We spend five minutes with Clara Malloy, co-founder of Memo. 

Memo launched in 2007 and was founded by husband and wife team Clara and John Malloy after they met on a chair lift. The collections boasts eleven fragrances, each telling a different story from a different destination.

How did you come up with the creative concept of MEMO?

The concept came to me when I wasn’t looking for it. I find that often the more you look for something the less you find it.

MEMO captures a destination through scent, telling a story. Can you tell us what has been your favourite place you’ve travelled to so far?

I’ve been lucky to have travelled extensively but I find that my favourite travels are when I dream and when my imagination takes over. It was these vivid dreams that inspired our perfume Moon Fever.

What’s next on the travel agenda for MEMO? 

I have ambitions to travel to South America. It has such a variety landscapes that are so unique and inspiring. All our perfumes are based on my inspirations. I believe a life without travel and inspiration is not a life well lived. 

What’s an average day like for you?

I love to sleep in my garden at my home in France it is the perfect place for inspiration. I love to fall asleep counting the stars; that is what inspired the MEMO perfume Moon Fever. I start every morning with some fresh Pineapple and a Mango juice. Every day is different for me but most include gathering inspirations for new scents so reading, smelling, talking, learning and writing. The scenery near my home is perfect for gathering inspiration for new scents. 

What is your favourite MEMO scent? 

I love them all in different ways

Apart from MEMO, what are your favourite fragrances and signature home scents?

Different scents have different memories – I love the smell of freshly baked chocolate cake and crepes as they always remind me of my mother’s home cooking and my childhood.

Buying a fragrance for someone else is always hard. What advice would you give our readers when choosing a fragrance for someone else?

Dare to give something intriguing, new, and unusual. I believe that perfume can bring out different elements of who you are and bring light to those more hidden parts of your personality.

What advice would you give to women when choosing a fragrance for themselves?

Be selfish and choose it for yourself – let go of what your partner would like you to smell like, or what your friends and family have recommended or what you might have seen in an advert. Every skin is unique and perfumes smell differently on each individual – that is the magic of fragrance.

When you are not busy working, what do you enjoy doing to unwind?

My work is my passion and I love what I do – I don’t feel the need to unwind as I love every single day.

Most people tend to have a “signature scent”. Do you encourage people to try and wear a different fragrance to compliment their mood?

Fragrance is freedom. Everyone can have an experience of quality with a good fragrance. I think it is enough to be loyal to your family, you are allowed to cheat on your fragrance, to change your mind from morning to the afternoon and for a special occasion be it a picnic or a ball.

Are there any new exciting projects you are working on you can share with our readers?

I have just finished writing a book on poetry and have been lucky enough to find an editor to publish it, which I am thrilled about

What’s your motto?

The Journey is the destination.