AN INTERVIEW WITH THE WOMEN BEHIND MAP OF THE HEART
Map of the Heart pivots on three women whose daily collaboration allows thousands of people to connect with their emotional intimacy through scents: Sarah Blair, Imogen Darling-Blair and Giovanna Aicardi. On the occasion of International Women's Day, we’re sharing a joint interview where the three women discuss about their scented connection, fragrances and women's empowerment.
Sarah and Imogen, you live right on the other side of the world with respect to Giovanna, who is based in London. How did you meet each other?
SB: We were introduced to Giovanna through a mutual friend who worked in Paris. From day one, I understood Giovanna was bringing a complementary skill set to our team.
GA: After months of remote collaboration, our first meeting in person was in Florence at Pitti 2014, where we launched the brand to the world. These 4 days at Pitti were quite memorable. We had the confirmation about how potent and unique the message of our brand was for perfumery.
GA: After months of remote collaboration, our first meeting in person was in Florence at Pitti 2014, where we launched the brand to the world. These 4 days at Pitti were quite memorable. We had the confirmation about how potent and unique the message of our brand was for perfumery.
Could you share an anecdote from your long relationship, where your tight collaboration brought up unexpected results?
SB: We knew Giovanna was the right person to collaborate with when we sent her the original 3 fragrances that we were working on, without saying anything about them to her. She was on holiday on the Italian seaside when she got them and phoned us in Australia from the beach. The way that Giovanna reacted to the perfumes, what was working at that stage, what wasn’t, was exactly in line with us. Instinctively, we knew that it would be the beginning of a great journey together.
GA: We felt from the beginning an evident sync. A proof? When I presented to Sarah the olfactive idea behind GOLD HEART V.4, the Heart of Peace, the central ingredient was warm milk. Knowing Sarah dislikes milk, it could have been a tough starting point. She trusted me and her idea of overdosing the saffron was the turning point to finalise the perfume. We keep going with our hearts connected and with the freedom to tell what we think.
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When I presented to Sarah the olfactive idea behind GOLD HEART V.4, the Heart of Peace, the central ingredient was warm milk. Knowing Sarah dislikes milk, it could have been a tough starting point. She trusted me and her idea of overdosing the saffron was the turning point to finalise the perfume. We keep going with our hearts connected and with the freedom to tell what we think.
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Do you believe Map of the Heart’s fragrances may empower women who wear them? In what way?
IDB: I agree, for me there is certainly a confidence that fragrance can give you and that confidence can be empowering. Fragrance can also be a great tool for self-expression.
GA: I can speak about my personal experience. I use fragrances to complete my look or to express my mood. For an important meeting, I feel confident and optimistic wearing Red Heart v.3, while Black Heart V.2 makes me feel sensual on the right occasion.
GA: I can speak about my personal experience. I use fragrances to complete my look or to express my mood. For an important meeting, I feel confident and optimistic wearing Red Heart v.3, while Black Heart V.2 makes me feel sensual on the right occasion.
More generally, do you believe women are under-represented in the perfumery world? What are the perspectives for the future?
SB: I think the tide is shifting. There are some really great new female talents in the perfumery world, and we've had the privilege to work with two of them: Nisrine Bouazzaoui Grillié and Amélie Jacquin who collaborated with Jacques Huclier on our V.6 and V.7 (Nisrine) and our soon to launch V.8 (Amélie).
IDB: In roles of leadership and even creative direction, women are under-represented. That said, there are so many talented and highly successful women working within perfumery, and the industry is certainly becoming more inclusive and diverse.
IDB: In roles of leadership and even creative direction, women are under-represented. That said, there are so many talented and highly successful women working within perfumery, and the industry is certainly becoming more inclusive and diverse.
GA: Not at Map of the Heart :)
There are some really great new female talents in the perfumery world, and we've had the privilege to work with two of them: Nisrine Bouazzaoui Grillié and Amélie Jacquin who collaborated with Jacques Huclier on our V.6 and V.7 (Nisrine) and our soon to launch V.8 (Amélie).
