Timeless Inspiration - part two
At Hermann Gourmet Comments, every perfume is a story.
Well, Philio’s friend was wrong.
She returned to the illustrious Paris exhibition, Maison & Objet in 2017, just three years after making her very first beauty cream. She was still operating Hermann Gourmet Cosmetics out of her home, but she had artful, elegant branding and her products were of superior quality. The entire experience was heady and exhilarating.
Philio explains the excitement of the exhibition was still swirling around her even once she returned home to Cyprus. “You see, one day I received a call from an unknown number. Usually, I never answer a call I do not know, but that day I did,” she smiles coquettishly.
My curiosity is piqued. “Who was it?”
“A woman said, ‘I am calling from Saint James Publishing House, and we would like to inform you that you have been selected by Rolls Royce to participate as a partner of choice in their publication.’”
“They discovered you at the exhibition?” Philio nods. “Okay, what did you say?”
“I started laughing, I didn’t believe her.”
“Oh no! What did she do then?”
“She sent me the contract.” Philio laughs, “It turns out, Saint James makes a book for Rolls Royce every four years. The first part is a history of the brand and the news, and so on. In the back they have advertisements for other companies they feel are of the same standard as the car. They choose three brands for a special recognition.”
“And they selected you? Wooooow, what an honor.”
Philio nods her head, and her expression is shy. “We were selected as a partner of choice and invited to Chichester to receive that distinction. It was a private event... very elegant.”
“Were you nervous?”
Philio bites her bottom lip, her eyes are sparkling. “No, I was very excited.”
As you can imagine, Philio’s star was on the rise after that. She was inspired to make new, exquisite products, they opened a certified premise for making Hermann Gourmet Cosmetics and in 2019, she opened her whimsical shop of wonders on 11 Mnsiadou Street in Nicosia.
A few months later, Cyprus had its first Covid lock down. She was terrified by the strange disease, frustrated by restrictions, and very worried about the future of her business. To cope, Philio embarked upon an eighteen-month certification in the art of perfume making.
Of course, she did.
Philio enrolled in the Perfumery School in Grasse, which is a city in France known as the perfume capital of the world. The course was taught online and thus, perfect for lockdown. Philio learned the fundamentals of building a perfume, and the pyramid of fragrance notes. A student’s samples are shipped back to the school for grading.
Philio tells me, “The experience was amazing. Making perfume is all inspiration. Once you understand different notes you can make adventurous combinations, or something safer, it all depends on how you are feeling. Really, it is very much like a recipe.”
Course completed, Philio used her boundless creativity and skill to create a line of perfumes which pay homage to women that inspire her. The first, Miss Gardenia, is based upon her grandmother who worked in a cinema and owned a theatre company. She is a glamorous, dynamic woman in her nineties, who still inspires Philio today. The scent is reminiscent of a Cypriot garden full of blossoms.
The second scent Philo created, Miss Velvet, a fragrance both sweet and sensual, is based upon her aunt. Philio sweeps her arm dramatically as she tells me about her. “She was independent. An intellectual. And she was always smoking, even until her nineties!” Philio’s eyes flash excitedly, “She was incredibly beautiful, and many men wanted to marry her, including a millionaire with a yacht. She told him, ‘I will never sacrifice my freedom for a man.’”
“That was extraordinary for the times she was living in, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was. And you see, the fragrance must match the person. Each perfume is a story.”
Usually, Philio has someone in mind when she sets out to create a perfume, but in the case of Miss Pom Pom, the fragrance came first. The scent is innocent, carefree and reminded Philio of young women in the 1920’s finding their way in a glittering new world. The problem was she could not find a face to go with the perfume.
“I was researching forever; I was looking online and searching photography archives of beautiful women from the twenties and thirties.” Philio sighs dramatically. “I told you about the mustache problem. Remember?”
“Oh no!” I laugh, admittedly a bit surprised.
Philio looks serios. “Don’t laugh, the struggle is real.”
The story of how Philio eventually found the alluring woman who graces the label of Miss Pom Pom is delightful -- and also a secret. What I can tell you about her is the photo was taken at a ball in 1930. The young woman was a dentist and a fearless advocate for worker’s rights. One of her children would grow up to be a famous Cypriot leader.
Miss Lilac, is a fragrance that reminds one of verdant spring days and is inspired by a stunning Cypriot actor who came to fame in the 1960s. She was also a bold entrepreneur who worked in children’s television.
Miss Yiasemi, is devoted to the fragrance of jasmine. It is seductive and exudes the ripeness of summer evenings. The story behind Miss Yiasemi is tragic, however. Philio discovered her while searching for a new woman in Cypriot history who might inspire her. Miss Yiasemi, was a courageous freedom fighter and part of the rebel movement that helped Cyprus win independence from England in 1960. But when the new Cypriot government came to power, she quickly became disenchanted by their tactics and policies. At the time of her death, it was labeled as a suicide, but Philio says much speculation since then points to her being murdered because she knew too many secrets.
Philio runs a finger along the desk then looks up at me. “It was so upsetting to me that history had forgotten her.”
“So, you found a way to memorialize her.”
Philio smiles, and for the first time I see patent pride flashing in her eyes. “Yes, I did.”
After making perfumes dedicated to exceptional women, Philio took on a new challenge she calls the Memory Distillery. With this line of fragrances, she attempts to recapture a memory through scent. Inspired by the childhood memory of one of her customers, Philio made a fragrance called Lefkarose, honoring the village of lace and rose petals.
“Then I made Two Gentlemen because I wanted to recapture what my grandfather smelled like.”
The fragrance is unisex and combines musk with cardamom and patchouli. I spray a bit on my skin and inhaledeeply. I love it instantly. Even more than the fragrance, I love what Philio is doing. It is the highest form of alchemy. She combines the skill of the artisan with creativity inspired not by market trends or shallow fashions, but by story, and memory, and the reminiscences that can touch our deepest humanity.
The interview has come to an end. I ask Philio one final question. “What is the greatest thing you have learned so far on this journey?”
For a few seconds Philio gazes at the ceiling of her magical perfume emporium. “I was asked to do a Ted Talk a few months ago, but I told them to come back in twenty years.” Philio’s eyes meet mine and she says, “I told them I wasn’t ready. I feel like I am only at the beginning.”
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