BETWEEN THE LINES

Hermès perfumer Christine Nagel formulates modern masculinity in movement and fluidity as an expression of our time.

By HASSAN AL-SALEH
Photography POLLY BROWN

Scents have a transformative power to unlock memories, transport us back to a different time and place, and connect us to people. The power to change the way we feel and our perceptions of the world we live in. In a day and age where traditional constructs of masculinity and the male identity are constantly being challenged and redefined, perfumery seems like a surprising and unlikely medium for discourse.

Not for Swiss-born perfumer Christine Nagel who set out to create a fragrance that eschews masculine stereotypes yet establishes a new sensory identity for today’s Hermès man. Her latest creation H24, draws on the Maison’s venerable history, incarnates its values, and bridges tradition and modernity with nature and technology.

In a profession that demands high sensitivity, a curiosity about the world, and an open-mindedness, Nagel has an ingenious ability to take the familiar into unfamiliar territory with mind and emotion.

Talk to us about a defining and transformative moment that you have experienced that has shaped who you are as a person today.
When I was told, “No, you can’t be a perfumer” simply because I was a woman. When I started, it was an almost exclusively male profession. I belong to a generation where there were very few female perfumers. At that time, being a woman and a perfumer were totally incompatible. I had to overcome many obstacles to become a perfumer, but not only because I was a woman. I also had to overcome the fact that I was not the daughter of a perfumer and was not born in Grasse, in the South of France. That said, if I had to establish a hierarchy of the size of obstacles I had to overcome, being a woman was undoubtedly the biggest.

But I have a tenacious character. Extremely tenacious. I was absolutely and intimately convinced that this would be my profession. The more people opposed it, the more determined I became. The thing that has always motivated me is the drive to prove my ability and make the most of it. To be chosen for my creativity and my signature, and to put these things before everything else without any other considerations, especially those related to gender.

Scents have a powerful way of triggering memories and emotions. What are some of the scents that are dear to your heart?
You are perfectly right. Scents are so personal. We all have a different vision of perfume, and if you and I wear the same perfume, it wouldn't be exactly the same. This is really linked to our lives and the way we were raised.

For me, some scents are really important in my life. There are two, actually. The first one is the smell of an Italian talc called Borotalco. It is a talc powder that my mother used for my little brother, and I really remember it very well. What really surprised me is that all these smells come from my childhood and that in every single country you have different childhood scents. In Spain, for example, you have Nenuco. In the United States, it is Johnson & Johnson. In France, it is a brand called Mustela. These are specific scents used for babies, and it is very reassuring for all of us. The Borotalco can be found in many Italian perfumes.

There is another scent that is always linked to my childhood. I remember the scent of my grandmother's handbag very well. At the time, women used powder and carried it with them. When she opened her bag, I could smell the powder as well as the leather, and this is actually linked to my own history because I used this to produce the first perfume for Hermès.

So, what is the scent that you remember from your own childhood?

For me personally it was my mom's lipsticks. I remember I used to always go to her cosmetics counter and open up her lipsticks, and the lipsticks had a very particular smell in those days. This is in the early '80s. Whenever I smell anything that resembles that, it conjures up beautiful memories of my childhood and particularly of my mother who I share a very special connection with.

Exactly, and that is why I was so happy to work on the scent of the lipsticks and new beauty objects that are now part of Hermès Beauté. It is the same line that you can follow from one product to the other. It is continuous. It is arnica, sandalwood. It is very special, but I agree with you, there is a special scent in lipsticks.

You’ve established a reputation for taking the familiar into unfamiliar territory. Where does that stem from?
I must still be a child at heart because I never tire of surprises. I’m happy when I surprise and am surprised.

Naturally curious, all scents and raw materials interest me. And when I discover a material, I want to take it as far as possible, knead it, work it, experiment with it. I want to take it wherever I like, coaxing it and pushing its limits. So yes, I like to make green notes warm, woods liquid, and flowers hostile.

There is a real sense of connectivity between fashion and beauty in your work. How did this fragrance come to fruition?
Well, it all started from the vision I have of the Hermès man, and this vision was deeply inspired by Hermès Men’s Universe Artistic Director Véronique Nichanian’s work. I have watched her work closely because what she does really touches me, and I find a lot of similarities between what she does and what I do.

Véronique likes to work with hi-tech materials. She works a lot on zips, for example, and at the same time likes to work with her materials by using all the Japanese weaving looms. I, myself, really like to work in the same way that brings together high technology and tradition.

What many people have described as “physical perfumery”.

It is very difficult to explain, but when it comes to Véronique’s collections, I can actually touch the materials just by using my eyes. With my own eyes, I can feel the texture of the fabrics and the leathers that she uses - it’s really extraordinary.

