fruit trees, entertained guests and immersed himself in southern life.
Among his favourite indulgences was almond, particularly the almond syrup orgeat, long associated with the region. Each spring too, Dior was said to stand at his bedroom window and wait for the estate's almond trees to bloom, among the first to flower at the end of winter.
After Dior’s death in 1957, the estate passed into other hands before being reacquired by the Maison in 2013. Having spent significant time at La Colle Noire since, and having studied historical maps of the grounds, Kurkdjian noticed that the more than 150 almond trees that once dotted the property had been cut down.
This absence became the starting point for Dior Paradise. Drawing on Dior’s documented affection for almond, and more broadly his fascination with food, pleasure and sensory life, Kurkdjian began imaging fragrance that could restore something lost.
The result is fresh, warm and joyful, bottling the estate’s sunny spirit. Zesty mandarin, orange and lime swirl with creamy, bittersweet almond and biscuity tonka, in a composition just as delicious as the sensory treats that inspired it.
We caught up with Francis Kurkdjian to talk about memory, storytelling and translating Christian Dior’s lost paradise into scent.
La Collection Privée Christian Dior, Dior Paradise, from £175 for 50ml, Selfridges London
How did the creative process for Dior Paradise unfold?
In this case, it was fast, because the story was already there when we decided to work on it. Before joining Dior, I remember studying the Maison and Christian Dior’s taste, and making a note about his love for almond, thinking one day maybe we will do something with it.
Dior had weight issues, and used to go to a health centre to detox in the autumn because he worried he ate too much sugar. He was a gourmand - very much into food - and almond was one of his guilty pleasures. There was notably an almond syrup that he was in love with.
So the almond idea came quickly. After that it was easy. Sometimes you have to put more work in!
What makes an idea feel right?
I have a theory. When the story is not easy to explain - when you need a real explanation, when you need 10 slides to express what you have in mind - it is wrong.
There is something very instinctive about perfume. I sold perfume for many years for myself, and you can't get someone’s attention if you need five minutes to explain what the perfume is about.
Dior Paradise is about the lost paradise of Christian Dior in the South of France because he was in love with almond trees. Boom! Of course there are layers. But more or less, this is the story.
Do you collect ideas as you go?
I do. I text and email myself a lot, and then compile everything in a document which I reshuffle every six months or so to find ideas. If you have a notebook, you don’t know where you put things. But my document allows me to use ‘Apple F’ and the notes come very quickly.
Why did now feel like the right moment for this fragrance?
I think we might want fresh, clean scent when everything is very heavy. Perfumes have been very dark and very sweet and very mighty recently. There are people who love that. But with this perfume, we speak to perfume lovers who may like something fresh, clean, warm and comfortable to wear. Is it the right timing? We'll know soon if it’s a success!
If you had to describe Dior Paradise in three words?
Joyful. Warm. Easy. There is something very easy about it, like throwing open the windows to a beautiful breeze. Or it’s like a pair of jeans. Easy. You can still be very chic while wearing jeans.
This continues your olfactory tribute to Dior’s life in the south of France. How do you keep these references contemporary rather than nostalgic?
First, it’s a new formula, so it’s a new project - a new chapter. Even though the story might be anchored in the memory of the Maison, it’s created with modernity, using modern ingredients and modern ways of distilling and extracting.
Perfume is made to last. It has to feel right now and on track with today’s taste, yet ideally you want it to last 10 or 20 years. If you are anchored too much in the past, you make something totally out of purpose.
The nostalgia is in the story. It is not in the way the perfume was put together. It’s important to always look forward when creating a perfume.
Which ingredients became central?
Almond drove the inspiration. But it’s not just almond. There’s also mandarin accord and tonka bean. I split the formula in two parts, because the almond is stretched through the base with tonka bean. Tonka bean smells a bit like a buttery biscuit and Dior was from Normandy where we have the beautifully buttery galette nourmande.
What does Dior Paradise evoke for you now?
When I smell it now, I’m far away from my original story, because the original story is just the pitch. What I smell is something juicy, fresh, a bit clean, and warm in the background. To me it’s like when you open your shutters in the morning and suddenly see blue sky. You smile. It gives you good expectations.
Did you always know the fragrance needed that brighter citrus contrast?
No, not from the beginning. The Mandarin came halfway through to make it more appealing. At one point the perfume was lacking something energetic. It was a bit bland. The mandarin brought life!
There’s comfort and softness here but also a sense of renewal…
Yes. It brings the feeling of something fresh. And renewal.
