Powerful scents have the ability to evoke strong memories and the founders of MEMO Paris wanted to highlight the same.
Founded by John and Clara Malloy in 2007, this niche fragrance brand started with their keen passion for travelling, which doesn’t always come from being “on the road.”
“We believe that looking at a simple map, reading the epic of an author or contemplating a canvas representing a landscape is beautiful and inspiring journey’s too,” they tell Emirates Woman.
As avid learners from different cultures and rituals, they wanted to infuse this same spirit into the brand and bring their love for adventure to life. With each scent coming down to a memory, its wearers are open to imagining what they want without any limitations.
To delve into their olfactory journey and understand how it back, we spoke to John Molloy about how MEMO Paris was born out of their passion for wanderlust.
What is your first memory of scent?
Where I grew up: Ireland! Its soul and soil, its raw, intense greenness, its rugged shores and freedom, its horses and countryside… I remember all these scents. Olfaction is like a time machine; it can bring you anywhere and this is this magic we wanted to achieve by creating Memo Paris.
Which notes in a fragrance do you personally look for?
I’m open to any surprise, if the composition offers something both strong and unexpected, from floral to woody. We want to give a lot of freedom to the perfumers we work with, without restraining their olfactive palette and creativity, so I’m ready as well to welcome many different notes, facets and accords.
What was the catalyst to launch your own brand and how did you know it was the right time?
The catalyst was our own conviction with my wife Clara, who is behind all the creative aspects. It was the beginnings of the Niche Parfumerie, and we felt we had a card to play. My previous experience in the luxury business, her vision, and the talent of the perfumer Alienor Massenet who created for our side Lalibela, the first Memo Paris fragrance, and many others since then: the combination seemed to be the right one, looking back 15 years ago.
You both love to travel – how has this shaped the brand?
We love to learn from the world, from different cultures, rituals, but we’re not always on the road! Since the beginning of the brand, we believe that looking at a simple map, reading the epic of an author or contemplating a canvas representing a landscape, are beautiful and inspiring journeys too. Nowadays, focusing also on the preservation of our planet, slow and imaginary travels tend to be our favourite ones: a train trip and an adventure book can make a full Memo day!
Can you define the DNA of Memo Paris and how the branding itself originated?
Memo perfumes are conceived with the desire to last. We want the skin to memorize their presence, the beauty and quality of the natural ingredients inside, with a trail like a souvenir, as the name Memo comes from memory. We want perfumes with an inner strength that gives their full presence through time and perfumes are likely to open the imagination. And never being afraid of a new association of notes and accords to make it even more surprising. The fragrance market is broad – how do you stay relevant? By following our intuition and desire, and not forecast trends! By staying independent and free to decide on our own.
How would you say the GCC region is different from others in terms of fragrance?
There is a strong culture of perfume in the Gulf region, a making savoir-faire, emblematic notes of wood, musk or incense, and popular ingredients like oud are part of the tradition and daily life, that we also appreciate to work with regularly, so we feel instantly connected! There is a sense of hospitality and celebration in the use of these ingredients, to welcome people, to prepare events, a more collective approach and it’s beautiful to share it, and to learn from this dimension, as we are used to a more individual way of wearing perfumes. We just opened a boutique in Dubai, soon in Qatar and it’s a pleasure to see that Memo Paris finds its audience.
Which Memo Paris fragrance consistently drives sales?
We don’t approach our brand with best sellers, otherwise you don’t take the risk of trying and launching something new. Every region and every person has its favourite ones, and we respect and encourage this diversity.
Can you define the DNA of Memo Paris and how the branding itself originated?
Memo perfumes are conceived with the desire to last. We want the skin to memorize their presence, the beauty and quality of the natural ingredients inside, with a trail like a souvenir, as the name Memo comes from memory. We want perfumes with an inner strength that gives its full presence through time and perfumes are likely to open the imagination. And never being afraid of new associations of notes and accords to make it even more surprising.
The fragrance market is broad – how do you stay relevant?
By following our intuition and desire, and not forecast trends! By staying independent and free to decide on our own. How would you say the GCC region is different from others in terms of fragrance? There is a strong culture of perfume in the Gulf region, a making savoir-faire, emblematic notes of wood, musk or incense, and popular ingredients like oud are part of the tradition and daily life, that we also appreciate to work with regularly, so we feel instantly connected!
What does the future look like for Memo Paris and how do you approach scaling a brand whilst retaining its individuality and attention to detail?
I wish I could tell you about a secret recipe to foresee! Of course, we want the brand to shine in many countries, and make more perfume lovers discover its uniqueness without changing our identity or moderating its originality. Creating beautiful and desirable perfumes is still our only goal and we want them be more respectful of the planet as well. Our Memo compositions use high-quality ingredients, from sustainable plantations as much as possible, and we just changed our packaging to reduce our impact on the environment.
Which Memo Paris scent is your personal favourite and why?
Irish Leather is a tribute to those beloved roots I talked about earlier, and one of our signature fragrances in the Cuirs Nomades collection, so I could pick up that one, special to me, but there are so many others I could choose! African Leather, for its intensity and the fact that my mother lived in Kenya at her young age, Eau de Memo which is our 10th anniversary birthday creation, French Leather which reminds me of Paris where we experienced beautiful and intense years.
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