Francis Kurkdjian reinvents 13 Dior classics as Dioriginals

Dior’s Perfume Creation Director Francis Kurkdjian has reinvented 13 of the house's iconic fragrances. The new Dioriginals collection, launching on 1 October, aims to safeguard these scents against modern regulatory and sourcing challenges.

Francis Kurkdjian stated the philosophy behind the project. "A perfume should be cherished and looked after like a fragile work of art that is subject to the vagaries of time," he said. He emphasized using new technologies to recover original formulas and restore compositional harmony, a necessity due to legislation limiting certain ingredients and variations in raw material harvests.

Restoring Edmond Roudnitska's masterpieces

Kurkdjian grouped the restorations into two periods. The first, dubbed 'Dior in Grasse', honors masterpieces by perfumer Edmond Roudnitska and Paul Vacher. This period highlights the floral chypres that defined an era. Key restored fragrances from this time include Diorama (1949), Eau Fraîche (1955), and Diorissimo (1956).

For Diorama, a spicy floral chypre, Kurkdjian focused on heightening the quality of the jasmine. He worked to restore the original shine and scent of the composition. Eau Fraîche, a chypre cologne, pioneered a new olfactory style. To return it to its original beauty, Kurkdjian raise the citrus notes and re-blended the signature basil-tarragon accord, which was threatened by regulations.

He described Diorissimo, a lily of the valley scent, as an immense classic still taught in perfumery schools. "It is a marvel of balance, grace and simplicity," Kurkdjian said. To recreate its legendary floral aspect, his team restored the entire white lily of the valley accord and worked with a new quality of jasmine to restore its original aura.

Reviving the Dior in Paris era

The second period, 'Dior in Paris', embraces scents from 1979 to 2003. This includes recreations of perfumes from several notable noses. Kurkdjian restored the spirit and depth of Max Gavarry's Dioressence, a spicy floral chypre. He noted it reveals a subtle balance between heritage and innovation.

Also revived are Jean Martel’s aromatic amber fougére Jules (1980), and the 1991 citrus floral amber Dune by Jean-Louis Sieuzac and Dominique Ropion. Pierre Bordan's 1995 woody fruity floral Dolce Vita is part of the collection as well.

Commenting on Jules, Kurkdjian called it the scent of an era, a richly faceted fragrance for a tough guy with a tender heart. The new version benefits from readjustments to its spice notes, mosses, and tonka bean. Essential work was done on lavender, using a combination of an absolute and an essence to ensure its presence is truly felt.

The following table lists the 13 fragrances in the Dioriginals collection:

Signature packaging returns

Each fragrance will be housed in the revived Ovale bottle. This transparent glass bottle with a hemisphere-shaped stopper and a white cord at the neck was first created in 1948 by Serge Heftler-Louiche, co-founder of Parfums Christian Dior. The revived bottle features a minimalist, textured label and a finely grooved metal ring engraved with the CD monogram.