Alberto Morillas – Exclusive Interview
„If you want to become a perfumer (…) you should be able to marvel at things you did as a child”,
this is the advice that the great Master Perfumer, Alberto Morillas, gives to all the young people who wish to step on the most beautiful path of all — that of perfumery. Winner of the 2003 “Francois Coty” award, the “nose” Alberto Morillas has collaborated with several well-known brands, having creating over 100 olfactory “jewels” which we have, certainly, admired and worn without knowing they wore the great Master Perfumer’s signature. His passion for the jewellery piece made by the great surrealist artist Salvador Dali, led him to a new collaboration with Dali Haute Parfumerie, thus providing a new unique and precious reinterpretation to the gems.
You are one of the most appreciated Master Parfumer. Can you tell us when did you discover this great passion for perfumes?
I started hearing about the craft of perfumer when I came to Geneva to study. Around the same time I discovered that there was a creator behind each fragance as I had read an article in Vogue Magazine where Jean-Paul Guerlain explained how to create a fragance. That was a revelation for me! I rapidly got fascinated by the disciple. I read and experimented some formulas and went to libraries to feed my curiosity.
What skills should define a perfumer and what would you advise a young person who wants to take this challenging perfumery path?
If you want to become a perfumer, it is very important to be passionate, sensitive, enthusiastic, determined and extremely conscientious. You need an inquiring mind and a creative streak. You should be able to marvel at things as you did as a child. And of course, you should love the job of creating perfumes.
Each perfumer has a personal hallmark. What Is Alberto MoriIlas’s olfactory mark?
My personal mark is probably linked to nature. I like everything that would evoke the Mediterranean Sea, with the deep blue water, the sun and the nature which go with it. I am very attached for example to the citruses, sea notes and flowers including jasmine, tuberose, neroli and orange blossom. They are the expression of a certain kind of freshness, a sophisticated one and at the same time full of joy. I’m also in love with gardens. They are my second passion. I spend a lot of time in my family garden in Geneva. It gives me a breath, a moment of dream and relaxation and it always inspires me for my work as a perfumer. The inspiration which feeds my creation is very simple. It is everything I see in nature.
Which was the first perfume created by you?
Must de Cartier is the more important perfume I did at the beginning of my career. When I smell it now, it seems always actual and modern. It was a creation around white flowers and hyacinth.
Dali Haute Parfumerie collection continues the story of the great surrealist, Salvador Dali. Why Dali? How did you link your creations with this great artist?
I created the first Dali fragrance in 1983, which Salvador Dali envisioned as a tribute to Gala, his wife and muse, with whom he was madly and excessively in love, in the most “Dalinian” style. Here, for this unique and exclusive collection of Dali Haute Parfumerie fragrances I was inspired by Dalli’s jewelry collection created between 1941 and 1970. They perfectly represent the genius of this extraordinary artist. I selected the rarest raw materials in perfumery, like exceptional gems, to translate his sumptuous and exceptional work into precious scents exploring the soul of Salvador Dali. His quote “among the five senses, smell is unquestionably the one that best gives the idea of immortality” resonates on me.
Which of the Dali Haute Perfumes was the most difficult to create and why?
The perfumes Collection reflect my interpretation of the “Dalinian” spirit in olfactory forms. For all of them, I draw my inspiration from Dali’s surrealist world. Salvador Dali was a liberator of expression. The 39 exceptional pieces of his jewels collection exhilarate the fragrances with a breeze of freedom, filled with seduction, dreams and poetry. Each of the pieces is an extraordinary work of art whose shapes and materials were carefully chosen and craft by the artist. I could borrow several emblems from the Master’s Iconography, notably the eye, butterfly, chalice, hand and watch to follow his own ambition to create jewelry pieces that “raise the spirit and touch the art”. Like the jewelry piece by Dali, the fragrances take on a new dimension when they touch the skin.
Which one of your “olfactory babies” inspires you the most and why?
Among my creations, my favorites are those that left me a strong memory. I like perfumes which hove a strong personality and character, perfumes which add something new, on an olfactive point of view, to the market. The universe, the story around the perfume is also very important for me.
Can you tell us which are your favorite ingredients? But the most difficult to work with?
Because of my Andalusian origins, I do have a preference for ingredients that bring freshness and vitality to fragrances, such as the mineral saltiness of the air, citrus fruits and delicate Mediterranean flowers Including jasmine, tuberose, neroli and orange blossom. These ingredients remind me of the sun and long summers.
Which is your dearest memory linked to a perfume?
My dearest memory linked to a perfume is the artisanal Cologne of my childhood in Spain. My father used to wear these different evocations of the nature, elegant and fresh.
In the near future, do you have plans to create a new olfactory “jewel”?
All the new projects I’m working on let me discover, learn and create. They continue to nourish me and are part of my personal jewels collection.
To conclude, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the amazing work that you have done for the perfumery world. We are honored and thrilled to present your masterpieces to the Romanian perfumery lovers.
