Christine Nagel(born 7 October 1959) is a Swissperfumer.She has served as the in-house perfumer atHermèssince 2016. Prior to joining Hermès she created designer perfume hits likeNarciso Rodriguez for Her(2003, withFrancis Kurkd gian) andMiss Dior Chérie(2005), as well asniche perfumelike Wood Sage & Sea Salt, one of 47 perfumes she created forJo Malone London.She has been recognized with awards from theFragrance Foundation France,theFrançois CotyFoundation, and theMarie ClaireInternational Fragrance Awards.
Christine Nagel | |
|---|---|
 Christine Nagel in 2015 | |
| Born | 1959 or 1960 (age 64–65) |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Occupation | Perfumer |
| Employer | Hermès |
| Notable work | Narciso Rodriguez for Her Miss Dior Chérie Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt |
| Title | Director of olfactive creation, Hermès Parfums |
| Term | 2014–present |
| Predecessor | Jean-Claude Ellena |
| Spouse | Benoit Lapouza |
| Children | 3 |
Early life and education
editBorn on 7 October 1959 to an Italian mother and Swiss father,[1]Christine Nagel grew up inGeneva,Switzerland.[2]Her earliest scent memory is of the Italiantalc powderher mother bought to care for Nagel's baby brother.[3](Nagel's brother also grew up to work in perfume.)[3]Her grandmother was a seamstress, sewing men's trousers, and the smell of freshly pressed pants formed another important early scent memory.[4]
With the goal of becoming a midwife, Nagel began her studies in medicine, but found her calling was chemistry,[5]which she studied at theUniversity of Geneva.[6]This in turn led her to perfume.[5]At the time this was an unusual route into the industry—most perfumers were men who grew up in the perfuming business inGrasse—but Nagel notes that since then perfumery schools have begun requiring training in chemistry as a prerequisite and more women have joined the industry.[5][7]
Career
editEarly career
editNagel began her career in the research department of Swiss fragrance firmFirmenich,where she became enchanted with the strong emotional reactions a male perfumer colleague's work elicited from the women smelling it. The perfumer wasAlberto Morillas,one of the giants of the perfume industry.[8]Nagel asked to transfer to the perfumery section, but lacking the traditional background was told no and switched to chromatography instead, examining fragrances and their ingredient recipes on a molecular level.[2]Subsequently, this has become a mechanized process but Nagel was one of the few in the world trained to recognize ingredients using only her nose.[8]
Unable to advance any further at Firmenich, Nagel moved to Italy to strike out on her own. Within a year she held 60 percent of Italy's perfume contracts, including work forFendiandVersace.[2]She moved to Paris in 1997.[9]
Nagel established herself with successful creations in a variety of registers. These include major hits like her 2003 collaboration withFrancis Kurkd gian,Narciso Rodriguez for Her,[2]the 2005 strawberry-and-popcorn confectionMiss Dior Chérie,[9]and fruity gourmand Armani Sì (2013); luxury lines like Guerlain's Les Élixirs Charnels;[10]as well asniche perfumecreations like 2011's "bizarre yet fascinating" Archive 69 forEtat Libre d'Orange,a camphorous rose and incense scent, and Wood Sage & Sea Salt (2014) forJo Malone,askin scentof salt lingering on the body after a day at the beach.[5]Nagel also created 46 other scents for Jo Malone,[9]including the more conventional bestseller English Pear & Freesia in 2010.[10]
Hermès
editIn 2014, Nagel went in-house at Hermès, joiningJean-Claude Ellenawho had become the brand's first house perfumer in 2004. In 2016, as Ellena neared retirement, Nagel became the sole in-house perfumer at Hermès and the director of olfactive creations for Hermès Parfums.[5][11]This made her the second woman ever to hold an in-house perfumer position at a major luxury brand (the first wasMathilde Laurentat Cartier).[12]
Two of Nagel's first Hermès releases were Galop (2016),[7]a rose and leather scent inspired by Doblis, a suede-like leather kept in the Hermès cave of archival leather in Paris,[5]and Twilly (2017), a youthful fragrance that added ginger as a twist on a classictuberosenote.[5][13]Critic Tania Sanchez (co-author ofPerfumes: The Guide) said this made for a totally new perfume accord, "an androgynous fougere of fantastic beauty".[5]Other early Hermès fragrances include Eau des Merveilles Bleue (2017), a minéral and woody marine scent,[1]and two additions to the Hermès line ofcolognes,Eau de Rhubarbe Écarlate (2016)[14]and Eau de Citron Noir (2018).[5]
Awards
edit
In 2005, Nagel and Kurkd gian won theFragrance Foundation FranceAward (called theFiFi Awards) for best women's fragrance for Narciso Rodriguez for Her.[15]They were recognized again for this fragrance with the "Twenty Years of Creativity" Prize at the 20th anniversary of the FiFi Awards in 2012: Narciso Rodriguez for Her was selected as the most iconic women's fragrance of the 20 the Foundation had honored with its annual prize over its 20-year history.[16]Nagal also won the 2007 Prix François Coty (then briefly retitled the Cosmetic Valley's International Fragrance Prize, but since returned to its original name).[17]In 2015, theMarie ClaireInternational Fragrance Awards honored Nagel's creation Wood Sage & Sea Salt for Jo Malone as the year's most daring fragrance for women.[18]
Influences
editSpeaking toThe Cut,Nagel said her favorite perfume is always the "next one" she's working on,[19]but she continues to feel the admiration for perfumers that first drew her to their profession, inspired by their creativity and the signature "personality" of their scents.[10]Among contemporary perfumers, she named Morillas andDominique Ropionas notable influences, but especially emphasized path-breaking female perfumerGermaine Cellier,the creator of historic fragrances likeFracas(1948) andBandit(1944) forRobert Piguet,at a time when the industry had almost no women.[10]Nagel said: "I would have liked to have had the audacity of Germaine Cellier… when she presentedVent Vertin 1945 [...] It's an incredible fragrance that, if it came out today in its original formula, would be extraordinarily modern. "[10]
Personal life
editNagel is married to Benoit Lapouza, who is also a perfumer.[1]They live in Paris[20]and have a weekend home inNormandy.[6]They have three children[1]and one grandchild.[20]
Nagel hassynesthesia:“she sees and feels scents.”[21]
References
edit- ^abcdCrapanzano, Aleksandra (20 April 2017)."The Sixth Sense of Hermès".Departures.Archivedfrom the original on 9 January 2021.Retrieved27 November2020.
