This is an interview first published by Arson Magazine in France, in early 2025.
Can you tell us a bit about Parfum Les Vides Anges?
Years ago, I worked for different fashion brands that wanted to ramp up their editorial photography and video lookbooks. I had always dreamed of working on a streetwear line but could never find the funds to pull it together. A chance encounter with an old friend working as a perfumer in Germany gave me an idea — I could apprentice with him and start a lab in Montreal. After working with several clients who wanted the same perfume type, I started my own line. One focused on the chaos of nature and the poetry of chemistry. I wanted to create limited-run perfumes that were there for a moment and then disappeared, never to be repeated.
Can you describe the different stages in the production of a perfume?
First, I start with an ingredient that sparks an idea. That idea usually presents itself as an image, something tangible. I then build a framework around it — building up accords. Some ideas come from my notebook of formulas, others from thought experiments. Then I hit the lab. I find solace in the quiet of the lab. Sometimes I spend too much time in there. Once the experiments have matured, I like to twist and contort the formula. This is where I add the organized chaos — an unexpected ingredient that makes it an LVA creation. I’ll also cut myself short of perfecting a scent. I like to keep the jagged edges. That’s what I think niche perfume should be about.
Can you explain what the structure of a fragrance is and how you approach it in your creative process?
Perfumes are pretty linear by nature. Top notes fade quickly, leading to lingering heart notes and foundational base notes. For the most part, designer perfumes focus on the top notes. Because these only last 15 to 30 minutes, we prefer to put all our efforts in the heart and base notes. That is where the nuance is. I like to take a scientific approach to perfume creation. I’ll often look for sequences of heart notes that don’t go together and try to find the Tetris piece that might make it work.
We have selected a few fragrances for which we would like to have more details on the intention, the history or the composition:
The first one: Can you tell us about the Iso E Super molecule, what are its special features and why was it used in this perfume?
Iso E Super is the tomato in a tomato sauce. It’s the grape found in every wine. It is so ubiquitous in perfumery because it has a very alluring property. It seems to disappear and reappear randomly. That’s very exciting, but it needs another element to make it sing. By adding a metallic musk, the Iso E Super plays with the warmth of your skin and creates a distinct fragrance for each person who wears it. It was the launchpad for Parfums Les Vides Anges.
Obscur: Can you explain why this perfume is called Obscur?
Most perfumes are straightforward. It’s a floral or an amber or a you-name-it. Usually, it is centered on a place, a plant, or some physical thing. As I was experimenting with a Jasmine Sambac absolute, I discovered an accidental cacophony of ingredients that seemed to obscure the Sambac. It disappeared around a veil of smoke. And for an ingredient as powerful as Jasmine, it was rare.
Surréel: What is the intended intention behind this perfume? And what ingredients did you choose to achieve it?
Every once in a while, I’ll order a sample of a new perfume ingredient. A number of the synthetic ingredients do similar things at varying degrees — for example, there are four or five different Iso E Super “type” ingredients. It becomes a bit redundant. This time, I happened upon a natural Elemi absolute, and my heart stopped. It was a dozen different things at once. Unlike a synthetic, it evolved while on your skin. But it needed something to help it sustain its chameleon nature. I found that in this fresh air accord, I had been working on. To this day, it’s still my favorite. I think it is a perfumer’s perfume.
Fins Bois: What is the story behind this perfume?
In a former life, I was the editor of a food and wine magazine called Quench, which allowed me to travel quite a bit to wine country. During one of my outings to Cognac, we passed by Fins Bois (a region that provides grapes to Cognac), and we got lost. We stopped on the side of the road, trying to get a signal. I started to walk in a field by the road, and I got even more lost in my thoughts. This perfume is a snapshot of that moment and what I tasted on that trip. There are a lot of links between food, drink, and perfume. I wanted to put that in a bottle.
