Interview with Linda Pilkington, perfumer and founder of Ormonde Jayne

Ormonde Jayne is a small perfumery founded by Linda Pilkington on November 30th, 2002 in London. "Ormonde" is the name of the road where Linda lives and "Jayne" is her middle name. Ormonde Jayne is not just about fragrances; Linda finds bottle design to be very important (elegant ebony and fiery mandarin), as well as the atmosphere of her boutique. This November Linda has created a new fragrance for men, Zizan, and opened a new boutique in Dubai.

Her first fragrance was Ormonde Woman, which is still very popular among her customers. Now Ormonde Jayne fragrance line includes 11 fragrances: Ormonde Woman, Champaca and Tolu (2002), Frangipani (2003), Ta'if, Sampaquita and Ormonde Man (2004), Isfarkand (2005), Orris Noir and Osmanthus (2006) and the newest Zizan (2008).

Please read more about Ormonde Jayne in the article Ormonde Jayne. Sincere thanks to Linda for participating in this interview:

Fragrantica: First of all, we would like to find out more about your latest perfume for men, Zizan. Where did you find inspiration for it?

Linda Pilkington: Zizan, our latest scent for gentlemen is a result of me, Linda, asking all the men folk who enter our boutique what perfumes, smells, oils they like best. This went on for over a year. I have to say at this point, I usually travel to far-flung places to inspire and source for Ormonde Jayne. However, having just had 2 babies, back to back, I have not traveled, so I needed to find a new way to create the ingredient list for our new perfume.

Most of the men enjoyed Eau Savage by Christian Dior at some point in their lives and this particular fragrance seemed to have been sported by everyone. The other all time favourite was vetiver. Men are so easy to please. Zizan is a combination of all things men like in a fragrance, opening with an oil called "Special Citrus Cuts" from a company called Charabot in Grasse. It's well-put- together and the citrus families used are all very fine. So, the opening and top note is a lasting, sharp, biting but well- balanced blend of citrus and the heart, a combination of well-blended vetiver, three in total.

F: Your first fragrance, Ormonde Woman, is based on a rare and unusual ingredient Black Hemlock. How did you discover it for yourself? 

Linda Pilkington: The hemlock in our signature fragrance is unique to Ormonde Woman and was quite a funny story. Sometimes, when you work alone, you can't see the woods for the trees and your mind  indulges in fantasy that you believe are wonderful ideas. This is typical of me, I'm afraid to say.

Once I had found my style and philosophy for Ormonde Jayne, "To create perfumes using oils not widely used in the industry but smell fantastic" I set off on a trip, armed with botanical books and note pads, to Morocco and Laos etc. I had smelt beautiful flowers and bushes, I took cuttings and researched the plant, only to find they do not exist any where in the world as an oil (i.e no company  extracts the ones I had picked), rather an expensive mistake but all part of growing up.

On my return, I told my friend what had happened and she said maybe it would be more logical to call all the companies in the world and ask them what they have in extracted oils that is more unusual. This was a another revelation for me because I didn’t know the companies all hold a small stock of oils they classify as "SPECIALITY OILS."

The big perfume industry can't use them because not enough oil is produced to supply but they are there as the high-end, more expensive special oils to be used in small quantities, la crème de la crème of oils. So armed with this information, I asked for the list of every company's  "SPECIALITY OILS."

Out of my fax machine the lists began to appear from all over the world, and Hemlock came in from Canada, not the most romantic of countries but the idea of hemlock was too exciting and I knew it had to be mine. Ormonde Woman was the result.

F: Sampaquita, Champaca, Frangipani, Osmanthus, Taif, Orris Noir—your exotic floral garden includes flowers from different parts of the world. Each of them is an inevitable part of a region's culture. What, besides flower, do you try to reflect in a composition and how important is it for you to reflect the natural scent of a flower?

Linda Pilkington: Believe it or not, there is a logic to Ormonde Jayne's perfumes. It's about tapping into the natural harmony of the basic accord—the flower itself. Where it is grown, the climate, the culture, the visual influence. For example, champaca, a small flower from India. Ormonde Jayne's Champaca Eau de Parfum is formulated with basmati rice and tea, because that is what enters my mind when you think of India, it is what you smell in every village and house in India and so therefore is the natural accompaniment and harmony for the Indian flower champaca.

Ta'if Rose from Arabia, think of dried fruits, dates, saffron, oranges, all the foods you are offered in the Middle East as part of their hospitality and go to make up the ingredients of the Ormonde Jayne Ta'if perfume. This is my starting point and every perfume means something to me.


F: Could you tell us more about the design of your bottles, packages, boutiques, since everything seems very impressive? Which designers do you cooperate with and what would you like your customers to feel in your boutique?
 

Linda Pilkington: Our boutique was designed by Caulder Moore, the designers behind luxury stores in Old Bond Street. They are fantastic and hit the spot completely, understanding what I wanted and translated my brief into reality. The perfumery is a haven of calm and always has a relaxed atmosphere. We play either old French blues and jazz or classical music. The lighting is designed to spotlight the perfumes, the star of the show and the staff are very kind and helpful. We want our customers to feel and experience a proper explanation of our philosophy and we encourage sampling to help the customer decide which one is for them before they make the purchase. We are not in a hurry nor ruthless salespeople.

F: How much do you follow your contemporaries? In your opinion, can your fragrances be referred to as modern?

Linda Pilkington: I never look or smell my contemporaries work because I don't have time to follow other businesses and I am not interested in them as a guideline. Ormonde Jayne has a style and we stay true to it; we don't do lime, jasmine, tuberose etc. No other company has ingredients like Ta'if, Tolu, Sampaquita in their collection. This is what we do—search for unusual flowers that smell great and that no one else has used as a perfume.

F: How does Christmas smell for you and what did Ormonde Jayne prepare for their customers for the holidays?

Linda Pilkington: Christmas for me is oriental spice, cardomom, berries and myrrh . Our offer is a three wick scented candle with a silver top and bottom housed in a gold and black lizard skin box. We don't do things by halves.  Merry Christmas!

Your favorite destinations? Favorite destination is Egypt

Your favorite scents of nature?
Favorite scent of nature is Belle de Nuit (not available in a natural oil sadly. . . one day maybe?)

Which are your favorite fragrances by other designers?
Favorite scent from others is Feminite Du Bois by Shiseido

Do you have a need to take a rest from all scents from time to time?
My sense of smell never shuts down, I am on constant sniff alert

Do you wear your own perfumes (which one is your favorite)?
I wear Ormonde Woman, Frangipani Absolute and Ta'if all year around. For parties our Parfum d'or Naturel in Orris Noir and for holidays Osmanthus.

Do your loved ones share your passion for fragrances?
My friends and I usually talk about perfume, cooking and travel.

Perfumes, home scents, as well as cosmetics can be purchased in the Ormonde Jayne flagship boutique in London, or ordered online on the official site. The bottle and package are designed by Caulder Moore.

Images: Ormonde Jayne, edie209, Gardenrant