24 May 2022

CHOPARD IMPERIALE IRIS MALIKA, AN ESSENCE FIT FOR A QUEEN

Malika means queen in Arabic, and it is to today’s aspirational women that this new fragrance pays tribute. The first of a new collection of perfumes to come named Chopard IMPERIALE and the beginning of a wonderful story...  

Like all Chopard luxury fragrances, Iris Malika was inspired by the Maison’s jewellery creations and is the olfactory counterpart of the IMPERIALE High Jewellery Collection, voluptuous jewellery created for women – contemporary empresses – who own their power.

Amethyst plays the leading role in this precious anthology, whence comes the purple colour of the precious glass bottle, which - like the luxury jewellery collection - unfurls the majesty of its voluptuous forms and arabesques. Just like the perfume itself.

The iris is a proud flower that comes in a multitude of species and plays with time. One should never be in a hurry to see it bloom, nor to extract its perfume. It was the symbol of victory for the kings of France and under Louis VII, the iris became the "Fleur de Louis", then over time, the "Fleur de Luce" and finally the "Fleur de lys", symbol of royalty. 

It is said that the beautiful Simonetta Vespucci, the muse of Sandro Botticelli and many other artists, used irises as a fragrance. Catherine de Medici used it to perfume her gloves, along with "Cyprian Fledgling", for which she started a fashion. 

The iris usually blooms between April and June. However, what interests perfumers is not the majestic yet almost odourless flower, but its root: the rhizome. It is here, in this ungainly bulb, that irone is concentrated, a delicious olfactory molecule that develops and strengthens with time, and which enhances a perfume so successfully. 

Dora Baghriche was born in Algiers, a city that has influenced her olfactory universe and her spirit. "Algiers is a land of mixtures and everything blends together harmoniously. I lived in a Moorish-style villa with Western elements. I was confronted with several cultures: Ottoman, Roman, Arab-Moorish, everything coexists. This has influenced my way of understanding smells and associating them. I don't like clichés. In Algiers, there is a spirit of challenge. I used to regard it as a burden, now I take it as a gift: I create with a free spirit” she explains. 

Her olfactory universe is made up of recurring scents including very powerful ones such as jasmine, which perfumed the garden of the house in which she grew up in Algiers. She likes to work with the milky scents that she associates with the love of her grandmothers, both chefs. She crafts them in an unexpected manner. Unexpected is a word that suits her well. The scents of pine, cypress, as with all smells from the Mediterranean, reassure her, as does orange blossom. "When I was little we used to sprinkle it everywhere: in cradles, cakes, plates or hair” she says. 

If one were to define her hallmark, it would be freedom. Dora Baghriche loves contrasting, innovative combinations. To start a perfume, she chooses a duo of materials that have different textures and smells and weaves her creation. She enjoys bringing an element of surprise and making certain parts of our very being quiver. Defining her perfumes might involve adjectives such as ‘passionate’ and ‘unrestrained’.