- ^abcdWhitney, Christine (11 December 2017)."Hermès's First Female Perfumer on T-Shirts, Flowers, and the Perfect Gift".The Cut.Archivedfrom the original on 5 December 2020.Retrieved23 November2020.
- ^abHou, Kathleen (30 May 2014)."Q&A: Hermès's Perfumers on Luxury, Perfume Bloggers, and Nighttime Scents".The Cut.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2020.Retrieved26 November2020.
- ^Baidawi, Adam (25 February 2021)."Art Versus Science: In Conversation With Hermès' Christine Nagel".GQ Middle East.Retrieved26 February2021.
- ^abcdefghiJudd, Benjamen (15 May 2020)."How Christine Nagel found complete freedom at Hermès".The Sydney Morning Herald.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2020.Retrieved23 November2020.
- ^ab"Christine Nagel: «Je perçois les odeurs en textures»".Le Temps(in French). 7 December 2019.ISSN1423-3967.Retrieved7 June2023.
- ^ab"Christine Nagel's debut Hermès perfume is the luxe scent you've been searching for".Elle Canada.12 December 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 31 October 2020.Retrieved26 November2020.
- ^ab"How I Became… Hermès' In-House Perfumer".The Business of Fashion.25 March 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 26 November 2020.Retrieved26 November2020.
- ^abcBischof, Felix (25 October 2019)."Scent of Hermès: Christine Nagel".The Week Portfolio.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2020.Retrieved23 November2020.
- ^abcdeBrown, Annie (8 December 2019)."How Hermès first female perfumer broke into the boys' club".Australian Financial Review.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2020.Retrieved23 November2020.
- ^"La liberté de création".Hermès.Archivedfrom the original on 4 December 2020.Retrieved26 November2020.
- ^Favry, Charlène (31 March 2016)."Le nez Christine Nagel crée son premier parfum pour Hermès, l'Eau de rhubarbe".LExpress.fr(in French).Archivedfrom the original on 9 January 2021.Retrieved28 November2020.
- ^Harris, Aleesha (5 December 2017)."Perfume perfection: Hermès in-house perfumer Christine Nagel spills her scent secrets".Vancouver Sun.Archivedfrom the original on 24 November 2020.Retrieved27 November2020.
- ^Veyretout, Emilie (15 February 2016)."Christine Nagel, le nouveau nez d'Hermès, libre et hédoniste".Madame Figaro.Archivedfrom the original on 5 December 2020.Retrieved27 November2020.
- ^"Fifi Awards 2005".The Fragrance Foundation France(in French). 25 April 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 26 October 2020.Retrieved26 November2020.
- ^"Fifi Awards 2012: le palmarès".Premium Beauty News(in French). 5 July 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2021.Retrieved26 November2020.
- ^"The award rules | François Coty".François Coty Association.Archivedfrom the original on 9 January 2021.Retrieved25 November2020.
- ^"Wood Sage & Sea Salt by Jo Malone awarded the Prix de…".MANE.7 April 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 9 January 2021.Retrieved26 November2020.
- ^Whitney, Christine (11 December 2017)."Hermès's First Female Perfumer on T-Shirts, Flowers, and the Perfect Gift".The Cut.Archivedfrom the original on 5 December 2020.Retrieved27 November2020.
- ^abEvans, Christina Ohly (19 August 2019)."Scent supremo Christine Nagel on Normandy, Venetian slippers and visiting the Garden of Eden".Financial Times.Archivedfrom the original on 6 October 2021.Retrieved6 June2023.
- ^Tattoli, Chantel (5 September 2024)."This Perfumer Can See and Feel Scents: Christine Nagel of Hermès has a neurological condition that mixes the senses".New York Times.p. D4.Retrieved14 September2024.