Do you believe in gendered perfumery?
SB: Not really, I think far be it for us to dictate what someone should wear, especially as we know how much a fragrance can change on a person’s skin.
IDB: Definitely not! People can make up their own mind.
GA: I believe the answer lies in our collection which across the board is worn by all genders. RED HEART v.3 or PINK HEART v.6 are worn by many men and BLACK HEART v.2 or PURPLE HEART v.5 by a lot of women. Artistic perfumery has paved the way to genderless perfumery, while commercial perfumery later on followed this trend. This broke the barriers and allowed men to wear flowers or gourmand fragrances, and women to wear spiced ones.
IDB: Definitely not! People can make up their own mind.
GA: I believe the answer lies in our collection which across the board is worn by all genders. RED HEART v.3 or PINK HEART v.6 are worn by many men and BLACK HEART v.2 or PURPLE HEART v.5 by a lot of women. Artistic perfumery has paved the way to genderless perfumery, while commercial perfumery later on followed this trend. This broke the barriers and allowed men to wear flowers or gourmand fragrances, and women to wear spiced ones.
How do gendered or unisex fragrances influence gender equality and freedom of expression?
IDB: Gendered perfumery is undeniably a part of the fragrance market. However, I believe gendered fragrances reinforce traditional gender roles and greatly limit the range of notes people feel comfortable wearing. Gendering perpetuates the idea that fragrances are specific to women or men, which limits creative expression and choice. As soon as we look past this, more exciting things happen and more choice opens up. This is why we don’t gender any of our fragrances - people should choose their fragrance based on personal preference and taste.
GA: Freedom of expression goes hand in hand with gender equality. One interesting trend that becomes more and more present is the idea of fragrance personalisation. I like imagining our customers playing with our fragrances by layering them. Meanwhile, the strong signature of our non-gendered perfumes maintains its power in a unique way, enabling freedom of expression. CLEAR HEART v.1 is the perfect base for layering.
GA: Freedom of expression goes hand in hand with gender equality. One interesting trend that becomes more and more present is the idea of fragrance personalisation. I like imagining our customers playing with our fragrances by layering them. Meanwhile, the strong signature of our non-gendered perfumes maintains its power in a unique way, enabling freedom of expression. CLEAR HEART v.1 is the perfect base for layering.
Women’s rights go hand in hand with the respect of minorities and environmental justice. How does Map of the Heart engage in favour of those rights?
SB: As part of our remit, we treat all our collaborators, partners and clients with respect, compassion and in the way we would like to be treated ourselves. We are great believers in what goes around comes around, and work with people that uphold the same values.
IDB: Givaudan ethically produce our fragrances and we are constantly working to minimise the environmental and social impacts involved in the production process. We spend a lot of time making sure we source ingredients sustainably, and we are working on ways to continuously reduce our waste and carbon footprint. This is a huge focus for us.
GA: We decided - as a tribute to the origin of the brand - to have the Australian sandalwood as the fil rouge in all the fragrances of the collection. Years ago, our supplier started worrying about the over-exploitation of the Mysore Sandalwood and began to develop sandalwood of the same quality in Australia. This raw material is produced ethically by local communities in Australia respecting the environment and local communities.
IDB: Givaudan ethically produce our fragrances and we are constantly working to minimise the environmental and social impacts involved in the production process. We spend a lot of time making sure we source ingredients sustainably, and we are working on ways to continuously reduce our waste and carbon footprint. This is a huge focus for us.
GA: We decided - as a tribute to the origin of the brand - to have the Australian sandalwood as the fil rouge in all the fragrances of the collection. Years ago, our supplier started worrying about the over-exploitation of the Mysore Sandalwood and began to develop sandalwood of the same quality in Australia. This raw material is produced ethically by local communities in Australia respecting the environment and local communities.
Map of the Heart believes that each choice can make a difference in making the world a better place for us and for the next generations.
