Parfums Christian Dior announces the arrival of Francis Kurkdjian as Perfume Creation Director
Parfums Christian Dior announces the appointment of Francis Kurkdjian as Perfume Creation Director. He will lead the creation of the Maison’s fragrances.
© ARR
As Artistic Director and Perfumer-Creator of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, which he co-founded in 2009 with Marc Chaya and that has been part of the LVMH Group since 2017, French creator Francis Kurkdjian is considered as one of the main key players in the world of fragrances today. He will remain Artistic Director of Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
A precocious talent, he was only 25 when he composed his first men’s fragrance, Le Male by Jean-Paul Gaultier, which launched his career. A passionate artist and exceptionally skilled perfumer, he has never ceased moving forward after this initial success, redefining the very concept of perfume, including his opening of a bespoke fragrance atelier in 2001.
He is also known for creating striking scents for mythic perfume Maisons, including Dior, for which he composed Eau Noire and Cologne Blanche for the Collection Privée Christian Dior. In 2008, he was named Best Perfumer by Cosmétique Magazine, and many of his fragrances have won international prizes. In 2009, he was made Knight of Arts and Letters.
A visionary who continually expands the scope of possibilities for fragrances, Francis Kurkdjian brings an artistic dimension to creating scents. He has signed numerous collaborations with renowned artists such as Sophie Calle and choreographer Christian Rizzo. His ongoing aesthetic journey has also led to memorable olfactory installations and performances in such superb settings as the Grand Palais and the Château de Versailles, a unique location that has long resonated with Maison Dior.
Laurent Kleitman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Parfums Christian Dior, comments: “Francis Kurkdjian is a visionary perfumer and a passionate artist who brings his full creative energies, savoir-faire and exacting professionalism to Dior perfumes, crafting future Dior fragrances that will conquer the world. Francis will build his creations from an exceptional olfactory heritage which started in 1947, anchored in the use of exceptional flowers and bold creative initiatives.”
Francis Kurkdjian adds: “It is a tremendous honor for me to join Parfums Christian Dior, a Maison with a richly inspiring history and a resolutely future-facing creative spirit. I am delighted to share my vision through my fragrance creations. Working at Maison Dior while continuing to create for my own Maison is a great privilege. I want to sincerely thank Bernard Arnault for renewing his confidence in me as part of LVMH, and I extend my warm thanks to Claude Martinez, Stéphanie Medioni, Laurent Kleitman and Marc Chaya for their support.”
Francis Kurkdjian succeeds François Demachy, Dior Perfumer-Creator since 2006.
A perfume creator of exceptional talent, François Demachy has boldly revisited such iconic fragrances from the Dior heritage as J’adore and Miss Dior, also exploring new paths with scents in La Collection Privée Christian Dior. His most striking success remains Sauvage, a global phenomenon launched in 2015 and the top-selling men’s fragrance in the world. A native of Grasse with a passion for flowers, he has particularly worked to bring Dior perfumes the finest ingredients, multiplying exclusive partnerships with young flower growers from Grasse.
“François Demachy will remain one of the most prominent talents among all those who have helped celebrate the unique Dior spirit and perpetuate the Dior dream. His scents are treasures that will remain timeless. It has been an extraordinary adventure and a great honor to work with him both in Paris and in Grasse,” says Laurent Kleitman.
