Azzi Glasser has revolutionised the fragrance industry with her innovative approach, crafting unique scents that tell exciting stories. Her work at The Perfumer’s Story with high-profile clients and renowned fashion houses highlights her talent for creating memorable, personalised fragrances that are featured on platforms like Liberty London.
hube: Your journey in the fragrance industry has been marked by innovation and rebellion against tradition. What motivated you to challenge the status quo, and how has this mindset shaped your approach to perfumery?
Azzi Glasser: Having entered the perfume industry in the early 90s, over 30 years ago, I was shocked to learn how it was driven by marketing teams rather than creativity and perfumers. The marketing departments would dictate the trends for the perfumers to follow. It all seemed quite backwards to me. Having just gone through the 80s trend of perfumes that were powerful and walked through the door before you did, such as Poison, Giorgio, Obsession, etc., to the new 90s trend of light, watery and bland, where the concept was also colourless with beige and pale being the main themeы with launches such as CK1 and Issey Miyake – everywhere! – and they didn’t last on the skin, but with a price point that was luxury, of course.
The raison d’être had disappeared. I took a gamble with my first launch of Agent Provocateur’s debut signature perfume. I wanted to create a perfume that didn’t follow trends but personified the concept of the brand. In this case – feminine, sensual, powerful and full of confidence. I brought back the Chypre in a modern edgy direction in perfume, where not only was the perfume powerful and made a statement but left a sophisticated, rich aroma wherever it went. I wanted heads to turn and notice the provocative power that perfume holds. Launched in 2000, it won countless awards, went straight to No.1 in sales and then launched in 60 countries, a great start for the millennium.
h: As a Creative Director at a remarkably young age and later as a co-founder of successful fragrance brands like Agent Provocateur and Bella Freud, what were some of the most valuable lessons you learned early in your career?
AG: The most valuable lesson I learnt was to understand that everyone wants to be successful, so if you believe you have a way of executing that, even if it is not part of the system or adhering to the so-called rules, then break those boundaries and do it. If you are successful, you make others successful, too. Therefore, the rules are forgotten and the journey begins. The story is told and celebrated.
h: Your bespoke fragrance business has attracted an impressive list of iconic clients. Could you share some insights into the process of creating personalised scents for individuals like Hollywood A-listers and musicians? How does the process look?
AG: I started my business a few decades ago and it was a secret club with Hollywood’s elite. I started to work with actors on their signature scents as they wanted to have fragrances that represented who they were in real life and scents that would also get them into their roles in films. Helena Bonham Carter was my first actress and we worked on films such as Harry Potter, Great Expectations, Dark Shadows and The Crown. Johnny Depp was my first actor, working on many films where the scents I created would resonate with his role in a true and extremely powerful way on set. The idea isn’t always to smell great, but to smell real. Recently, as an example, I worked with Jude Law on his latest film, Firebrand, in which he plays the repulsive Henry VIII and smells of gout, pus, blood and poo! There are so many stories to be told here from Laura Linney playing the goodie and the baddie, switching roles every other day on Broadway, to Douglas Booth smelling of vodka and cocaine in his role as Nikki Sixx in The Dirt.
When I created Cindy Crawford’s signature perfume, the process was difficult as it was a surprise gift from her husband, Rande Gerber, and the first thing he said was that Cindy hated most perfumes and didn’t wear any. So, when she smelt the scent I created for her for the first time and I watched her absolutely love it, it was a vision I will never forget. This is the true beauty of perfume.
h: You’ve worked closely with designers and fashion houses, including Alexander McQueen and Jasper Conran, to create fragrances that complement their collections. How do you ensure that your scents harmonise with their creative visions? Or do you always aim to bring something completely new?
AG: I first worked with Lee McQueen for his iconic Spring fashion show in 1999 when the robots came out and spray painted the iconic wedding dress. The scent Lee wanted me to create was a singular note of sensuality. I chose jasmine that had a sensual warm accord, strong, provocative and memorable. I created 1000 candles which were lit along the runway, amplifying the scent of sensuality in the air. It was a great moment of British creativity captured.
I then went on to work with Jasper Conran, Nicole Farhi and Bella Freud, to name a few, each with their own unique story to be told through fragrances that would represent their brand and not necessarily follow trends. Jasper Conran’s perfume range was a massive hit, for example, as it elevated his creativity to a world outside of fashion.
h: The connection between scent and emotion is central to your work. Could you tell us more about how you navigate this relationship to create fragrances that resonate with people on an emotional level?
