Q&A with Ludovic Bonneton of Bon Parfumeur
S/S '24
Mr Bon Parfumeur gives us the quintessentially French low down on his beautifully fragranced world.
S/S '24
What made you start a perfume brand? This seems like a difficult market in which to find your niche.
I returned from Colombia in 2017, where tropical scents and their magic had filled each of my days. After that trip, not a moment passed where the olfactory landscape escaped me. A poker game with friends became the Woody Pepper of the collection (902), a walk in Auvergne became the Woody Pepper (602). Finding our place in the market came quite naturally, as I was telling stories through my perfumes that were being heard for the first time.
Were you always interested in fragrance?
I've always been passionate about perfumes, especially those that were hidden and appealed to me. Unearthing them was a treasure hunt in the truest sense of the word.
Do you have any particular training? Or have you learnt on the job?
Perfume cannot be learned; you love it, and to sell it, you just need to explain why you love it. Who doesn't enjoy hearing a passionate person talk about what inspires them?
How do you go about creating a new perfume? It seems like such a complex recipe of scents, I can’t quite imagine the process. Are you working with a perfumier?
Perfume is often created without my awareness! There's a space in my heart dedicated to creating the scent corresponding to each experience, each emotion felt. I decide later whether to materialize this creation; some perfumes belong solely to the heart. Bon Parfumeur has worked with some of France's greatest noses. Each time, I chose the one with whom I could talk for hours about the story behind the perfume. Indeed, I wanted the most precise notes, accords, and ingredients, so that I could create a perfume that transported me back to the moment that inspired it.
How does inspiration strike? Are your fragrances based on memories? Or scents in nature? Or are you thinking about the people who will wear the perfume?
Inspiration doesn't strike, it's not abrupt; it's a continuous movement, like the wind turbine that transforms the wind into energy. Everything inspires me: the wind comes from all sides and swirls.
Who do you work with and how does the typical day go?
I work with my five senses; they dictate the to-do list for my day!
Why do you think The Hambledon and Bon Parfumeur are such a good fit?
"We like to think of The Hambledon as a kind of department store but just selling the good stuff." Ultimately, Bon Parfumeur selects the ingredients for its scents with the same care that The Hambledon takes in choosing its customers.
