Francis Kurkdjian

Francis Kurkdjian (born in Paris on May 14, 1969) is a French contemporary perfumer and businessman. and winner of the Prix François Coty in 2001 for his lifetime achievements. He was made famous at age 26 for designing the scent of Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier, one of the world best selling perfumes. This was followed by an additional forty creations for major perfume companies worldwide. Some of these creations include the Elie Saab Le Parfum (Elie Saab), My Burberry (Burberry), L'extase (Nina Ricci) and Narciso Rodriguez for her (Narciso Rodriguez). In 2009, he co-founded luxury fragrance house Maison Francis Kurkdjian with French-Lebanese businessman and ex Ernst & Young partner Marc Chaya, now a major global player in the luxury niche fragrance segment.

Being a perfumer is a bit like being a magician, it's about realising your vision of someone else's emotions. It took all my energy for six months to come up with the right formula for Rumeur because for me it's not just about mixing raw materials, it's about creating a memory that will last.

Francis Kurkdjian was born in Paris, France on 14 May 1969 to Armenian parents. The Kurkdjian family had at once fled the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide and had settled in France after being deported and relocated to Aleppo. Having been exposed to music and dancing at a young age, Francis Kurkdjian wanted to be a ballet dancer during his youth. However, he failed passing the competition to study at the Paris Opera School of Dance in 1983. Kurkdjian, who already had an interest in perfume making since he was thirteen years old, decided in 1985 to become a perfumer. In 1990, Kurkdjian entered the Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmétique et de l'Aromatique Alimentaire (ISIPCA), a perfume school located in Versailles, France. He graduated from ISIPCA in 1993 and joined Quest International in Paris the same year. Kurkdjian continued his studies and obtained a master's degree from the Paris Institute of Luxury Marketing.

In 1995, at the age of twenty-six, Kurkdjian created Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier, one of the world's best selling perfumes. This became Kurkdjian's first success at perfume making. This was followed by more than 40 creations for major fashion designers and houses.

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