AG: The sense of smell is one of the most powerful senses, you can’t see it or touch it, but you purely emotionally feel it. It can even be manipulative at times. My world is scent and it has different layers to the perception of it. Not only do I work with fashion designers, actors and artists but also with the world of hospitality. I remember when Andre Balazs commissioned me to create the scent for the Chiltern Firehouse 10 years ago when it hadn’t even been built yet. It was going to be designed by the brilliant Studio KO – absolute geniuses in what they do. But seeing designs is not enough, I need to understand what the founder wants to create – especially in London, a place I know very well. Creating a new club, restaurant or hotel is hard and if you want to be the biggest and the best, you need to know the depth of the substance, the story and the future that the founder has in mind. I needed to get into the head of Andre Balazs and to know what his vision and his execution would be. Only then can I recreate that in scent.
The Chiltern’s scent will probably be one of the most iconic scents in hospitality. I receive so many messages about how the scent has captured people’s hearts – from directors, actors, producers and artists who stay there. They love buying the candles, and they can’t get enough of the scent. It has become a scent that has a meaning and memory to each and every person who visits the Chiltern because it is not like any other scent you will ever smell in the world, as it only represents the Chiltern Firehouse. I remember a famous music producer who works with Kanye West and FKA Twigs saying to me ‘I needed to meet you, as I take the scent you created everywhere I travel in the world’.
h: Launching your own brand, The Perfumer’s Story, must have been a significant milestone in your career. What inspired you to take this step, and what sets your brand apart in the competitive fragrance market?
AG: Reimagining how scent works, the real meaning of it and how it affects people’s emotions and moods has become my life’s work. The fragrance industry has traditionally been driven by the concept of Fragrance Families which means: are you a green fruity floral person? or do you love roses and oud? I have always taken a different approach. The Perfumer’s Story develops fragrances based on character & style. This modern and accessible approach ensures that consumers feel that their fragrance truly personifies them. Scent is one of the most powerful tools and when you get it right, it’s addictive. Nowhere is this approach to fragrance more impactful than in Hollywood, where my client base was formed and where my concept has been tried and tested. I want to help people discover perfumes that they can truly connect to, that represent them – their own scent DNA. The Perfumer’s Story is the first of its kind ever developed in the fragrance industry. When you wear my perfumes, they are head-turners and conversation starters that become addictive.
h: Your collaborations extend beyond traditional boundaries, including creating fragrances for events like the Grammy’s and the opening of the London Design Festival. How do you approach translating the essence of these diverse occasions into scent experiences?
AG: I’ve worked on many memorable events and each is a creative journey. From creating scents for Antony Gormley based on Iron for the RCA to the smell of a Ditch for the Grammys or the Scent of Britain, commissioned by the UK Prime Minister, which was literally the smell of rain on pavements, my goal is always to create a scent that can magically transport one back to memorable moments in time, moments that define us.
h: Analysing how intellect and emotions interact in scent perception and creation: to what extent does our intelligence influence this alongside emotional reactions?
AG: Scent and memory are very closely connected. The emotional reactions that you have to smells are heavily influenced by your sensory memory. Of course, intelligent people tend to have excellent memories, which can make their experience of scents more emotionally rich and impactful. Scent is an overlooked sense and most people don’t have the language to talk about it. For that reason, having knowledge and expertise on scent is very mentally expansive. Creating scents requires creativity and an intuitive kind of intelligence because I am translating people’s personal identities and emotional landscapes into a sensory experience.
h: Looking to the future, what do you envision for the evolution of your brand and your contributions to the fragrance industry?
AG: I have created a niche perfumery house, which is currently in selective distribution. Being branded as Hollywood’s Perfumer is one thing, but I want to expand my creations and my message globally and build a lifestyle perfume brand that is accessible to as many people as possible. The best thing in life is bringing joy to the world, especially in this disruptive world we live in. Everyone wants to look good and smell even better. The fragrance is perfect for the finishing touch when you get it right. Everyone should have a fragrance that represents who they are, who they want to be, and how they resonate with others.
Photography courtesy of THE PERFUMER’S STORY