There is nothing sexier on a woman than the right scent. Fleeting and ephemeral, the right scent, applied the right way, signals a woman’s presence. It is part of her outfit, a link to her character. It whispers her secrets to other people while at the same time, lending her an air of mystery. One of the marks of many of the world’s classic fragrances is its ability to mold itself to its wearer. One of these is designer Issey Miyake’s iconic l’Eau d’Issey, which was introduced to the market in 1992 but which continues to capture imaginations and scent buds today.
Drawing on his original scent, which took inspiration from a drop of water on a woman’s skin, and following the success of last year’s limited edition Une Gouite sur un Petale (A Drop on a Petal), Mr. Miyake returns to his inspiration, water, to give us yet another reworking of his classic fragrance.
We met with Beaute Prestige International Asia Pacific training manager Jean-Marie Eudes, who gave us an insight on how his new scent, Reflet d’Une Goutte, or Reflections in a Drop, came to be. Amidst iced tea and sushi, the smiling Frenchman gave us insight into how the wheels in the mind of Issey Miyake turned.
Jean-Marie told us that Mr. Miyake was very interested in water and that he considered it the perfect element. “His first fragrance, l’Eau d’Issey, was made around the water concept. L’Eau is French for water, and Issey means life, so l’Eau d’Issey is ‘the water of life,’” Jean Marie says.
It is no surprise that the new scent draws on this inspiration as well — it takes its notes of lotus and rose from Mr. Miyake’s first fragrance and pairs it with top notes of mandarin and mimosa, as well as base notes of musk and amber. “The lotus and the rose represent the meeting between the east and the west,” Jean-Marie says. “The lotus represents Asia. The rose represents the occidental countries. Something that Issey Miyake likes to do is strike a balance between modernity and tradition. This is what he calls harmony.”
The result is a light, floral, powdery scent that women of any age will enjoy. “Reflections in a Drop is a bit different from the original fragrance. It’s very powdery (and) fragrant. It has a musky trail (and is) very feminine, very fresh,” Jean-Marie says.
What seems like an easy task — taking an existing scent and making smell slightly different — actually takes a lot of creativity and hard work. And for this, Mr. Miyake calls on a little help from his friends.
Though Mr. Miyake is well known for his fashion and his scents, not many people know that he is also an architect and a professional photographer, and loves to get involved in many different artistic endeavors, including designing a vacuum cleaner in collaboration with James Dyson.
It is in this spirit of collaboration that birthed Reflections in a Drop, which Mr. Miyake worked on with perfumer Alberto Morillas, the man behind best-selling scents such as CK One, Bulgari por Homme and Flower by Kenzo. “l’Eau d’ Issey, the original fragrance, was created...16 years ago. There are many women who are loyal to that fragrance so this is a different way for them to discover that fragrance,” Jean-Marie says.
When asked what kind of woman would be attracted to Reflections in a Petal, Jean-Marie smiled and said, “What is interesting about this fragrance is that it is quite... fresh, airy and floral, so it can be used by teenagers, by women or even mature women... (even) those into sports also because it is a very light and feminine fragrance.”
L’Eau d’Issey Reflections in a Drop, of which there are only 18,000 bottles worldwide and only 1,000 in the Philippines, is now available in selected department stores.