The world of Dior, rich with poetic symbols and cherished flora, has inspired a new creation by Francis Kurkdjian for La Collection Privée: Rose Star. This fragrance embodies the confluence of two timeless emblems: the Centifolia Rose, the queen of flowers treasured by Christian Dior, and his guiding star, a symbol ever-present at the heart of the House on Avenue Montaigne.
This inaugural union of two significant Dior icons in a scent yields a Rose Star that is generous and enveloping, noble and surprising. The multifaceted charms of this elevated rose fan out like the five-pointed protective star, augmented in a vibrant, remarkable scent that is simultaneously feminine and masculine. Rose Star is the olfactory embodiment of Christian Dior’s original passions and an allegorical fragrance: this rose was faceted for a star-studded destiny.
On April 18, 1946, Christian Dior stumbled upon a metal star during a walk in Paris, interpreting it as a sign of fate that confirmed his decision to open his own couture house. This pivotal moment allowed him to unleash his revolutionary vision of female style. His love for gardens and nature was nurtured during his early childhood in Granville by his mother, Madeleine. Christian Dior revered flowers, wildly loving lily of the valley and drawing inspiration from the nocturnal scents of jasmine. However, his favorite flower was always the rose – the reigning queen, the most beautiful and spectacular of all. He cultivated it in all his gardens, from his mother’s in Normandy to Milly-la-Forêt and the Château de la Colle Noire, where he reached new heights by planting entire hectares of Centifolia Rose, destined to shine at the heart of his perfumes. A star glittering on the ground and a rose soaring in the sky could not help but harmonize in an impassioned olfactory dance.
Francis Kurkdjian, Perfume Creation Director, shares his inspiration: “The Rose is truly a gift from nature, containing as it does myriad facets with powerful, almost infinite dimensions. There are so many varieties of rose it is easy to get lost! And yet, paradoxically, we only use two species in fragrance compositions: Damask Rose and Centifolia Rose, also called May Rose. Christian Dior adored the latter, and the House chose to continue his dream by cultivating it across entire hectares of land in Provence. Taking this captivating olfactory profile as a starting point, I wanted to overlay it, symbolically speaking, with Christian Dior’s lucky star.”
Enamored of beautiful stories, Francis Kurkdjian draws inspiration from the founding legends of the House of Dior, revisiting them with his contemporary signature style. His creations for La Collection Privée journey freely between a past steeped in signs of fate and the olfactory desires of contemporary perfume-lovers. Monsieur Dior’s star is, of course, one of these inspiring emblems, and here its five points shape the five facets of a versatile rose that embraces fruity, spicy, zesty, honeyed, and musky notes.
Kurkdjian elaborates: “With Rose Star, two House emblems come together like two sides of the same coin, or two chapters of the same story. The five-pointed star reflects the five facets of a rose that are brilliantly expressed in this scent. A zesty facet close to lemon peel soars first. Then the fruity facets burst forth, merrily flitting from lychee to raspberry then pear. At the same time, Sichuan pepper heightens the spicy facet with its lush, rich feel. A petal-soft velvet facetarises too, almost musky in its enveloping caress. Lastly, a sensual honeyed facet – probably the most addictive – makes its presence felt through deep, lingering notes that prolong the scent of the flower.”
