Francis Kurkdjian is a contemporary perfumer who is proud of his Parisian roots.
Francis Kurkdjian has travelled the world, hanging his hat for weeks or years at a time in the four corners of the globe. His journey began in Paris, when he made the capital his adopted home after finishing school in his native suburb.
Next, he lived and worked in New York for almost five years, followed by other metropolises such as Sydney, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, New Delhi, Mumbai, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles and Houston.
Despite their wide variety of cultures and histories, in his eyes, all of these cities have a lot in common – an effervescence, a creative rivalry and a magnetic effect that positively sweep you up and make anything possible.
“There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless.”
-Simone de Beauvoir
For his eponymous Maison founded in 2009, an overarching ambition drove Francis Kurkdjian to propose an olfactory wardrobe for 24 hours of scented living, seven days a week. That ambition is to live in harmony with the city, capture its singularity, in order to extract its very essence and draw inspiration to offer fragrant stories to the world.
Francis Kurkdjian is resolutely connected to his era, as his fragrances Gentle Fluidity and l’Homme À la rose so clearly illustrate. He is also fundamentally urban, his roots firmly planted in the city. To smell and feel the energy released by big cities, especially New York, his home away from home, was his aim when creating 724. This luminous, vibrant and comfortably addictive eau de parfum invites you to live in harmony with the city.
“There is something about big cities that sweeps over you, electrifies you, elevates you. I translated that communicative energy, that life pulsating in unison, into a musky, floral, urban fragrance that I named 724, for 24 hours of scented living, seven days a week.”
-Francis Kurkdjian
724, an olfactory signature with an urban spirit
724 offers a totally abstract olfactory theme composed of shades of white whose textures overlap in an energetic, flowing rhythm.
In the top notes, a fresh, undefined urban accord is perceived. It is the sensation of clean, energising freshness like the one that emanates from New York laundries at the break of day, formed of bergamot from Italy and the verticality of aldehydes with sophisticated, slightly metallic, effervescent facets.
At the heart of this vertical architecture lies an airy aura conveyed by a bouquet of flowers structured by jasmine absolute from Egypt, sweet pea and mock orange.
In the base notes, this universe of whiteness surrenders to an enveloping, comforting sensation thanks to a sandalwood-white musk accord.
“724 is a soothing eau de parfum with a vibrant yet enveloping urban spirit.
It brings a sensation of comfort and protection, like that of cleanliness, that I crave when I’m wandering around in the city.”
-Francis Kurkdjian
The urbanity of Francis Kurkdjian
Francis Kurkdjian is a contemporary perfumer who is proud of his Parisian roots and, more generally speaking, of his fondness for big cities in constant motion that spawn inspiring human relationships so conducive to creativity.
Urban landscapes and their surrounding architecture overtly influenced the graphic aesthetic of 724 eau de parfum. A unique blue shade, named “urban blue” by the perfumer, subtly blends the cement grey hue of buildings with the blue of denim jeans, the ultimate universal garment and symbol of modern living.
The chiselled typeface of the fragrance’s name, 724, emulates digital printing.
Francis Kurkdjian is especially attentive to these aspects, which help bring his scented stories to life. Elegance and relevance are clearly stated in what may appear to be mere details.
“In the light of a pure sky rising over the city ascends the silhouette of 724.”
-Francis Kurkdjian
