Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Founded 2009 · Paris, France · Francis Kurkdjian and Marc Chaya

Francis Kurkdjian was twenty-five when he composed Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Mâle, and spent fifteen years signing hits for other houses before opening his own in 2009. Baccarat Rouge 540 is the most recognisable — and most cloned — niche perfume of the century.

History

Kurkdjian, a Frenchman of Armenian descent, entered the trade by the classical route and in 1995 composed Le Mâle, which became one of the best-selling masculines in history. Over the following decade he signed for Dior, Burberry, Elizabeth Arden and Guerlain. In 2009 he founded his own house with the businessman Marc Chaya. The turning point was 2015: Baccarat Rouge 540, originally commissioned for the 250th anniversary of the Baccarat glassworks, became a phenomenon — saffron, jasmine and an unmistakable sweet-amber accord — and is today the reference dozens of Arabic houses chase. In 2017 LVMH bought a majority of the house.

Iconic models

Baccarat Rouge 540 (2015)
Saffron and amber. The most recognisable and most cloned niche perfume of the century.
Grand Soir (2016)
A benzoin and vanilla amber, the house's other pillar.
Aqua Universalis
A clean citrus; the opposite end of the catalogue.

Worth knowing

Baccarat Rouge 540 was commissioned for a glassworks' 250th anniversary, not to be sold in shops. It ended up as the perfume that defines the whole category.