Million Air Fall 2024

Clockwise from right Once the scent is perfected, each perfume is crafted by hand — including the bottling

Collection de l’Atelier, the annual special-edition launch

The roses are organically grown, with the land tilled by horses, not tractors; the plants watered by the river that runs through the property; and the harvesting of petals done strictly by hand. I spent a few hours in the rose fi elds picking petals and could not even fi ll 1/100th of the apron that the pickers fi ll dozens of times over in a single day. In fact, it takes hundreds upon hundreds of bags of freshly picked petals to yield a few ounces of liquid that becomes the elixir, or rose base, for many of the brand’s perfumes. With its expertise in growing various rose species and the creation of di ff erent scents arising from those petals, Henry Jacques opted to launch an annual special-edition collection of perfumes, Collection de l’Atelier. This year’s series (unveiled in April 2024) is the result of the brand’s fi rst signature harvest in 2023, from which it created an elixir called Rose de Mai. The Collection de l’Atelier is a boxed set of three coveted scents (each containing Rose de Mai) that o ff era glimpse into the captivating magic that is Henry Jacques. Each has its very own bouquet with distinctive starting notes, mid-notes and fi nal lingering fi nishes. Just 500 numbered sets were made for 2024, and these scents, like the fi nest wines in the world, will never be replicated. The care that Henry Jacques takes with its Collection de l’Atelier and Sur-Mesure series is administered across all of its fragrances. It can take years from start to fi nish to conceive of and create a single fragrance, with months being spent on just developing a single scent alone. Nothing is spared when it comes to acquiring raw materials either, and the brand uses

some of the rarest and most expensive ingredients. “Our ingredients set us apart,” says Cremona. “For instance, I could have used a di ff erent alcohol, but it would compromise the fragrance over time. So instead, I opted for the more expensive organic alcohol. Additionally, our fragrances are very complex and can’t be replicated. Some can have up to 250 components.” Once the scent is perfected, each perfume is crafted totally by hand. In the actual composition of each fragrance, a specialist follows a distinct formula laid out by the scent artist. After a designated number or mixture of ingredients is added, drop by drop to ensure precision and continuity, the formula macerates overnight before the next steps are taken. In total, it can take many days just to mix the formula, which then has to be blended with the organic alcohol and poured into vats that are stirred for at least fi ve minutes per day every day for three to six months or longer.

Even the bottling process is done by hand in the laboratory at La Motte. And each and every crystal fl acon is hand-designed in house by Christophe Tollemer, artistic director and famed architect, and then produced by local family-owned crystal makers. Additionally, Henry Jacques doesn’t believe in diminishing the intensity of its scents, so it deals only with elixirs and essences — no Eau de Toilette here. Henry Jacques perfume is not about huge vats, coils of liquid running from place to place and scientists in white coats. It is about handcraftsmanship, carefully guarded knowledge, rare raw materials and skillfully executed mixtures, much like the making of the world’s most complicated watches or most captivating glass ofwine.

parfumshenryjacques.com

Photos Etienne Francey, Nick Quine