Now, smell this

It would be fine not to know this brand. In fact, the seventh generation of Creed claims, in thick French accent, that he prefers the brand to be in ‘some shops only’. That was what he told me, during a small lunch gathering with fashion writers during his recent trip to Kuala Lumpur.

Erwin Creed, a racing car enthusiast, claimed that he was a bit exhausted from his journey to Kuala Lumpur (he just arrived from Indonesia, visiting some distillery, sourcing for new ingredients).

The twinkle in his eye however told a different story. During the brief interview, Erwin explained to me, with great enthusiasm, the challenges of continuing the brand which was established in 1760.

According to Erwin, the struggle is to make sure that the brand and the DNA of the perfume stay true, year after year. The perfumes created by the House of Creed, have graced the courts of Europe and worn by the likes of Napoleon III and Queen Victoria, not forgetting the pulse points of 20th century goddesses which include Grace Kelly and Jackie Onassis.

The co-creator of Creed’s best seller, ‘Aventus' and ‘Love in White’ also claimed that finding the right retail partner is important in making sure demand and supply is kept at a manageable level. This is to ensure that the art of perfume making, practiced by Creed, which also makes made-to-measure clothes, is not diluted.

Erwin added that the perfumes produced by Creed are made with at least 50 percent of natural essence, as opposed to the perfumes made for the mass market (10 percent on average, according to Erwin).

Synthetic ingredients are good, according to him, but to make sure Creed stands out from the rest in the market, the best natural ingredients are used.

During lunch, amongst the perfume bottles, artfully arranged on the table, (I swear, I was tempted to spray some on my bread) Erwin charmed the lunch party with stories on how Creed got its big break.

perfume

Lunch held in conjunction with Erwin Creed's visit to Kuala Lumpur. - Astro AWANI

It started with a visit by a mall owner from Saudi Arabia. This was when Creed concentrated on its made-to-measure business. The gentleman from Saudi Arabia was looking for a few bottles of perfume for his store. He met with Erwin’s father, Olivier, at Creed's store in Paris. The said gentleman took back a few bottles of the handcrafted perfume (Green Irish Tweed) with him to Saudi Arabia.

A few weeks later, Olivier received a call from the gentleman again. This time he wanted more bottles. So Olivier patiently filled the bottles by hand, continuously increasing the number of workers to help him with each increasing order.

The lunch party, including Ken’s Apothecary founder and sole distributor of Creed in Malaysia, Ken Lim, were charmed. We tested the fragrances, savored each spray with approval and delight, as if our lives depended on it.

(I was drenched in Creed’s finest, at the end of the lunch)

Erwin, a racing car enthusiast and a jovial guy, is proud of the last name that he bears. He said Creed will continue to produce high quality fragrances and not be bothered with the design of the bottles. His passion is to make sure the customers are happy with the quality that Creed has to offer.