JEANNE RIDEAU + USAGE MAGAZINE interview
LOUIS CANADAS photography

On the occasion of Vilhelm Parfumerie’s opening of its first Parisian address on 58 rue Pierre Charon, Usage Magazine went to meet his founder Jan Vilhelm for a conversation. More than a modern Mr.Gatsby, its approach to perfumery is as creative than visionary through a blend of references from jazz to architecture or movies to art to name a few.

Born is Sweden but living in Paris, Jan Vilhelm is an authentic gentlemen, doing everything with elegance, gentleness, and heart. This uncompromised kindness allows him to create through a rich and creative vocabulary this singular world, where everything is possible and where everyone is invited.

UM    Each Vilhelm fragrance draws inspiration from memories in specific places, as well as in jazz music, old Hollywood, film noir, Italian filmography. Have you been recently inspired by a story or a piece of art?
JV     Yes recently it’s been mostly movies and mostly rewatching again Wes Anderson wonderful movies. The best of the best for me however are Federico Fellini movies. I even created a perfume called “Basilico & Fellini” to celebrate the work of this genius.



UM    Fragrances have this incredible power to provoke feelings, emotions and memories. Could you describe a wearer of Vilhelm Parfumerie fragrances?
JV     Well obviously, the wearer has great taste! Not following trends just choosing by heart!



UM    The boozy party-loving era of the Roaring Twenties was brilliantly described in Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, which is one of your inspirations for Chicago High. What scent from Vilhelm Parfumerie’s collection do you think will suit the mysterious character like Mr. Jay Gatsby himself?
JV     Chicago High fragrance would fit him so perfectly! Dazzling, chic and rich! Otherwise Morning Chess and Smoke Show would work well, too.



UM    Did you ever thought or dream about what could happen if you have launched Vilhelm in the 20’s?
JV      I always said Vilhelm Parfumerie is like Pierre Cardin stepping into a spaceship that he boards in the 1920’s and then takes off into the future! But I never actually thought what would have been if Vilhelm launched in the 1920’s. It would have been completely different story and may be I would not call it Vilhelm Parfumerie.



UM    Through Vilhelm Parfumerie, you’re creating a link between the 20’s and the 21st century. Upon you, what are the common points of both periods? In your vision, what are the lacks or improvements that 100 years brought into the perfume world on the business but also on the creative side?
JV     At the moment I think the creativity is bubbling and is ready to explode once the countries reopen. People have been locked inside and can’t wait to come out and express themselves. Reminds me of Roaring 20’s after the 1st World War and Spanish Flu. Everything went nuts. Will be interesting to see how people will behave now. Time will show. And, disconnected from pandemics, the main improvement in my opinion is the scent has become completely unisex today, especially in the niche perfumery. It really depends on your personal feeling!



UM    If you were to choose one era, one city, one time of day, and one person, what those choices will be?
JV     Place des Vosges, with my family, my wife Stina and daughter Vivienne. Any time, as long as we are together.

On the occasion of Vilhelm Parfumerie’s opening of its first Parisian address on 58 rue Pierre Charon, Usage Magazine went to meet his founder Jan Vilhelm for a conversation. More than a modern Mr.Gatsby, its approach to perfumery is as creative than visionary through a blend of references from jazz to architecture or movies to art to name a few.

Born is Sweden but living in Paris, Jan Vilhelm is an authentic gentlemen, doing everything with elegance, gentleness, and heart. This uncompromised kindness allows him to create through a rich and creative vocabulary this singular world, where everything is possible and where everyone is invited.

UM    If you could describe Vilhelm Parfumerie’s DNA into one sentence, what would you say?
JV     Ode to the past and the future!



UM    Vilhelm Parfumerie gathers several themed collections of fragrances. What would be your inspiration and creative process if you were to develop a new fragrance collection for Vilhelm Parfumerie imminently?
JV     I would develop a new collection inspired by Chet Baker visiting Salvador Dalí in Cadaqués. Baker playing on his trumpet as Dalí is painting to it and finds new shapes based on the notes coming from his trumpet. From this I would create scents inspired by Cadaqués and images based on characters above. It is difficult to describe all the creative process but it’s a lot of things happening in my head, there is a part of imagination, part of real things. I usually try to mix quite different notes to create a very unusual scent. But I really need to imagine the story of each perfume in its smallest details. My scents start from a story.



UM    Vilhelm Parfumerie just open its first store in Paris although the brand is present in many niche stores. What do you find the most exciting and the most challenging about launching this store?
JV     The most exciting is of course to see it come to life! All these small details that I feel is the brand. I’m so happy to share this. I can’t wait people to really discover our scents and universe. This boutique is a real mix of modernity and the past, even if I know that it sounds quite contradictory. But this is what Vilhelm Parfumerie is about. The main challenge was to maintain the project going in spite of what is happening in the world now. We also had to postpone in because Paris was more closed than open the past year. The most exciting part was to work with everyone who made this project possible!



UM    Vilhelm unique bottle design is the result of your collaboration with french renewed fragrance designer Pierre Dinand. How did the collaboration started and how did you approach the making of the design with him?
JV     I took a flight from New York to Paris and basically knocked on his studio door and asked him to do a low shape bottle like ice hockey puck with yellow cap with a vintage feel mixed with something new. It was a real honor to work with him.



UM    Would you have any olfactive memory from Paris to share with us?
JV     Paris is so rich with scents and has always been. The strongest one is when I arrived as a young model to Paris and went for a stroll to Tuileries gardens. It was just in the end of summer. I still remember that smell of flowers. And with all the beauty around it, it seemed even more fascinating.