as i mention in my prologue to the archetype collection, these represent scents that are an intrinsic part of the human experience. they have no specific story because their true nature is so vast. but since i introduced the 12th archetype, "Cradle of Light", a few weeks ago, there's been a flurry of email and i think a bit of backstory is necessary...
initially "Cradle of Light" was a challenge for me to design because although i realize the scent of White Flowers is critically important to perfume, i've personally disliked most white floral bouquets i've previously encountered. some i thought merely unpleasant and some in fact made me quite ill.
creating this perfume became an exercise in blending the most exquisite real white floral absolutes: jasmines (5), jonquils, narcissus, white lotus & tuberose. I've come to learn over the years that synthetic versions of these flowers often bear little resemblance to their natural counterparts and can't beging to match their resounding glory.
And it was tricky working with these absolutes. not only do they need to be carefully prepared before they can be used but most of them are astronomically expensive as well - hence the significantly higher price of "Cradle of Light". the jasmines i've chosen cost $2000 - $5000 per kilo and the jonquils run more than that. one of the perfume's rarest ingredients, narcissus, recently hit more than $17,000...
"Cradle of Light" is a classic composition made in the traditional way using only the very best materials. Althought it must be a modern scent, it harkens back to what perfume was before the Age of Aromachemicals - truly magical and ever changing.
though one of the most complex ready-to-wear perfumes i've done to date (several of its individual ingredients have a great many ingredients themselves) the overall scent is clearly of beautiful white flowers. but i can't think of "Cradle of Light" as a "pretty" perfume. i am not interested in "pretty" - only in that which is beautiful. "pretty" may well delight the senses but only beauty can stir the heart.
when i first began working on the Archetype collection many years ago, i chose rather frank names for each scent. all had a number 1 - 12 and the names were straightforward: Fig Leaf was Fig Leaf and that was that. But as the 12th White Flower archetype evolved it demanded a more telling name and ultimately the perfume named itself. "Cradle of Light" is the synesthetic experience i have whenever i smell it or wear it. to experience this perfume is to enter a serene state of euphoria and find yourself wrapped in a glowing veil - i suppose that's what Nirvana is truly about and why this scent is the last in the series. it steps into the beyond.
and i'm most delighted that the perfume reveals its name and nature to others. i recently got a letter from a new client who, when first wearing it, told me,
"it IS light and it emanates from a place of subtle grounding darkness which remains visible, even in the soaring luminosity, so that we do not lose our balance or ourselves."
one of my favorite authors, Robertson Davies, often wrote of the subconscious creative matrix - he called it "the realm of the mothers". works of art truly inspired by that imaginative realm often have an undeniably profound quality - though the artist creates them, they live a life of their own. my inspiration for the archetype collection was to draw from that deep lake and to explore what i found there. i feel with "Cradle of Light" i've found something wonderful. though i certainly created the perfume myself, it seems to exist in a world of its own - a shining place that has always been and will always be.
that's the magic of perfume...