THE HISTORY
ORIGIN
Jacques Fath was born in France in 1912. Fascinated by fashion since his early years, the young designer opens his first Couture house in Paris in 1937. His unique and glamorous style brings him immediate success. Known for dressing the “young Chic Parisian “, Jacques Fath attracts well-known and wealthy clients. Hubert de Givenchy, Guy Laroche and Valentino Garavani – all worked as assistants in his atelier and later would form their own Fashion Houses. The perfumes’ saga begins with the launch of Chasuble in 1945. Later with the creation of Iris Gris and Green Water in collaboration with perfumer Vincent Roubert, Jacques Fath Perfumes become legend.
CONCEPT
The spirit of Jacques Fath perfumes is captured today within the Fath’s Essentials Collection, its contemporary design and emblematic codes. It all started when passionate perfume lovers met: Rania Naim, art director of Jacques Fath Parfums, Cécile Zarokian, talented perfumer and Luca Maffei, rising star of niche perfumery. So while she was preparing the design of the Collection, Rania naturally offered Cecile to collaborate with her for the first part and Luca for the second.
Cécile’s work was an enchantment: each new perfume creation reveals a universe taking senses away through different territories. Exceptional raw materials, such as Neroli or Grey Amber, used for the mythical revisited Green Water as well as for three other creations – Vers le Sud, Bel Ambre and Curacao Bay – are the signatures of this unique collection.
For Luca, the direction was different: to no longer rely on a classic pillar of the brand but to draw from a rich and varied olfactory panel, the most innovative and noble raw materials to create four feminine lines: Rosso Epicuro, L’Orée du Bois, Les Frivolités, Lilas Exquis – and also pay tribute to Jacques Fath’s ” joie de vivre”.
Rania Naim - Creative Director of PANOUGE
A short biography
“The Parisian woman is a style, a state of mind and a figure of elegance that is distinguished by an indescribable – je ne sais quoi.”
A description of a Parisian that particularly rings true when depicting Rania Naim, Creative Director of Panouge SAS. The Paris-based company holds a portfolio that includes the French perfume brands Isabey Paris, Jacques Fath,panouge paris and the Japanese brands Masakï Matsushïma and Masakï Paris.
Born in Beirut, Rania’s most treasured memories include the strong scents, like tuberose, gardenia, Jasmin and precious aromatic woods, which surrounded her during childhood. As she told Vogue and Cosmétique mag, that’s when she started developing an olfactory memory and the feeling that a trail permeates and defines a person’s style.
Preparing herself for a career in the world of fashion as a stylist, it was in Paris that Rania changed her course when she discovered what went on behind the scenes of the selective and niche perfumery. She became passionate about the fascinating field and its infinite possibilities, set up her mind that this will be the essence of her career.
The rebirth of JACQUES FATH perfumes, acquired by Panouge SAS in 2008. After several creations for the historical lineage, Rania decided that a complete break with style was the future and rethought the whole concept. In 2016, the new collection, “Fath’s Essentials” and then “L’IRIS DE FATH ,” a finalist at the FiFi Awards, reestablished the reputation of the brand linked to the great French couturier.
THE PERFUMERS
CECILE ZAROKIAN
Cécile Zarokian graduated from ISIPCA, she was trained for four years in Robertet, at first in Grasse, then in Paris. She was still a trainee when she created her first fragrance, Amouage Epic Woman. In 2011, Cécile decided to found her own company, CECILE ZAROKIAN SARL, and to set up her laboratory in Paris, in order to be able to dedicate her entire time to working freely as an independent perfumer. That’s how she has created around seventy fragrances for various brands of the niche perfumery market, such as Jovoy Paris, Xerjoff, MDCI, Jacques Fath, Laboratorio Olfattivo, Masque Fragranze, or the entire Château de Versailles scented candles collection. In addition to that, Cécile has developed an artistic project with an illustrator, leading to an exhibition in Paris, which was part of the event Rives de la Beauté, then in London in 2013, and at the Triennale di Milano for Esxence 2014.
Behind the scene – By Cecile Zarokian
“I was very flattered and pleased that la Maison Jacques Fath proposed to me the project of renewing Green Water but also was a little anxious to address such a reference in perfumery… I remembered the time I was studying this classic – Green Water is one of the precursors of the family of Aromatic Citrus and a great success at that time. I exchanged and worked in close collaboration with la Maison Jacques Fath and also with l’Osmothèque in Versailles: we studied the 1946 fragrance and worked accordingly. I then submitted my trials to Mr. Jean Kerleo, perfumer and founder of this unique institution. He gave me additional details about the original perfume and its story, in order to keep up with its distinctive freshness I used lavish quantities of Neroli to ensure a qualitative result, among other ingredients.
