Francis Kurkdjian

Francis Kurkdjian (born in Paris on May 14, 1969) is a French contemporary perfumer and winner of the Prix François Coty in 2001 for his lifetime achievements. He was made famous at age 26 for designing the scent of Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier, one of the world best selling perfumes. This was followed by an additional forty creations for major perfume companies worldwide. Some of these creations include the Elie Saab Le Parfum (Elie Saab), My Burberry (Burberry), L'extase (Nina Ricci) and Narciso Rodriguez for her (Narciso Rodriguez). He co-founded his eponymous luxury fragrance house Maison Francis Kurkdjian with business partner Marc Chaya in 2009 in Paris, now a major player in the luxury niche fragrance segment.

Early life

Being a perfumer is a bit like being a magician, it's about realising your vision of someone else's emotions. It took all my energy for six months to come up with the right formula for Rumeur because for me it's not just about mixing raw materials, it's about creating a memory that will last.