Jean Claude Ellena

A week or so ago, our class was granted the honour of a private visit with Jean Claude Ellena  (a master perfumer in his own right and the in-house exclusive perfumer for Hermes) in his studio in Cabris.  We were escorted by our chemistry teacher to the outskirts of the small beautiful village that is about 10 minutes drive up in the hills behind Grasse.  M Ellena’s house and studio are of matching modern design, flat-roofed with lots of glass and stone.  His studio and lab are separate from the main house and as we entered the space we were impressed by its comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.  It is a living space really, with a narrow copper hooded fireplace dividing the room and the outer walls all glass looking out onto a lavender trimmed deck that is fringed with fig trees and shaded by parasol pines.  The Mediterranean is visible here and there in the far distance.  He took us into a small adjoining room that serves as his lab, where two metal carousels of glass-stoppered bottles filled with raw materials adorn the one table in the centre of the small room.  There is a digital scale also and a refrigerator full of the more delicate raw (usually natural) raw materials. This is all.  These are all the tools one needs.  This is the room where his assistant works, weighing out the formulae he creates.  M. Ellena himself works out in the living space at a huge wooden desk away from the smell of the raw materials.

We had a question and answer session with him and he talked about the creative process of this medium as well as showing us some simple accords.  It was a wonderful experience and of huge significance for me since it is because of this man and his story that my idea of coming to France to study perfumery crystallized .  Jean Claude Ellena is a man driven by his passion.  He is an intellectual and an artist- creating delicate beautiful minimalistic perfumes.  He decided that he wanted to have creative freedom, to not be controlled by the constructs of pure profit driven consumerism- and so demanded this when he was invited to join Hermes.  Now he is sitting pretty- free to create as he likes for one of the most highly respected art/style/creation/ houses in the world.

 When I asked him…’what is the most important thing for a student perfumer to know?’

 He answered….” Passion “.

November 27

Bonjour!  Just a quick note to say that life here is very busy these days and rather than not write at all due to the lack of time for essays, I intend to attempt mini entries just to keep you up to date….

It is definitely l’Automne now here, with the hills behind Grasse turning a rusty orange as the oaks turn colour and we’ve had some days of torrential rain, causing baskets of wild champignons to appear in the grocery stores.  Yesterday, however, dawned gorgeous and sunny and was so warm that we had the sliding glass doors of our lunch room wide open as we ate.  School is hectic these days as we hit the homestretch.  We finish on the 21st of next month and tomorrow is the day for our final product submissions for the Mane & Fils competition that has taken centre stage for the entire Fall semester. My perfume formula is finished, although I am having some problems with the 10% solution made from the concentrate being different from the batch I made from raw materials that were in solution already.  (and that I used while writing the formula) This is normal apparently, but today I  must remake a batch from the 10%solution for the submission because it is subtly superior.  Everyone at school is in full competitive mode now and there have been some bickering and territorial stand-offs along the way.  It’s amazing how ‘highschool’ things can get! At this point, everyone has defined the direction they want to take once we are done and there is a slight desperation in the air because no one really  has any idea if their plans will materialize.  (or if they’ll have to pack up and go home- which, after a year, is a serious endeavour)  Of course, the general ideal is a contract in one of the perfume houses, and at the very least an internship, but, being France, no one will know for sure until the last minute.   Ok, must get to school…..a bientot……!