Quentin Bisch is a 33-year-old French perfumer who works for Givaudan France Fine Fragrance. He attended Givaudan’s perfumery school in Paris for three years before being hired by the company in 2012.
I met Quentin Bisch at Missoni’s press conference in Zurich, Switzerland, where he presented his new creation, Missoni Eau de Parfum. He’s a very enthusiastic and ambitious perfumer, but at the same time courteous and sensitive.
INTERVIEW WITH PERFUMER QUENTIN BISCH
Quentin, Missoni and Euroitalia contacted you in 2015 with a brief for a new fragrance. Which requirements did you have to respect?
It was one of the most interesting briefs I had received in a long time. It was a brief related to fashion and a fashion brand. The brief was quite short. It said: Imagine a new scent for today’s Missoni woman.
You were quite free to create a new fragrance.
Yes, I wasn’t obliged to include specific flowers or fruits. But Missoni asked me to focus on femininity, self-confidence and a special Missoni touch.
How did you find the Missoni touch?
I watched a lot of Missoni’s fashion shows and printed out many pictures. I had a Missoni wall full of pictures in my office. When I looked at the colours, I saw a lot of movements and energy. Missoni patterns are made of zigzags. Their dresses are like a second skin on a model’s body. That fascinated me when I saw the models on the catwalk. I had the idea of petals in the wind – rose, jasmine and new flowers. I created a very modern floral bouquet, a very colourful fragrance.
Which are the main ingredients of Missoni Eau de Parfum?
The top notes are composed of lemon, bergamot, cedar and pear. The lemon and the bergamot are very juicy, the pear gives the link to the top. In my opininon, the pear is the fruit that is most linked to flowers. The heart is composed of two modern accords, two new molecules created by Givaudan: Mahonial and Petalia.
How would you describe Mahonial and Petalia?
They are two little jewels for perfumers. In my opinion, they are the rewriting of a peony or a rose and a white jasmine. Mahonial is very white, fresh and smells of white petals. The inspiration was probably lily of the valley. Petalia is very colourful and features red and purple tones. It’s powdery and smells of peony and rose. Those two molecule give the fragrance a certain naturality, a flower bouquet which lasts for hours.
What are the bottom notes composed of?
I used tonka bean and ambroxan. They are the skeleton, the base of the perfume. They are very musky and sensual.
How long did you work on the formula of this new fragrance?
About three weeks. I didn’t have much time, but I worked intensively on it. In the case of another fragrance, I worked one and a half years on the formula and I must admit that it was very painful.
What do you think of Missoni’s perfume bottle, the packaging and the advertising campaign?
I like the bottle and all the details of the packaging very much. They are very coherent with the fragrance I created for Missoni. I hope to meet Elisa Sednaoui one day. She’s the perfect model for the advertising campaign. She’s simple, natural and very beautiful.
What was the biggest challenge of this assignment?
The client was very tough (he laughs). He was very demanding. Moreover, it was a very competitive project. Many perfumers were asked to participate. My team and I invested a lot of time and presented many ideas. I’m very proud of this new fragrance.
MISSONI EAU DE PARFUM VIDEO FEATURING ELISA SEDNAOUI
VIDEO: QUENTIN BISCH AT GIVAUDAN’S PERFUMERY SCHOOL
Discover the world of Missoni
www.missoni.com
Discover the world of P&I Parfums
http://www.pi-parfums.ch/
Discover the world of Euroitalia
http://www.euroitalia.it/en/
© Photos: Missoni & VERTIGO Luxury Magazine
