Initial idea: “create a leathery scent inspired by falconers’ gloves”
Main ingredient: a vegetal leather note, Birch Tar Finland.
Creative approach: Exacerbate the power of the note at the start thanks to Saffron. Unfold and enrich the texture of Birch Tar to evoke both sides of leather: highlight the smooth full-grain side with Ciste Labdanum Andalusia, amplify the soft suede side with Benzoin Absolute Laos.
NOTES
Top: Saffron
Middle: Leather, Birch Tar
Base: Benzoin, Agarwood (Oud)
PERFUMER
Aurélien Guichard
HOW IT WEARS
Falcon Leather opens with a rough, true leather note, tamed by the balsamic, almost sweet labdanum resin. After a while on the skin the spice and animalic sweetness of the oud comes to the fore, but the dark, smoky birch tar still has centre stage. The dry down is a dirtier than usual skin-like leather that is just… intoxicating. The lasting power of Falcon Leather is great, about 10-12 hours on the skin, and its projection is a compliment-getter for sure.
LORE LOVES
We love how Falcon Leather smells so much like real leather – organic, raw and animalic, devoid of anything synthetic. The blend of the vegetal birch tar with sweet, dirty oud and earthy labdanum resin reminds us of a leather pouch filled with the highest quality pipe tobacco. It’s bittersweet, dry, smoky, and really, really sexy.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Debuted in 2019, Matiere Premiere (or “Raw Materials” in French) is the work of renowned nose and master perfumer, Aurélien Guichard.
The core objective of the Matiere Premiere range is to put a spotlight on some of the most precious fragrance materials from around the world, and to hero the beauty and elegance of a single note fragrance.
A 7th generation perfumer born in Grasse (arguably the perfume capital of the world), Aurélien Guichard has a passion for fragrance running through his veins. He has been the nose behind nearly one hundred fragrances and has worked with brands such as Givenchy, Narcisco Rodriguez, Gucci and Commes de Garcons.
Guichard is also the owner of an organic farm where he produces Rose Centifolia and Tuberose, some of which is used in the Matiere Premiere line, making it one of the only brands in the world to own and produce some of the raw materials used in their fragrances.
“Growing our own rose is a way to reconnect with the essence of the work of a perfumer – creating the fragrance itself, but also supervising the quality and production methods of the raw material” – Aurélien Guichard.
Matiere Premiere is all about honouring the beauty and sophistication that lies in simplicity – one raw material can contain a plethora of olfactory facets ripe for exploration and interpretation.
