In front of me sit two well-put-together humans: one in all black, wearing a shirt cut so precise it seems like it was created in another universe, and the other in a simple, yet luxurious, grey sweater with a shirt collar peeking just slightly from the neck. I’m sitting across from Luke and Lucie Meier, the Creative Directors of Jil Sander. True to form, they are impeccably dressed. While I could talk about the clothes they design for hours (it’s long been my dream to get married in a pin-perfect bespoke Jil Sander suit), today’s topic is fragrance—the new Jil Sander Olfactory Series 1 collection, to be specific.
On a balmy day during Milan Fashion Week, squeezed between an already jam-packed show schedule, I was invited to the Jil Sander HQ to discuss all things olfactory. I was about to meet two of my style heroes and had planned to play it super cool, but the reality was far from that. Due to several late shows, I scrambled across the city and arrived in a cloud of dust, almost resembling Taz, the Tasmanian devil—not quite the chic first impression I wanted to make. Once I stepped through the doors into the Jil Sander oasis of sophistication, a cool sense of calm washed over me. That’s the level of detail considered at such a design-led house. Everything about the brand exudes cool: it’s calming, minimalist and profoundly sophisticated. Something that has, naturally, made its way into the fragrance offering.
In my 15 years of experiencing new fragrances, attending launches for some of the world’s best perfumes and meeting the creators behind them, no other launch has excited me quite like this one. And, I can wholeheartedly say, it did not disappoint. Whether you reach for a woody perfume, prefer a powdery perfume, or if floral perfumes are your thing, there’s something in here for everyone—even the most hard-to-please perfume snob you know
(Image credit: Courtesy Jil Sander)
A Moment With Luke and Lucie Meier
From the inspiration for the collection to the importance of design, plus (and this is a biggie) how the scents actually smell, here’s everything you need to know about the Jil Sander Olfactory Series 1—straight from the creators themselves.
On the process of creation…
Luke Meier: Fragrance has always been part of the sphere of what we’re trying to do, and once we finally got the opportunity to do it, we said, “Yeah, let’s go.”
We thought a lot about the power fragrance has to be transportive and mark time. Like putting together anything else, we started with the mood. The entire process took around a year and in that time we worked with great noses and really started to live with the scents, wearing them for a while to see what worked, what didn’t, what became too powerful or what wasn’t profound enough.
On finding inspiration…
Lucie Meier: Life and nature.
Luke: Thinking about how we bring something different or push it a bit further—we want to find something that feels interesting and new.
On the similarities between creative clothes and fragrance…
Luke: The actual product must be at a very high level, from the packaging to the bottle, and the actual ingredients in the fragrances themselves. It’s very similar as we push hard to arrive at something that feels beautiful, works well and is qualitative.
On translating the brand values to the perfume world…
Lucie: We’re always after a feeling of creating an emotional connection to something—in everything we do. We were after unique fragrances, pure smells that embody that connection, and provoke certain emotions.
On the importance of design and aesthetic of the fragrance…
Lucie: The aesthetic is very important. It’s also how we approached the names of the scents, it’s about purity and simplicity. We wanted it to be elemental.
Luke: The bottles are a little bit off—they’re not perfect. They’re also all unique.
What does the Jil Sander Olfactory Series 1 smell like?
The six scents in the collection are expressions of a singular note married with aldehydes—it’s where botany and technology meet. True to form, the duo hasn’t just created something for the sake of it: each sits perfectly on its own while complementing the others in the collection.
And, as for the bottles, they’re impossibly chic glass flacons, with a lip around the base and an opaque cloche lid that slides into place, finishing with a satisfying click. A real design feat that has elevated the humble fragrance bottle.
But on to the scents, here is what they smell like—your new signature scent awaits—and why you should include them in your fragrance wardrobe.
The green, zingy one everyone will want. With notes of fig and verdant green leaves, this fragrance is perfect for those who love fresh and uplifting scents. This is the one that elicits compliments far and wide, including someone who followed me out of an M&S to ask what I was wearing.
Perfumer: Julie Massé.
The patchouli one that’s a real head-turner. A clean expression of patchouli, expect earthy soil speckled with smoke. Hints of petrichor (the smell of wet soil just after its rains) muddled with green notes of rose petals make for a truly captivating scent.
Perfumer: Julie Massé.
The one that smells so good, you’ll want to eat it. Sounds strange, I know, but, imagine scooping out a delicious slurry of fresh organic honey directly from a slab of honeycomb—that’s the first thing you smell. Floral notes of jasmine and creamy cedarwood follow, making this a complex and grounding scent for those who enjoy florals with an edge.
Perfumer: Mathilde Bijaoui
The spicy yet sweet one. Another fragrance that, to me, sits on the Gourmand side of things. It’s a modern take on an amber scent, with flecks of cinnamon and black tea that spike through delicate osmanthus flowers.
Perfumer: Nathalie Lorson
The one that is seriously sexy. The intense hit of espresso quickly dissipates leaving a floral and musky trail in its wake. Another interpretation of an amber fragrance, this time softened with the powderiness of orris and sensuality of peru balsam (an aromatic resin which hugs the skin), resulting in a carnal and captivating scent.
Perfumer: Paul Guerlain
The one that is smoky but surprisingly clean. I never thought such opposing smells would work so well together, but the woodiness of cedarwood and resinous plants, combined with the fresh almost laundry-like notes of aldehydes, is a match made in heaven. With a touch of oud, this one is probably the most traditionally masculine in the collection, though it’s perfect for anyone after an attention-grabbing scent.
Perfumer: Berenice Watteau