BY OLIVIER CRESP

Revered in Grasse, the town his family has called home since the seventeenth century, Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp is a genuine icon of French perfumery. His great grandfather cultivated roses and jasmine and his father and grandfather traded rawmaterials.

As a child, Olivier would walk through fields of flowers with his father. In the evenings, just as other children may listen to a bedtime story, the Cresp family would smell the fresh blooms gathered that day. His early life wove an olfactive memory embellished by exquisite and complex scents. Extracted by man, the delicate allure of the flowers and their magical alchemy instilled in young Olivier an extraordinary artistic sensibility. Named Master Perfumer in 2006 and Perfumer of the Year in 2007, he is a mentor to young talents. In the same spirit, he is also a member of a committee that promotes his craft and passion, and endeavours to afford perfumers the status of artist and creator.

He began his career with Firmenich in 1992, and in 2012 was honoured with the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. Olivier brings an incomparable scope to his profession, aided by keen observation and a sense of calm. A lover of food and all things refined, his perfumery is carefully created, delicately crafted and timeless. Ever intuitive, Cresp recognizes the importance of standing out from the rest. “One idea a year is enough, provided it’s the best,” he says with a wry smile. Curiously exploring the world of emotion, he is always searching for a powerful and unique concept that will turn heads again and again.