{"id":8466,"date":"2025-03-15T13:07:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T12:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.perfume-week.com\/?p=8466"},"modified":"2025-11-24T12:04:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T11:04:28","slug":"delphine-jelk-the-guideline-at-guerlain-is-respect-for-its-heritage-which-is-both-magical-and-magnificent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.perfume-week.com\/en\/delphine-jelk-the-guideline-at-guerlain-is-respect-for-its-heritage-which-is-both-magical-and-magnificent\/","title":{"rendered":"Delphine Jelk: “The guideline at Guerlain is respect for its heritage, which is both magical and magnificent.”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Separating the Art from the Artist? Unthinkable, You Say! But do you even know who is behind your favorite perfume bottles? For the second edition of Paris Perfume Week, we have the immense honor of welcoming the renowned perfumers who shape contemporary perfumery. Some need no introduction, but all will share their stories\u2014reflecting on both their journeys and their legendary creations. Among these brilliant names, a particularly special guest: Delphine Jelk.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A house perfumer at Guerlain since 2014, Delphine Jelk was awarded the Chevalier de l\u2019Ordre des Arts et des Lettres insignia last December. A perfect occasion for Nez<\/em> to give her the floor and revisit her career\u2014from the small jar of apricot oil from her Swiss childhood to her vision of perfume as something that \u201cdoes good\u201d<\/em>, which continues to inspire and guide her today. Interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your first olfactory memory?<\/strong>
<\/strong>Most likely the small jar of apricot oil that my mother and grandmother used\u2014it\u2019s still a part of my life today and now of my four children\u2019s lives as well. It\u2019s the miracle remedy for all little scrapes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You come from the fashion world\u2014what led you to fragrance?<\/strong>
<\/strong>At 18, I had only one thing on my mind: leaving Switzerland! But I needed a good reason. I asked myself, what could I study that wasn\u2019t available in my country? I loved drawing and fashion, which led me to Esmod Paris, where I specialized in men\u2019s ready-to-wear. At the end of my four years of study, I had to design a collection. It was the internet boom era, and I imagined a collection based on cashmere and linen, for a man working from home. What fascinated me most was the multi-sensory aspect of the project: I had the idea of flavoring soy milk and developing two fragrances inspired by the fabrics I used, with the help of a friend who was a fragrance evaluator at Firmenich. This collection won me an award and two job offers: one in Paris at Margiela and another in Geneva in Firmenich\u2019s marketing team, who had been drawn to my approach. And so, I returned to Switzerland!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did the desire to become a perfumer arise?<\/strong>
<\/strong>At Firmenich, a kind and patient perfumer would regularly introduce me to raw materials. When I discovered Triplal, something awakened in me\u2014I realized the power of olfactory memory. For instance, iris moved me because it reminded me of my grandparents\u2019 attic\u2014warm and dusty. This idea of fragrance as a link to childhood, a comfort for the soul, deeply resonated with me and became the driving force behind my desire to pursue this profession\u2014just as much as the artistic aspect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you make that dream a reality?<\/strong>
I quickly joined the marketing and evaluation teams at Firmenich in Paris, which immersed me in the world of olfaction. I felt the urge to create, but I didn\u2019t feel legitimate as a perfumer\u2014I hadn\u2019t had a formal education like at ISIPCA. So, I decided to enroll in a perfumery school and was accepted at GIP in Grasse. I loved being immersed in the raw materials\u2014visiting the harvest and extraction of mimosa, rose, jasmine, lavender\u2026 Learning the Jean Carles method, based on contrasts and memory, and recreating classics\u2014it was pure joy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When did your path cross with Guerlain?
<\/strong>Just before leaving for New York, I met Sylvaine Delacourte, then Guerlain\u2019s director of fragrance creation. She told me: \u201cMake me a flower!\u201d At the time, Drom (where I worked) wasn\u2019t briefed on Guerlain projects, so I figured fine fragrance wasn\u2019t even an option. Instead, I worked on an orange blossom candle\u2014which she recently launched for her own brand. At that time, I had been thinking that Guerlain needed its own equivalent of Coco Mademoiselle or Miss Dior. Then I saw Sofia Coppola\u2019s Marie Antoinette, eating pastries in Converse sneakers, and I pitched to Sylvaine the idea of a raspberry-cherry macaron and rose accord, with smoky tea and licorice facets to give it a rock edge. We developed this concept for two years, along with marketing director Ann Caroline Prazan, who crafted the wonderful story of La Petite Robe Noire. It was initially released in 2009 as a confidential boutique exclusive, before launching worldwide in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you explain its success?<\/strong>
When people enter Guerlain, they expect to experience Guerlain\u2014to find what defines its signature. My guiding principle has always been to respect its heritage, which is both magical and magnificent, while making it relevant to the times. For some, the idea of a macaron-inspired scent at Guerlain seemed absurd. But Guerlain fragrances have always been gourmand, enveloping, addictive. Shalimar practically invented gourmand fragrances with its overdose of ethylvanillin, even if its sweetness is different from what we know today. The peach note in Mitsouko was also strikingly bold at the time. In La Petite Robe Noire, you can find the Guerlinade\u2014with rose, iris, vanilla, and tonka bean. Women who wore L\u2019Heure Bleue recognize their Guerlain DNA in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo: Pascal Auguie<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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