They are the creative couple behind the hugely successful fragrance house, MEMO; the stunning perfume range inspired by travel. StyleNest caught up with them ahead of the launch of the latest fragrance, Russian Leather….
Welcome John and Clara! MEMO is best known for the Leather collection and now you are adding a 5th fragrance to the collection with Russian Leather, can you tell us a bit more about the range?
J: Traditionally leather perfumes conjured up images of gentlemen’s clubs, chesterfields and cigar smoking, we wanted to create something fresher, something more modern. So the first fragrance we created in this range was Irish Leather- I am Irish, my parents had race horses in Ireland so we spent a lot of time at the stables. The scent was created with fresh, green leather. It’s a playful fragrance of youth, capturing the spirit of Ireland.
C: For French Leather I wanted to capture what it is like to be Parisian- being Parisian is not necessarily by birth or by residence, it’s an attitude. The perfume represents a rose with thorns. Using soft suede like the inside of a handbag, the water rose molecule rolls up your nose and then a splash of lime juice comes through at the end like pinch from a thorn. It is ultra-feminine.
J: Russian leather creates an image of a green plant coming through the snow, that cold, crisp, freshness. All the leathers take you on a journey.
Yes, the entire MEMO range is centred around travel…
J: Exactly, we are the magic carpet of perfume! The name MEMO derives from ‘memory’ because scents and smells are stored in the ‘old-fashioned’ part of our brain, so when we recall a smell it can instantly take us back to the place we associate it with. We want to take you on a journey every day, a couple of minutes every morning just for you to be transported for a moment.
C: We are not about heady, sexy scents, we believe you can seduce someone with your conversation, by who you are.
Your perfumes are like nothing I ever smelt before, they capture such an ambience- how do you do it?!
C: Thank you! The Memo team (noses, designers…) do everything with huge passion. The quest for beauty is a never ending one. We aim high and think very highly of the people that will wear our fragrances.
What is the difference between a perfumer and a nose? Where do you personally feel you fall in this category?
C: I edit perfumes, I do not have the talent to invent fragrances and make them last on the skin (something very important to me). The noses we work with are the true magicians, I am just there to tell them where we want to go. Poetry is always about precision.
J: Our aim is to make you feel good wherever you are, whatever you are doing.
Your descriptions of the scents you create are beautiful, where did the idea to include a book with the perfume come from?
C: Because perfume is abstract, I am looking for experiences that make you “see the perfumes”. When you play with the five senses, it is always a powerful experience. Words are black magic.
Our sense of smell is a very primal one, often over looked by our other senses, do you believe our instincts for scent remain strong in our modern day world?
C: Smelling is something archaic, the connections with our brain are very deep. By smelling your child, for example, you recognise them as yours, a bit like animals do. But I also feel this interaction happens at any age, if you adopt by example, or if you fall in love…
Thank you both for your time and for introducing me to gorgeous MEMO!
Memo Russian Leather Russian Leather Eau De Parfum 75ml, £175
Available now exclusively at Harvey Nichols