To visualise the composition of a fragrance, perfumers use an olfactory pyramid split into three parts: the top notes, the heart notes, and the base notes, with each third performing a collaborative dance with the other. This is very similar to the synergistic approach used by Acne Studios co-founder Jonny Johansson and leading ‘perfume publisher’ Frédéric Malle, along with perfumer Suzy Le Helley, to produce the Swedish fashion brand’s first fragrance.
‘I received a handwritten letter from Frédéric, inviting me for a couple of meetings in France,’ says Johansson. ‘I don’t really get handwritten letters that often – nobody does, sadly. It was a beautiful one: Frédéric explains design in poems or words, and you see pictures. I had been wearing his fragrances for years, and I like the experience of collaborating with interesting people for the sake of the people, not the product. Although I will say: I like this product, and I think we did a good job.’
