He Can Leave His Hat On: Exclusive Interview with Romano Ricci, Owner and Perfumer for Juliette Has a Gun

I have interviewed Romano Ricci, the founder and now perfumer of Juliette Has a Gun on several occasions. He is the grandson of Robert Ricci, the founder of the Nina Ricci fragrance empire, and the great grandson of the iconic couturier Nina Ricci; fragrance and style is in his DNA. He has matured as a man and as a serious perfumer. He honors the birthright of his legacy, but followed his own path. With his newest fragrance Calamity J, (which in my opinion is his best Juliette yet) he may just prove that he is one of the most promising perfumers of the 21st century.
 

 
Rebonjour Romano…Where were you born and  please share with us some memories  of your childhood?
 
Romano Ricci: I was born in Paris and spent most of my childhood using the factory of Parfums Nina Ricci as a playground! At the age of 10, my grandfather taught me how to recognize the different notes and how fragrances were produced. I was very proud of him.

What is your first olfactive memory?
 
Romano Ricci: My first olfactive memory is the smell of L’Air du Temps which perfumed the whole family factory! I really enjoyed this gardenia note that today, makes me feel at home… I have also a very strong memory about my grandfather’s perfume. I remember him, his house, his clothes smelled of Signoricci. It was a sensual and masculine fragrance. To my point of view, one of the best male fragrance ever.
 

Growing up a Ricci, was there any pressure put on you to follow in your grandfather's footsteps?

Romano Ricci: I never had pressure from my family. I was very young when I got initiated to perfumery by my grandfather and I have always been very sensitive to scents in general. It came from my education I guess and even though I have other passions such as car racing which I practiced several years, I came back to perfumery because I know it is my way to express myself. My grandfather shared with me his passion but that was it. My adventure with Juliette today only involves me, and my need to create scents.
 
Where did you study perfumery?

Romano Ricci: I never studied perfumery at school; I went to a business school and entered the perfumery industry at very young age as a product manager. No one there knew who I was or of my family connection. I worked there for eight years. I learnt a lot from my grandfather and from a lot of perfumers I worked with during this time.

 
The burning question: why did you name the company Juliette has a Gun?
 
Romano Ricci: Working 10 years into the perfumery field, I have always thought that modern perfumery was kind of shy… I wanted to offer to modern women a new universe: lost between romance and desire of independence, Juliette is armed because she affirms her personality. Juliette stands for the romantic heroine of Shakespeare; the ’gun’ is her weapon of seduction… her perfume of course.
 
Why are your fragrances are called "episodes?"

Romano Ricci: My fragrances show the different life stages of Juliette. At first she is romantic and full of illusions (Miss Charming), then she asserts her personality and becomes more of a rebel (Lady Vengeance)! Next, she is mature enough to understand that sensuality is a real power (Citizen Queen) and finally our Juliette reveals her animal instinct (Calamity J).    
 
Please talk about the evolution of the brand from its debut with Lady Vengeance to Calamity J)?
 

Romano Ricci: At first, I launched my perfumes only in France, but we immediately received a lot of inquiries  from around the world. The whole story evolved to be much greater and I worked harder and deeper into exploring the concept, confident that it would seduce women and the men who around them.
 
Today, we have a presence in 45 countries and 1000 hand picked concept stores, niche perfumeries and department stores.

When you hired Francis Kurkdjian for Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance, explain the collaborative process. Was Francis a ‘gun’ for hire?

You were a race car driver and also someone who enjoys the night life. When did you say, “OK, now I am ready to be a serious perfumer?”

Romano Ricci: I am still fond of car racing and  practice as much as possible, and I still enjoy night life, but they are not the focus of my life.
 
But you are totally right, running a company takes a lot of time and a 24/7 personal commitment, so have I become more serious. I launched Juliette has a Gun three years ago because at that time I felt mature enough to begin my own company.
 
I see perfumery as an Art, and as any other art you have ‘codes’ to be aware of. But as a creator, my role is to break some of them. 

Are you and Erwin Creed, (the seventh generation of the House of CREED), still good friends? How did you meet?

Romano Ricci: Erwin and I grew up together in a little village near Fontainebleau and we are still very close friends today. Working in the same business is quite funny…when we travel we spy on each others distributors.
 
Please share with us how you met  Lou Doillon, the daughter of actress and singer Jane Birkin, who is  your  ‘muse’  for Calamity J? When you first launched Lady Vengeance, (and I was there), I remember there was a lot of  blah blah blogging that you were  just a rich kid playing with perfume. Almost 3 years later, your fragrances are outselling and outperforming so many others... do you feel vindicated?
 
Romano Ricci: I think that there are very few things in my life as enjoyable as that actually... Year after year, it brings me more confidence and more energy. It's just keeps getting better and better.
 
I noticed the last time we met you were drinking Veuve Clicqot champagne with ice… What’s with the ice?

Romano Ricci: I like breaking rules! 

 
Please share with us how you Lou Doillon, the daughter of actress and singer Jane Birkin, who is now the ‘muse’ of Calamity J?

Romano Ricci: I met Lou at a party.  While we were talking, I realized she was wearing Lady Vengeance and asked her about it and she confirmed that she was indeed a fan. After revealing my identity, I told her about my latest episode on Juliette – a fragrance inspired by Calamity Jane.

Lou was so excited by this and told me, that coincidentally that she was actually researching Calamity Jane she for a theater monologue. So it happened very organically that she became the face of the brand.

No top notes…why?
 
Romano Ricci: I wanted to create this fragrance differently from all my others…without traditional top notes (i.e. bergamot, lemon) in the scent. In this way Calamity J is a different Juliette than in her other life stages.
 
What is in store for 2010? At one time you suggested breaking into fashion design like your great grandmother or will you continue on your path in perfumery?

Romano Ricci: The Calamity J version of the purse bullet should be available next spring, and I am currently working on a limited edition, on a fifth fragrance...
 
Regarding the fashion project, wouldn’t it be cool? I am still working on it and I am really seduced by the challenge but there are profitability issues that we still have to work on. 

 

Please tell me something you never revealed in any of our encounters and interviews...

Romano Ricci: I am a heart to take… :)
 

Images: Juliette Has a Gun, mistress_f

Michelyn Camen is a New York City based writer and consultant who is a former Brandweek Marketer of the Year and Ad Age 100 recipient. She slipped off her power suit to pursue her passion for beauty and fragrance. Camen is a fragrance specialist and the owner of FifthSense N.Y.C., where she consults for niche luxury, fashion, beauty and fragrance companies.