Chopard Imperiale: Iris Malika, An Essence Fit for a Queen

IRIS MALIKA, AN ODE TO SENSUALITY

Malika means queen in Arabic, and it is to today’s aspirational women that this new fragrance pays tribute. The first of a new collection of perfumes to come named Chopsard IMPERIALE and the beginning of a wonderful story...

Like all Chopard fragrances, Iris Malika was inspired by the Maison’s jewellery creations and is the olfactory counterpart of the IMPERIALE Collection, voluptuous jewellery created for women – contemporary empresses – who own their power.

Amethyst plays the leading role in this precious anthology, whence the purple colour of the precious glass bottle, which like the jewellery collection, unfolds the majesty of its voluptuous forms and arabesques. Just like the perfume itself.

"In creating this fragrance, I was inspired by our Haute Joaillerie collection and the people who are at the heart of this story: women. I wanted it to invite them on a journey to a joyful, precious imaginary world. Iris Malika is a tribute to powerful women, those who take their destiny into their own hands. It is an essence fit for a queen.” - Caroline Scheufele, Co-President and Artistic Director, Chopard.

Iris Malika is the quintessence of two cultures coming together in total harmony: France’s tradition of fine perfumes, of which it is the worthy heir, and the high-end perfumes of the Middle East. Who better than perfumer Dora Baghriche to create this opus in which cultures converge? The wonderful interpreter of this precious fragrance grew up in Algiers at the heart of the dual Arab-Moorish and French traditions and she carries these two worlds within her.

By combining the raw materials in her own unique way, she has created an unexpected, voluptuous, flavourful yet reassuring iris unlike any other. She has successfully used the extraordinary richness of the raw material and blended it with others in a highly distinctive manner. The iris, that timeless ingredient of French perfumery, is thus enveloped in all the sensuality of the Middle East.

Like amethysts, which have magnetic powers, Iris Malika possesses an element of mystery. The magic happens both in and out of the bottle, when the fragrance finds its place on the skin, or becomes a delicate trail.

Perfume is akin to virtual architecture, an intangible, yet powerful work of art. And the architect behind this creation is Dora Baghriche. When she creates a perfume, the perfumer usually chooses a duo of scents. For Iris Malika, she selected iris and tonka bean. “I like the interaction that the two materials can have" she explains. “There is a root and a bean. I wanted to start with something powerful, earthy. The bean harks back to Eve, the original woman, the queen of the world. That's the idea of this perfume. In olfactive terms, iris is very woody, with a slightly buttery, harsh smell. It is not an easy scent to tame. Neither is the tonka bean, with its silky tobacco notes. It has a little more character than vanilla, with an element of almond.”

Caroline Scheufele asked Dora Baghriche to create a purple iris. The latter was free to interpret this as she wished. "I saw purple appearing behind the tonka bean: an iris. When I settled on my first accord, I built the perfume around sandalwood to give it a milky aspect and endow the iris with an extremely feminine allure. It has very oriental, very rich overtones. I also worked with benzoin and patchouli, along with other emblematic Middle Eastern materials, like labdanum and olibanum. I used hints of these so as not to camouflage the iris which remains central, combining them with cinnamon and cardamom. I wanted an inviting, silky iris. There is a trace of raspberry in the background which goes well with the iris.”