LUCA MAFEI – PARFUMER AFMN ATELIER FRAGANZE MILANO
Luca Maffei is a young Italian independent perfumer, born and based in Milan, working for his own company – Atelier Fragranze Milano. Since childhood he was very close to the world of essences. His first olfactory memory is his mother’s perfume. Fascinated by the charm of raw materials and mysterious alchemy by which they combine since he entered the first time a perfumer lab, at age of 22 he decided to explore this unique world. He studied perfumery in Grasse with a special mentor, Francoise Marin and he did his apprenticeship with Vincent Ricord in Epressions Parfumées.
During his young career, Luca already signed more than 50 perfumed creations (Fine Fragrance NIche and Mainstream, Air scent/Candles) for Houbigant Paris, Perris Monte Carlo, Carthusia, Masque Milano, Pineider, Laboratorio Olfattivo, a.s.o. …. Two of his creations, Black Pepper & Sandalwood by Acca Kappa and Néa by JUL ET MAD Paris, were awarded in 2015 and respectively 2016 with the prestigious “The Art and Olfaction Awards”, Independent Category, in Los Angeles.
He is member of SFP (Société Française des Parfumeurs) and the perfumer he admires above all is Edmond Roudnitska as for his legendary creations and his life dedicated to perfume. He said “a beautiful perfume is the one that leads to a shock” and this is also Luca’s greatest ambition.
Behind the scenes – By Luca Maffei
Rania Naim and Luca Maffei have worked together to develop a collection with a perfect harmony between fragrances, names and colors. Luca selected innovative raw materials as well as noble ingredients to give each fragrance a distinctive accord in resonance with the name. The Kir Royal, Gold, Violet cream and Rose macaroon accords created by Luca for each fragrance reveals the boldness of his work as a perfumer: they represent ‘la joie de vivre”, the red wire of the collection. The accord itself then gave the color code of the fragrance.
Furthermore, for Luca, working in collaboration with the house of perfumes Jacques Fath had a deep symbolic meaning: “Jacques Fath was the mentor of the couturier Valentino. I’m therefore proud today to renew the link of the past: the French Jacques Fath’s style ‘joie de vivre’ with the Italian know-how.”
Furthermore, for Luca, working in collaboration with the house of perfumes Jacques Fath had a deep symbolic meaning: “Jacques Fath was the mentor of the couturier Valentino. I’m therefore proud today to renew the link of the past: the French Jacques Fath’s style ‘joie de vivre’ with the Italian know-how.”
Behind the scenes of Vetiver Gris – By Jean-Christophe Hérault
“When I saw that Jacques Fath Parfums was relaunching the iconic and emblematic Iris Gris. I was really moved, and I told myself that I really wanted to be part of this adventure, to continue this story. But I also wanted to bring something contemporary, something new.
So, I met with Rania, the artistic director of Jacques Fath and I will always remember the first time we met. It was in her office, and we talked for two hours about how she had relaunched Iris Gris. She also told me about the committee she had created to select the best candidate anonymously. I really liked it and was interested by this approach. We concluded our conversation by saying that if there was ever a project that suited me, that matched my personality, Rania would let me know.”
Jean-Christophe Hérault
Jean-Christophe Hérault, who received training as a chemist, began his career at Fragrance Resources, a family-owned fragrance company that was later acquired by IFF in 2016. It was during his time at Fragrance Resources that he was introduced to the art of perfumery by the then Master Perfumer, Pierre Bourdon. This sparked a newfound passion within Jean-Christophe Hérault, and he joined IFF in 2010 to pursue his love for fragrance creation.
Pierre Bourdon, urged Jean-Christophe to read Marcel Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time” and encouraged him to develop his own artistic voice. In response, Jean-Christophe Hérault went on to study art history at the Paris Beaux-Arts school, which continues to be a significant source of inspiration for him. His love of art, music, and literature, combined with his technical expertise in chemistry, enables him to create perfumes that embody multiple contrasts. Notably, he has made unique contributions to Mugler’s ‘The Exceptions’ collection.
Jean Christophe Hérault is a dreamer, and he believes in the power of reveries. He intentionally makes time for introspection, allowing his creative process to unfold freely, hoping that his perfumes will capture the essence of his imagination. In his own words, “I cherish and preserve time for my reveries, which I hope resonate in my perfumes.”