So, when I work with materials I like to talk about textures when describing my perfumes. In her clothes, she likes to work in little hidden details. For example, in some trousers she adds pockets made out of lambskin. It is just for fun, actually. The customer gets this sensual feeling when he puts his own hands in his pockets. I really like this way of doing things.

So, when I work, I also like to add details, tactile details, and the Hermès man is a man who is very urban and he is living in his own time. He is in motion, and when we see him, he is very fluid. For me, it was immediately obvious. I didn’t want to work on woody scents like most of the men's fragrances in general. I wanted to start from a botanical base because it has real strength.

I had the same picture coming back over and over again in my mind. I could see little shoots of plants breaking through the earth, very, very fragile, but growing very suddenly, very quickly. I believe the Hermès man has this botanical strength and this is what is expressed in the perfume.

What opportunities have you explored with the freedom Hermès has granted you and how has it changed you as a perfumer?
I create perfumes which uphold all the values of Hermès and I focus on the materials because here in Hermès, material is really at the center of what we do.

I can honestly say that in the world today, I am one of the only perfumers who is really doing the work of a genuine perfumer. I am free because I am not briefed, I am not asked to create a specific perfume in such-and-such a way. All I am told is, "What about thinking of a garden or a perfume for men?", and that is it.

I am also free when it comes to costs. I am free to choose the materials I want to use. I can go and get them anywhere in the world, I am never told no, but what is maybe most important and what really distinguishes Hermès, is the fact that I really have the time and the perfume is ready once it is ready and not before. So never, ever are there any market studies or focus groups on the perfumes that I create.

What is a market test anyway? You have a choice between two perfumes, you ask people to smell the two perfumes, and they say what they think of them. Then you choose the perfume that actually satisfies most people. So very often, you take away the little touches that make a perfume special. I always say that the most perfect man or woman in the world is not always the person we remember. Who do we remember? We remember the person with the small details that distinguishes him or her from all the others. This small difference is what I am given, and I embrace it and I enjoy total freedom while creating.

Masculinity and the male identity have evolved particularly over the last few years. How is this fragrance contributing to the dialogue?
I firmly believe that fragrances have no gender, any more than colors, sounds and tastes do. They are works of art, and as such are not created specifically for women or for men, but for humanity. Society has created codes that we find it very difficult to escape from. These codes are frames of reference that help us live in a world that is becoming increasingly complex. In oriental and Indian cultures, rose or patchouli are worn abundantly by men. And it’s beautiful. It is not the fragrance that dictates the gender, because a fragrance becomes masculine on a man’s skin and feminine on a woman’s skin. It exists in itself, not in relation to its destination. We just have to dare to be bold, trust our instincts and try things out.

So, I would be happy if H24 was worn by a woman.

How is technology transforming the industry and the creative process?
First of all, I don’t want to pit the natural against the synthetic. Man and nature coexist in fragrance in the same way that man coexists with innovative technology today. Disruption, revolution and transformation are all part of everyday life. New methods for extracting materials, new molecules and tools for understanding and analyzing materials have shaken up the way fragrance is designed. The analogy with textiles is interesting in this respect. If we compare it to the work of a dressmaker, it’s like the creator who will only use silk, wool, linen or cotton - all the most natural of materials. These collections, these clothes would not have the same hold, or the same volumes and lines. Synthetics bring another rhythm, a true modernity, a different drape and feel.

Today, H24 expresses its potential through natural materials combined with synthetic notes that are recreated by biotechnology with the greatest respect for nature. We can no longer sidestep social or environmental concerns. That much is certain. I therefore consider this progress as a real opportunity for creativity and a truly virtuous choice.

How have current world events changed your perspective on life and have they made you re-think your role as a perfumer and your creative approach in any way?
My job is the best one in the world. It is the most beautiful profession in the world. It has nothing to do with reasoning, but it is so full of life.

I create in my own head so whether I am confined, whether there is a lockdown or not, I think of a smell and I write down a formula. So, I can create continuously anywhere, whatever the circumstances.

I am not limited by confinement, but today sense can bear another meaning because, first of all, we are all wearing masks, we are hidden behind masks and perfume is very important because it expresses who you are without being visible.

You are not deterred by challenges and difficulties. What are some of the challenges you have set for yourself for the future?
When I blend materials, I always try to find new textures, new sensations, a third smell, and it is sort of a quest and I am not done yet. I am always really excited about my profession.

So, what are my challenges? Creating something beautiful - there are no miracles. I don't want to do anything just to be seen as being original. We are all human beings, I create for human beings, and I want people to say, "I feel good", "I need it", "It talks to me", "It speaks to me", and when I have no more ideas I will just stop. The nose is beautiful because it is the only organ of the whole body which never gets old. The cells in the nose keep regenerating.

What is the underlying message you want to convey with all your creations?
I think perfume is very important because it is reassuring, it is invisible and it is linked to instinct. Unfortunately, today we don't use our own senses enough, and I think that we should use our instincts more to live. I think perfume can help us.