Givaudan
Heritage Perfumery
Beauty
The fragrances in Massimo Dutti’s latest perfume collection have been developed by Dalia Izem, Gael Montero and Santosh Shinde, three of the most renowned noses of the prestigious house of Givaudan. Givaudan was founded as a Zurich perfume factory in 1895 by brothers Leon and Xavier Givaudan. They soon moved to Vernier, near Switzerland. Givaudan soon became a pioneer in the commercial production of fragrance ingredients and was among the first companies to promote the use of fragrances in cosmetics and soaps.
Givaudan’s rich history emanates from the combined cultures and capabilities of some of the world’s leading fragrance houses, including Roure, Chiris and Quest International. And over the years it has consolidated its leadership in the luxury fragrance market, supporting its clients in creating iconic fragrance brands that consumers love.
“Givaudan
has consolidated
its leadership
in the luxury
fragrance
market.”
@dalia.izem
“That a person
includes my creations
onto their skin and
into their lives is
an immense
source of pride.”
”
DALIA
IZEM
Dalia grew up surrounded by scents and spices thanks to her North African and Middle-Eastern heritage. She is deeply moved by the fresh scent of orange blossom, cardamom, coffee and the smell of the Mediterranean summer. “I fell in love with the intrinsic link between fragrance and memory and its power to transport you back in time.” When Dalia heard perfumers mixed ingredients for a living, her destiny was sealed. To her, understanding the power of each raw material gave her the ability to use a new alphabet with magical results.
Today the joy of linking ingredients to tell beautiful stories is coupled with her love of creating emotions and evoking memories. “Crafting fragrances starts as an idea and then becomes an intimate part of someone’s life – that is incredibly special”. Exploring the world far and wide, living across continents and speaking five languages have enabled Dalia to immerse herself in different cultures. Absorbing the riches of her environment and translating these into fragrances is one of her greatest passions.
@gael.perfumer
“Perfumery
reflects what we are
at one moment in
our lives, it’s our
intimate identity,
it’s something we want
to share with others.”
GAËL
MONTERO
Gaël’s career had its beginnings at Montpellier University, as he studied for a degree in perfumery. Early on, two internships allowed Gaël to consolidate his talent and satisfy his inquisitive nature. As fate would have it, Gaël joined Givaudan as perfumer Jordi Fernandez’s assistant in Barcelona, a mentorship that permitted him to experiment and solidify his understanding of ingredients before joining the ranks at Givaudan Perfumery School in Paris. Gaël’s international career reflects his multinational, French-Spanish origins, taking him to Dubai, where he now resides. Here, he pulls inspiration from the Middle Eastern tendency to favour woody fragrances, alongside his existing penchant for musks.
Gaël does not limit his choice of ingredients to mere smell, but instead relies on being guided by intuitive feeling. It is this reliance on emotion that led him to perfumery, which as he puts it, “reflects what we are at one moment in our lives, it’s our intimate identity, it’s something we want to share with others”.
@dalia.izem
“I believe
that practice,
patience and perfection
lead to the most
powerful
revelations
in perfumery”
SANTOSH
SHINDE
It was as a young boy holidaying in Konkan on the western coast of India that Santosh was first confronted with the delicate, sweet and powdery smell of gardenia. This scent memory alongside the warm, spicy and woody notes he associates with his hometown of Mumbai are just some of the inspirations Santosh delves into as he creates. “When I embody a fragrance, I discover its spirit and associate it to a sensation, a mood and a colour. The first smell of rain, when it touches the ground, is earthy, fresh and a vibrant green.” When the time came to craft his first accord, he created jasmine with a few classic ingredients – it was an experience he described as creating magic for the first time.
Santosh revels in the creative process, in interpreting the dreams of others and
using his senses to craft fine fragrances in close collaboration with his customers. He is driven by the power fragrance has to reveal beauty, enhance personality and ultimately make people happy.
