FRAGRANT PHILOSOPHY
Perfumer Barnabé Fillion takes inspiration from the unlikely
With a background in photography, botany and phytology, the polymath Barnabé Fillion discovered his calling as a perfumer. “I would say sense of smell is not particularly the most important aspect of perfumery but more about creativity,” said Fillion. “Almost everyone can, in some ways, be trained or get accustomed to becoming a good nose. Making blends and creating fragrances however, is a different story.”
His partnership with Aesop previously resulted in making one fragrance at a time. Stretching his imagination, the French perfume designer has now composed three for the new Othertopias collection.
Named Miraceti, Karst and Erémia, inspired by the boat, the shore and the wasteland — three liminal spaces that invite a dialogue with nature and challenge our perceptions.
“In 2017, a philosopher friend of mine and I discussed the idea of heterotopology from different philosophers, and shared these ideas with Dennis Paphitis, the founder of Aesop, and creative director at the time,” he said.
“From this, we began to work on the idea of a perfume collection. This represents the first time we have developed and launched multiple eaux de parfum simultaneously.”
His first composition for Aesop, Marrakech Intense embodies Moroccan vibes and culture. Inspired by Yakushima in Japan, he translated the concept of an Aesop shelter into the woody Hwyl while the floral Rżzu is a tribute to modernist designer Charlotte Perriand and a Japanese garden rose created in her name.
Defined by their juxtapositions, the new and unorthodox Miraceti, Karst and Erémia transport to worlds both real and imagined.
“The Othertopias collection is about the study of interstitial space; it is a piece of research on the boundaries between real
and imagined. The concept served as scaffolding the development of these perfumes,” he explained.
“They are an homage to the work of Gaston Bachelard and many other philosophers and thinkers that have worked with the idea of these spaces that are relative to realities, that are not utopic, but have a connection to mythology or poetry and have this capacity to make us travel and unlock reveries.”
Distinguished by spice and warmth, Miraceti or “The Boat” evokes the serenity and savagery of the sea, with its peaceful yet isolating emptiness disrupted by heady, swirling waves and an oscillating horizon.
Through subtle mineral notes and stormy character, Karst or “The Shore” portrays a landscape sculpted by water and the coming and going of the tide.
Evocative of nature reclaiming the urban wasteland, Erémia or “The Wasteland” features contrasting waxy florals and earthy undertones with powdery musk and the scent of concrete after the rain.
“We wanted to ensure each fragrance is distinctive to what already exists in the Aesop fragrance family. It is challenging to bring uniqueness to each of them and to link them together at the same time,” he said.
“Throughout the development process we assessed each iteration of the formulations individually, but also — importantly — as a collective to ensure that distinctive aroma profiles were achieved, and that each fragrance had a unique character.”
The Othertopias trio is some of the most complex perfumes Fillion has ever made, involving sophisticated ingredients and a number of CO2 extractions.
“In Miraceti, we include chilli leaf, green maté, ambrette and red seaweed, all of which have not been used in an Aesop fragrance before,” he said.
“The red seaweed is a CO2 extraction, so it is a very technical ingredient. We didn’t want to use ambergris, but the idea of using it was important to the perfume’s conception. So by blending together labdanum, styrax, tobacco, ambrette, black pepper, red seaweed and patchouli, it can smell like ambergris.”
Karst’s understated aromatics and fresh spices recall the scent of the air itself, while cumin and sandalwood conjure the salty, metallic notes of a storm rolling in. Key notes in Erémia include galbanum, iris and yuzu, with the bright, citrus tones contrasting with earthy roots.
“A smell, whether in the air, on our skin, or on our clothes, creates a world within our world that is both physical and imagined — a phenomenon that blurs the boundaries of past and present, real and unreal, here and there. A window into nature, so to speak, one that invites a dialogue with surroundings that we inhabit but often overlook,” he said.
“As always, collaborations with Aesop are steered by science and wonder, manifesting in this instance as a journey through spaces that make us engage our senses, ask us to look differently and encourage us to imagine.”