Interviews

Clara Molloy of MEMO Paris About MEMO

04/29/15 17:01:08

by: Serguey Borisov

In late March Parisian brand MEMO Paris introduced a new perfume, Ilha do Mel–—the fragrance of two lovers on a desert Brazilian island. At the same time, all new MEMO perfumes became available for the first time at New York's Bergdorf Goodman. We decided to meet again with the brand in an interview with Clara Molloy, co-founder of MEMO Paris.

Serguey Borisov:
Dear Clara, your MEMO Paris perfumes are a cross-culture phenomenon. You bring memories from far-away places to Paris, and then spread them in the form of perfumes to all the world (now including the US). While the concept of exotic perfumes is not new (Guerlain Shalimar, Molinard Habanita, Guy Laroche Fidji), you have managed to make your approach more memorable (pun intended). What is your secret?

Clara Molloy:
I love puns! I love the French Dada Movement and surrealism … Memorable, memories, and emotions: a whole universe that is more related to senses than to the brain. I like to see the playful side of things …

You are correct; it is not new to make a link between a place and a perfume. Some places have a strong magnetism and it is our aim is to bring that magic and power into each bottle of MEMO Paris. What we try to do is make this connection as modern and as strong as we can. The places we chose to create fragrances for have kept their mystery, their charm. Maybe because they are remote, or because they are smaller in size, each is preserved from oversaturation in the world and in perfumery. To find poetry in this world you need a bit of silence, some time to breathe the air.

Serguey Borisov:
I think your perfumes are far from just a tourist affair to bring more people to those mysterious, beautiful, calm, extraordinary places. I am sure that there's some spiritual part in your perfumes that makes one depart from the here-and-now, isn`t there?

Clara Molloy:
Of course! Fragrances have been present in every civilization and have always been sacred. They have a strong connection to your soul, your intimacy. They can reveal you, change your life, bring you to places you could never have imagined.

Serguey Borisov:
Would you call Alienor Massenet your in-house perfumer? How did you choose her? 

Clara Molloy:
I think, Alienor and me, we are both working to make the MEMO Paris olfactory territory as beautiful as can be. We are different territories: sometimes I like something, but know it will not be good for the brand; sometimes Alienor feels that what we are creating is not right for Memo. We only create fragrances that we both believe in, and know in our hearts are right for MEMO Paris. We are here to serve the brand, it is not about our egos or us as individuals.

Still, when you find someone you can really work well with, it is a true blessing. I feel we are going deeper with the brand together, we are learning from each experience and our aim is to find Beauty, so this is a never-ending journey …

Serguey Borisov:
MEMO Paris is a family enterprise. Do you do everything together with your husband, John, or divide your responsibilities?

Clara Molloy:
Absolutely not … I don’t go to the office. I hate offices. I am more useful for everyone reading poetry, seeing exhibitions, going to the theatre and smelling new molecules than sitting in front of aCOMPUTER. He is the business and I am the creativity.

Serguey Borisov:
Seems like your first collection, Les échappées, is almost full now: 12 perfumes. Have you ever visited the United States of America and did you find some exhilarating and spiritually elevating places to make some new perfumes for the collection? Or maybe we could await it in the other new collections of MEMO, Cuirs Nomades or Graines Vagabondes?

Clara Molloy:
I love the US, and have visited many times. In 2015 alone, I have been to New York twice. As for creatively in MEMO Paris fragrances, the US is on my mind, for two fragrances. I will spend the summer here … it is a very inspiring place for me, and I look forward to telling you more.

Serguey Borisov:
The new perfume launching now,  Ilha do Mel, is the second in the Graines Vagabondes collection. Please tell our readers more about the idea of the collection, the new perfume and its smell. In the world of fragrant flowers, herbs, fruits and woods, it's not a very popular idea to devote perfumes to The Wandering Seeds … 

Clara Molloy:
Our collections are not based on what is popular and what could sell more. They are really based on what is true to the brand.

This is a way of working with the roots of our olfactory territory. Cuirs Nomades spoke about leather and traveling, it was totally a theme for Memo. Our collection of seeds shows the diversity of the world. Seeds are a symbol of life, and a symbol that needs to travel to survive, a bit like us ... I really believe this idea of life and movement is so important for fragrance, and not only when you think of sillage, but also for the architecture of the fragrance itself.

Serguey Borisov:
As you chose sesame seeds for Kedu and Juniper berries for Ilha do Mel, and not coffee or tonka beans, cardamom or fenugreek seeds—you would not look for easily-traveled and well-known paths?

Clara Molloy:
It is like in life: if you look too hard, you won’t see anything … there is a time for creation, ideas, that you must take. You cannot force it.

Serguey Borisov:
Could you tell us about the MEMO Paris logo and its meaning?

Clara Molloy:
MEMO for memory—giving the fragrance a direct link with that state of reminiscence and sensitivity specific to travel and discovery. The expression “The journey is the destination” captures the spirit well. Additionally, our monogram is an 'M' with a star. It is the Shepherd star, the one that will guide you when you are lost. I always want our fragrances to be enlightened: to bring peace, harmony, joy. We are not on the dark side of things … With our motto, “The journey is the destination,” we recommend an approach to life that is very personal, not competitive. A perfume is something so sensual (sensual related to your senses). It is a life experience in itself, like an abstract digest full of memories and emotions.

Serguey Borisov:
MEMO Paris provides a most unique perfume experience in the form of Made to Measure service. Could you tell our readers about this service in detail?

Clara Molloy:
Some people have places that they want to remember forever. We try to capture them for them …

Serguey Borisov:
Where can we find MEMO Paris perfumes in the USA?

Clara Molloy:
We launched exclusively into Bergdorf Goodman! Where else, really? My favorite store in this planet. Can you imagine how proud I am today? We are in the New York store now and will be featured online by late Spring.

Serguey Borisov Serguey Borisov has been known in the Internet world of perfume under the nickname moon_fish for more than 10 years. Now he writes about perfumes for GQ.ru and Vogue.ru, and contributes on the subject for glossy magazines.