Elegant Olfactory Dreams

For the Maria Perello perfume, the notes of violet and orange blossom are highlighted by bergamot and jasmine, enhanced by sandalwood and white musk. photos: Parfums Henry Jacques

French Haute Perfumery Maison Henry Jacques has over the decades preserved its savoir-faire and incredible refinement, enriching its strong heritage with new encounters and pioneering ideas.

Defying convention through the crafting of prototypes and concepts, the maison has prided itself as the best of bespoke luxury in fragrances, from its exceptional masterpieces, the innovative Clic-Clac solid perfumes, and the pinnacle of Haute Parfumerie, Les Sur-Mesures, or Bespoke.

More recently, Henry Jacques partnered with tennis superstar Rafael Nadal and his wife Maria Perello to create a unique fragrance collection, called “In All Intimacy”.

They worked with the maison to bring three fragrances to life, which are entirely reflective of their personalities.

The collaboration marked many “firsts” – a first for Henry Jacques to partner with an icon, a first for Nadal to collaborate with a perfume house, and a first for the couple whose love story began almost 20 years ago to join forces on such a project.

Nadal's first scent is the combination of specific notes which lead to an essence subtly balanced with coriander, thyme, violet, lavender, lemon and artemisia.

The story of Nadal’s passion for life is told through two unique creations, a lighter scent for when he is in character playing tennis, the other for his more personal and private moments, staying true to the maison’s spirit of creating a perfume wardrobe with a fragrance for every occasion.

For the scents, inspiration was taken from his strong connection with the Mediterranean.

“It is difficult to imagine my life without the Mediterranean Sea. I love its scent, the citrus, the freshness,” Nadal explained.

Water was not the only element Nadal drew on; his relationship with nature and earth was clear.

“To me, there is nothing like the scent of the earth after the rain, when the sun sets,” he added.

Nadal’s first scent is the combination of specific notes which lead to an essence subtly balanced with coriander, thyme, violet, lavender, lemon and artemisia – a plant from the Mediterranean basin honouring the player’s roots, complemented by an alliance of cedar wood, leather and sandalwood.

His second fragrance is poetically linked with that of his partner through bergamot, jasmine flower, lilac, rose and white musk; notes of citrus, freesia and sandalwood complete the link.

Rafael Nadal

For the Maria Perello perfume, the notes of violet and orange blossom are highlighted by bergamot and jasmine, enhanced by sandalwood and white musk; a soft and silky musicality for a strong committed woman, especially through her work with the Nadal Foundation.

“For me, it is important for my perfume to become part of my identity, to be recognisable and to perfectly match my personality. I envisioned this fragrance as a sense of security, self-confidence, uniqueness, strength and completeness. I really wanted it to smell like elegance, and more importantly, happiness,” she said.

A collaboration borne from bespoke culture

For decades, Henry Jacques has been creating perfumes for major clients, of whom some are “recognised figures”, which have never been put forward into the public eye.

This collaboration with Nadal and Perello is in a way, highlighting this activity which has remained hidden for a long time.

“The ‘In All Intimacy’ collection is a great way to move ahead and share our beautiful profession, our sense of beauty, fine craftsmanship and our brand with a greater audience,” said Henry Jacques CEO Anne-Lise Cremona in a Q&A provided by the maison.

The process of crafting a fragrance involves close exchanges and the sharing of emotions with mutual trust.

With Nadal and Perello, it was a real joint effort in which the couple invested a lot of themselves, she said.

It all began with a meeting where the couple expressed their desire to create a bespoke perfume together, brought to life by Henry Jacques.

This was followed by several consultations, and once it is finalised, the future of the perfume is decided by mutual agreement.

“Often, it will remain in our archives, for life. In the case of Maria and Rafael and our ‘In All Intimacy’ collection, they have decided to share their perfumes via our boutiques and offer us ‘in all intimacy’ a window into their life,” said Cremona, adding that the development took some time as the tennis champion understandably had a very busy schedule.

“Maria also had a very specific and unique idea of her perfume. We had to discover and grow together. I never wanted to rush things, I wanted it to be and always remain, above all, fun for everyone.

Maria Perello

“Hence, we’ve adapted to each other, and it took about two years. With hindsight, this was the time needed to create deep connection and accuracy. Today, we have a beautiful and authentic story to share,” she said.

To translate elements of one’s personality into a specific scent is the type of challenge in which the maison thrives.

Perfume is above all about emotions, and it has to be perfectly balanced to create subtle harmony using multiple components.

“Expectations and desires are never formulated in components but in sensations, emotions and, in Rafael and Maria’s case, memories,” explained Cremona. “This is where sharing and listening are essential, where the approach must be sincere and there must be total trust.

“On our side, it really is the work of an artist, to compose, to refine a piece of art that aims to represent someone’s personality. What a challenge! I often refer to the olfactory memory, it being the human being’s most powerful one. In the case of Rafael, he lives in the present moment, his perfume accompanies him and helps him recentre.”

“For Maria, the process took a little longer, she was looking for a perfume that would bring her security, confidence, and happiness...a perfume that would be part of her personality. No particular flowers, no specific notes have ever been mentioned,” she said.

United in excellence and resilience

As with high-level sports like tennis, Henry Jacques shares the same codes of transforming challenges into great strength, tirelessly bouncing back over the years and accepting to exist in the shadows in order to be able to always push the limits of its art.

According to Cremona, haute perfumery has a very strong link with excellence, exceeding expectations, and resilience, much like the sport.

Maria Perello in Les Brumes (75ml) and Les Classiques (15ml).

“Both worlds are worlds of exception and rarity. There is in tennis just like at HJ, ease, elegance and human values that Rafa represents wonderfully,” she said.

Over the process of creating the fragrances, a strong bond was formed between the couple and Cremona, with the latter finding inspiration in the values the couple shares.

“Maria, for example, has a personality that I find fascinating and very inspiring. She knows how to make herself rare, she knows how to protect herself and her family with incredible strength and consistency. She is so feminine but also so strong. I really like her independent spirit. She knew how to find her place next to a great champion. She is very invested in the foundation and works a lot for it,” she said.

“As for Rafael, his personality today is made of humility and resilience. This inspires the greatest respect in me, and I see a link with our history. ‘Haute’ perfumery, as we live it, has a very strong link with excellence, surpassing oneself, and being resilient.”

“Rafael plays tennis with ease, elegance and numerous other human values that he represents wonderfully. The fact that Maria and Rafael vigorously guard their privacy is also very inspiring.

On their end, Nadal and Perello were touched by the maison’s exclusivity and rarity.

“Just like us, they appreciate solid, long-lasting stories,” said Cremona.