The sad news of Mona di Orio’s passing at the end of last year came as a shock to all who knew her. Her passionate approach to fragrance, coupled with her warm and hospitable personality, won her many friends both in and outside the industry that she had worked in for almost 25 years. Through her own perfume house, which she founded in 2004, she endeavoured to produce fragrances that all could embrace, using the highest quality ingredients combined with a passionate understanding of composition.

In a conversation with Mona last year our Lifestyle Editor discussed the condition of the modern fragrance market and a number of the recent additions to her own perfume line.

Interview: John Francis Bowyer
Location: Les Senteurs, London
Images: John Francis Bowyer

The Conversation…

Mona: So you’re a perfume lover?

John: Yes, for many reasons. The evocative nature and the idea of capturing locations in a smell appeal to me greatly.

M: You live in London?

J: Yes. It has some great perfume shops, such as Les Senteurs.

M: There aren’t many shops like this in London. It’s the same in France; department stores are taking over from the smaller niche perfume stores. They advocate mainstream perfumery and meeting targets drives the sales.

J: Do you think that’s happening more now in perfumery?

M: Yes, it’s really sad. There are two worlds in perfumery: perfume de niche and department stores. The department store staff don’t offer the same service as you would get in a small store. They just want to make a quick sale. Customers are also manipulated by the marketing for these mainstream fragrances.

J: I recently did a study on the identity of the male in perfume adverts. Men are more likely to buy a fragrance if they like the campaign, rather then locate a unique scent for themselves. If they like the actor they’ll buy the product.

M: People can be like that as the glamour of the actor appeals to them, and some people buy a product because of that appeal and not the nose of the scent. It’s important for me to keep my freedom when composing. I’ve seen the approach to factory produced fragrances and it’s boring. For me, to make a perfume is like making a piece of art. It’s not meant to be an easy process.