For thousands of years, fragrance has held a significant place in Arab culture—dating all the way to the 9th century. It’s an age-old tradition, and one that has stood the test of time. Until today, it carries just as much importance as the clothes one wears for Arabs. And Perfume publisher Frederic Malle is celebrating its historic standing this year.
Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle’s Desert Gems collection is a contemporary ode to the splendour of Middle Eastern perfume. Today, the collection contains four major works curated by some of the world’s most renowned perfumers using the finest raw materials.
Among them is ‘The Moon’, which is an homage to the leading role the moon plays to the rhythm of life in the region. It’s a scent created by Julien Rasquinet that features notes of rose, oud and frankincense. Then there’s ‘Dawn’ by Carlos Benaim, with oud at its core juxtaposed against a refreshing rose and pink pepper. Dominique Ropion created ‘Promise’ as part of the collection, featuring two varieties of rose. Ropion also created ‘The Night’ that’s said to have an unprecedented amount of natural oud, that’s then blended with Turkish rose and saffron along with frankincense and sandalwood.
To celebrate the special collection, Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle went right to the heart of the Middle East, hosting an exclusive Ramadan iftar in Sharjah with some of the region’s biggest creatives and perfume enthusiasts. Among them, actress Mahira Abdelzaziz, model Yasmine Sima, fashion commentator Osama Chabbi, Mthayel Al Ali, and Aya Faisal, designers Ali Mehrdad of Philo Eyewear, Rawdha Thani from illi, Lubna Al Zakwani from Endemage, Sheyma and Waad Al Hamadi from Gabi Dubai, Ahmed El Sayed from Nomad Studio, and Dima Ayad, as well as art curator Lina Lazaar amongst other selected guests. To mark the occasion, Iraqi photographer Chebmoha snapped shots of the attendees and the new collection throughout the night.
To close out the evening, guests enjoyed a spoken word and poetry performance by Suhaib Aleses aka al3s3s.
