Francis Kurkdjian
Francis Kurkdjian was born in Paris on 14 May 1969 and is a French perfumer of Armenian origin.
Since 2001, he has been considered the first contemporary perfumer to offer customised fragrances. Before his career as a perfumer, Kurkdjian studied classical piano and ballet but decided to become a perfumer in 1985. In 1993, he completed his training at the ISIPCA (Institut supérieur international du parfum, de la cosmétique et de l'aromatique alimentier) in Versailles. In the same year, Kurkdjian joined the fragrance producer Quest International.
In 1995, at the age of 25, he created the best-selling fragrance Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier. Since then, Francis Kurkdjian has created over 40 fragrances for renowned brands such as Escada, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace and Giorgio Armani. Together with Marc Chaya, Francis opened the Maison Francis Kurkdjian in Paris in 2009, under whose name perfumed luxury products are produced. Francis has since opened his own luxury fragrance boutiques around the world, for example in Dubai and Singapore.
Francis Kurkdjian fragrances are characterised by clarity, transparency and unobtrusiveness.
