An aromatic heritage
The House of Creed continues to make hand-crafted perfumes
As the seventh-generation perfumer of the eponymous, prestige fragrance house, Erwin Creed is both the newest ambassador for the brand as well as a “nose,” alongside his father Olivier, master perfumer.
Before his visit to Vancouver this week, The Sun spoke to Creed about the family business and how the family has carefully retained the centuries-old traditions of creating beautiful, luxurious scents.
Q The Creed fragrance brand is more than 250 years old and still, remarkably, a family business. How has that been achieved?
A I can tell you we are special in many ways, but mostly our tradition. We are constantly seeking out the purest elements from around the world to con- tinue the true art of perfume making.
Q The fragrances are still hand-crafted. Can you describe the process?
A Each scent is still weighed, mixed, macerated and filtered by hand today — the same way since we started more than 250 years ago. In our industry — that is unique. Today, a lot of brands use a very commercial process. In an effort to continue the tradition of our signature artisanal process, we are building a new facility that will be ready later this year.
Q Does Creed grow any of its own ingredients? If not, how do you source ingredients?
A While we don’t grow our own ingredients, we do have some farmers with whom we grow our specific ingredients on their land. Additionally, we have very special partners around the world who grow the very best for us.
Q What are the production levels of Creed compared to other mass market brands?
A We do not mass produce fragrances. In order to have a true luxury juice, all fragrances are done in small batches by hand. It’s like making fresh natural orange juice or wine — both are much better when they are not mass produced.
Q Where do you get your inspiration from?
A My father. It’s really extraordinary to have the opportunity to learn from a master perfumer. He is a true artist and to work alongside him is the ultimate inspiration.
Q Tell us about the most recent collection? Why five fragrances?
A The Acqua Originale Collection was inspired by my father’s travels around the world. Whenever he returns from a place he’s visited, he wants to bottle its scent. That’s how the collection was born. It’s also very hard to launch just one fragrance at a time. If you launch a collection, it allows you to show the range of scent and gives the clients more options — say for both men and women.
Q Does Creed still make bespoke fragrances?
A We still do have some commissioned clients — which is a very time-consuming process, but now, we make more bespoke scents for our department store partners. We did one for Harrod’s in years past.
Q Which historical bespoke fragrances created for royalty are still private?
A Many are still private. I can’t divulge the names out of respect for their families’ privacy.
Q Do you have a favourite Creed fragrance?
A Although I’ve worked with my father on the development of Love in White, Fleurs de Gardenia, Virgin Island Water, Original Vetiver, Sublime Vanille and the bottle of Himalaya, it’s important as a creator to not have a favourite; otherwise, you’ll be influenced all the time by that one accord. It’s like having many children and not showing favourites. It’s one of the hardest things as a creator to be completely neutral.
Q Was there ever anything else you wanted to do career-wise or did you always know that you would be a perfumer?
A When I was very young, I wanted to be a Formula One driver. Step by step, I fell in love with the art of perfumery and this beautiful brand. It’s always a challenge to keep the customers happy and respect each of them. By being a part of the brand, it’s my way of respecting the customer and striving to give them the best art. We never jeopardize the integrity of the brand and to always be driven by art — that’s most important to us.
Q This is your first public Canadian appearance. Why now?
A I really wanted to see and connect with our customers. It’s such a pleasure to connect and hear their feedback. In today’s industry, it’s also important to show them that we’re still a family business. There are so many brands that are no longer family-driven (when they say they are) and do not have a hands-on approach. We do, and I think it’s so important to share that with our customers.