Aurora Carrara of UER MI, Interview
05/04/15 15:57:14
by: Serguey Borisov
The interview with Aurora Carrara of UER MI (pronounced "wear me") would be rather long, if we decided to re-smell all eight perfumes that have been issued in this project. But since Fragrantica was already quite elaborate on this collection and its perfumes I decided to discuss the new fragrances and the conceptual approach of UER MI. I found, for example, that fabrics are linked to UER MI fragrances only by the thoughts and metaphors of their perfumers-creators.
Aurora Carrara:
The idea of UER MI is very simple. You could remember the feeling of every fabric you've felt—and every perfume you've smelled. If you think of velvet, what kind of smell comes to your mind? I am sure that you come back in your memory and find something about velvet and all of its feelings: color, texture, sound and smell. So we just asked a question—what comes to your mind when you think of silk, tweed, denim? And we make a collection of fabrics that people love the most, like cashmere, like suede, like silk and tweed. Then, for the development of the line, at a certain point we choose some fabrics that are not so cozy and popular, like latex which is not a woven material at all but it`s famous for being very glossy, sexy and kinky. AndAntoine Lie made XX±Latex so sexual and really a niche perfume!
The idea of UER MI is very simple. You could remember the feeling of every fabric you've felt—and every perfume you've smelled. If you think of velvet, what kind of smell comes to your mind? I am sure that you come back in your memory and find something about velvet and all of its feelings: color, texture, sound and smell. So we just asked a question—what comes to your mind when you think of silk, tweed, denim? And we make a collection of fabrics that people love the most, like cashmere, like suede, like silk and tweed. Then, for the development of the line, at a certain point we choose some fabrics that are not so cozy and popular, like latex which is not a woven material at all but it`s famous for being very glossy, sexy and kinky. AndAntoine Lie made XX±Latex so sexual and really a niche perfume!
Sergey Borisov:
Tell me, please, how did you get Antoine for this project?
Tell me, please, how did you get Antoine for this project?
Aurora Carrara:
We have worked with him on my previous perfume project, Histoires d'Eaux. He likes to experiment and to create some new perfume forms, so he made us No±Suede, XX±Latex and the new one, Do±Washi.
We have worked with him on my previous perfume project, Histoires d'Eaux. He likes to experiment and to create some new perfume forms, so he made us No±Suede, XX±Latex and the new one, Do±Washi.
Sergey Borisov:
It sounds like a very exotic fabric.
It sounds like a very exotic fabric.
Aurora Carrara:
Washi is a traditional Japanese material … it's fabric that looks like a linen but is made from about 80% out of rice paper. Try it! (passes a piece of blue washi fabric that feels very strange) It's very expensive and very hard to find here. I found it by lucky chance and immediately adored it, so we made a perfume project of it!
Washi is a traditional Japanese material … it's fabric that looks like a linen but is made from about 80% out of rice paper. Try it! (passes a piece of blue washi fabric that feels very strange) It's very expensive and very hard to find here. I found it by lucky chance and immediately adored it, so we made a perfume project of it!
The word “washi” comes from wa “Japanese” and shi “paper,” and the term is used to describe paper made by hand in the traditional manner. Washi is one of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage objects. It's made of gampi tree bark, paper mulberry, but almost every grass and tree could be used for its production (like bamboo, rice, hemp and wheat). It could be used for kimono and origami, for making books, bags, umbrellas, futons, toys and even banknotes.
Aurora Carrara:
Antoine Lie is usually on the weird side of perfumes, but for the project he found the accord that feels not strange, but almost bon ton, very nice and easy like Japan.
New fragrance DO ± Washi has a light spring-like personality. Spring is always portrayed as a girl, right? DO ± Washi combines the transparent sharp freshness of spring flowers, the warm head of a breastfed baby, spilled warm milk, the smell of adult cosmetics and a feminine woody-musky perfume. Perhaps one could find some nut cakes in it—Cashmeran and musk give that nice effect closer to the base notes. Nice perfume, really nice.
Antoine Lie is usually on the weird side of perfumes, but for the project he found the accord that feels not strange, but almost bon ton, very nice and easy like Japan.
New fragrance DO ± Washi has a light spring-like personality. Spring is always portrayed as a girl, right? DO ± Washi combines the transparent sharp freshness of spring flowers, the warm head of a breastfed baby, spilled warm milk, the smell of adult cosmetics and a feminine woody-musky perfume. Perhaps one could find some nut cakes in it—Cashmeran and musk give that nice effect closer to the base notes. Nice perfume, really nice.
Sergey Borisov:
What do you do when people tell you “OK, but velvet doesn`t smell like that?” For example, your VE±Velvet smell is based upon Vetiver, and I used to link Velvet with Patchouli, and Vetiver is linked with WE±Tweed for me …
What do you do when people tell you “OK, but velvet doesn`t smell like that?” For example, your VE±Velvet smell is based upon Vetiver, and I used to link Velvet with Patchouli, and Vetiver is linked with WE±Tweed for me …
Aurora Carrara:
Well, that could be, everyone has his/her own idea about fabric smell. We made just one interpretation of fabrics made by perfumers, UER MI perfumes are THEIR memories about the fabrics. But, at the same time, in NO±Suede, for example, we managed to make a perfume that smells of suede. Of course, it smells even better than real suede: it's more blooming, it has a long sillage, it feels like a perfume!
Well, that could be, everyone has his/her own idea about fabric smell. We made just one interpretation of fabrics made by perfumers, UER MI perfumes are THEIR memories about the fabrics. But, at the same time, in NO±Suede, for example, we managed to make a perfume that smells of suede. Of course, it smells even better than real suede: it's more blooming, it has a long sillage, it feels like a perfume!
Sergey Borisov:
I suppose that XX±Latex is also very close to the real thing.
I suppose that XX±Latex is also very close to the real thing.
Aurora Carrara:
Yes, it is. You`re right. But UR±Silk, for example, is very different. You cannot make the smell of silk to be very expansive. So we make a green fig perfume and that makes sense, as Silk and summer go well together. And Cashmere was interpreted as Amber perfume, and that makes sense too: warm fabrics and warm perfumes combine very well, and we wear ambery perfumes with cashmere so often in cold seasons! So it's just logical to remind us about it. And Denim was interpreted with a Tuberose, extremely sensual but a very personal interpretation of the fabrics of jeans. Who could tell you about this connection—maybe Philippe Bousseton only, as it's his own idea!
Yes, it is. You`re right. But UR±Silk, for example, is very different. You cannot make the smell of silk to be very expansive. So we make a green fig perfume and that makes sense, as Silk and summer go well together. And Cashmere was interpreted as Amber perfume, and that makes sense too: warm fabrics and warm perfumes combine very well, and we wear ambery perfumes with cashmere so often in cold seasons! So it's just logical to remind us about it. And Denim was interpreted with a Tuberose, extremely sensual but a very personal interpretation of the fabrics of jeans. Who could tell you about this connection—maybe Philippe Bousseton only, as it's his own idea!
Sergey Borisov:
We all know that some time ago, these perfumes were presented in ateliers. Clients used to come to order suits, gowns, shirts, whatever—and the perfumes were just a last detail, like a final touch for the outfit. Then specialization separated perfume and couture to different places of sales. Are you going to connect them again?
We all know that some time ago, these perfumes were presented in ateliers. Clients used to come to order suits, gowns, shirts, whatever—and the perfumes were just a last detail, like a final touch for the outfit. Then specialization separated perfume and couture to different places of sales. Are you going to connect them again?
Aurora Carrara:
Yes. We never separate clothes and perfumes. As you can wear jackets, you can also wear perfumes. And you wear both on your body. You can express your personality visually and olfactorily. That's why we called our brand UER MI. And yes, our distribution scheme includes fashion boutiques and ateliers as well as niche perfume shops. Like Bucharest concept boutique Createur5dEmotions, that sells niche perfumes and niche clothes. It's not a very easy thing to promote perfumes in clothing boutiques, as you need the owners to be as passionate about perfumes as they are about fashion. Otherwise they make the accent on their business, and your perfumes just gather some dust.
Yes. We never separate clothes and perfumes. As you can wear jackets, you can also wear perfumes. And you wear both on your body. You can express your personality visually and olfactorily. That's why we called our brand UER MI. And yes, our distribution scheme includes fashion boutiques and ateliers as well as niche perfume shops. Like Bucharest concept boutique Createur5dEmotions, that sells niche perfumes and niche clothes. It's not a very easy thing to promote perfumes in clothing boutiques, as you need the owners to be as passionate about perfumes as they are about fashion. Otherwise they make the accent on their business, and your perfumes just gather some dust.
You know the problem with perfumery now? It's so many brands now! Even when you talk about niche—there's just too many of them. I remember the times when there were not so many—in the 90s we were the pioneers of niche (OK, now it's called artistic) perfumery, as we opened a perfume boutique in Courmayeur, one of the very first niche places in Italy.
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Milky accord, Peony, Lilac, Cashmeran, Tonka beans, Musks
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