As a perfumer, your sense of smell is obviously important, are your other senses heightened too?

My sense of smell never shuts down and I am on full time sniff alert. But related to that of course is taste, and I love the exciting flavours of Thai & Vietnamese foods but I’m not sure it’s particularly heightened!

One of the things we love about Ormonde Jayne is the attention to detail; from the service in the shop, the beautiful packaging to the creation of the perfumes themselves. How do you ensure that this care will remain as you grow your brand?

Ormonde Jayne is special because we are an independent perfume house without any investors calling the shots. Everything we do takes years to perfect and nothing makes it to the shop floor until I am thrilled with the end product. Our customer service is second to none and our philosophy is to treat every customer like an A1 celebrity as they have taken the time to visit our store.

As Ormonde Jayne has no investors with no outside financial obligations, I am able to indulge myself & use the most rarest & most expensive ingredients that take my fancy. For instance, the perfume I launched last year, Tiare, uses the oil from a rare flower that costs €30,000 a kilo – I had to keep that source a very very closely guarded secret until the finished bottle is on the shelf otherwise competitors and bigger perfume houses would try and trump me. But their costs per kilo are normally well under £100 so it is unlikely.

But paramount to keeping the level of care that we have attained, is that we never compromise at any level. Our inspiration is to create one of the world's leading perfume houses, and to do that you cannot dilute the brand anywhere for the purposes of increasing turnover. For example, I just recently came across a handmade Japanese paper which anyone in their right mind would never use commercially because it's far too expensive and not viable. However, I cannot live without it! And the same goes for the oils when I am formulating a perfume - I would never dream of working to a precise budget and I insist on having a carte blanche on the formula and then working out costs once I am perfectly happy that we have achieved and created the best formula that we can. This is in complete contrast to how all the other perfume houses work – they only work to an exact brief and have a fixed sum of money at their disposal before they start which effectively handcuffs you creatively as it wipes out 75% of the oils available. We are only able to invest that much money in the most expensive oils, because we rely on selling our perfumes by word of mouth and reputation, whereas the big perfume giants need to spend a huge proportion of their finances on advertising and marketing. And because of this approach, Ormonde Jayne has won prizes and been given rave reviews by the harshest perfume critics in the world!

Where do you find your inspiration for new perfumes?

Inspiration can sometimes takes the form of something completely unrelated and unexpected. When I was on holiday in Vietnam, I was on the beach and this woman had the most beautiful scarf on that I had ever seen with bright orange, cream, beige and black stripes. I couldn’t stop looking at the scarf and when I saw this bright mandarin orange, which is the colour of our packaging, I went into a reverie of Ormonde Jayne and all the different directions I wanted to take the company in and other work fantasies. But the whole inspiration came from looking at this beautiful scarf on a beautiful woman on the beach.

My other inspiration is Egypt which is my all time favourite country in the world. I absolutely adore it! This country has something to inspire everyone - desert lands, biblical monasteries in the middle of nowhere, clear blue seas, an extraordinary history, tombs, rivers, museums, good food, amazing African sunsets and an abundance of botanical herbs and flowers. Each time I leave Cairo, I am weighed down with what I take away in inspiration!

Closer to home, sitting on the banks of The Thames near Embankment & looking at all the grand gestures that make up London like Cleopatra’s Neede, The London Eye, The House of Lords, Big Ben, and at night when all the bridges are lit up with fairy lights – this is a sight that cannot fail to inspire.

Perfumes have a wonderful heritage, if you could travel back in time, which era would you like to visit?

Egypt without a doubt. I would need to be a Queen living in a temple on The Nile, somewhere between Luxor and Aswan bathing in asses’ milk and sailing down the Nile.

What advice do you have for others about running your own business?

I'm still learning, but one aspect that makes Ormonde Jayne successful is customer loyalty. Occasionally, I pop into the perfumery boutique on a Saturday and see clients that I served eight years ago. It means they love what I do, so I must never compromise on the quality, service and presentation. Ever!

I have just been reading a book called Table Setting which has some other great tips. The book title is not what it seems. It's all about how it is important to show generosity to your clients, who ever they are. I am a strong believer in giving. If you don't know how to give, you can't receive.

Above all, keep faith and remind yourself to be grateful.

How would you describe your perfect weekend?

Romantic weekends are a distant memory due to two very young sons – but my husband and I just went off for a long weekend in Hanoi which was very special. Decades of communism, the crumbling French architecture and the old French bistros give it this pervading nostalgic mood throughout the city. All we did all day long is just walk walk walk, stopping to eat and visiting temples and antique markets.

If we are at home in London, then a perfect weekend would involve would definitely include the parks! No capital city in the world has so many parks at the disposal of its citizens. Even when you fly into London & you look down, you see nothing but greenery! New York’s Central Park is massive, but I am sure London has more green space because of the sheer quantity of parks here!; Clissold Park, Regent’s Park, Hyde Park, Holland Park, Richmond Park… the list just goes on & on. I love walking through forests, parks or in the country and having fresh air, nature, and time and space to look at the sky.
In the summer, our weekend luxury is a trip to The Berkeley Hotel on Hyde Park Corner for a swim in their amazing rooftop pool, wondering yet again, how on earth they built it!

I also spend a lot of time in the Natural History Museum mainly because of my two young children. It’s one of the most fantastic buildings I have ever seen and we can only see a tiny fraction of what is on view at each visit. Someone once said that if you spend 10 minutes looking at each of the exhibits there your visit would last 20 years! One of the best things about the museums in London is that they are all free & have been for over a decade!

If my children weren’t too tired, I try walking them back through Hyde Park and then a special treat of hot chocolate and a pancake at Cachao in Primrose Hill village which they love! If I still have any energy left after lights out, & a willing babysitter, we might go out to the East End on Kingsland Road for dinner in one of the small Vietnamese restaurants called Song Que.

http://www.ormondejayne.com/

Picture Credit: Linda Pilkington photograph courtesy of Nina Saville.

STOP PRESS

Ormonde Jayne opens its flagship store in Sloane Square

Ormonde Jayne celebrates its tenth and most exciting year with today’s launch of the new flagship boutique in world famous Sloane Square, London.

Ormonde Jayne’s third and newest address in London is 192 Pavillion Road (site of the old General Trading Company) and like the first boutique in Old Bond Street, it neighbours with Tiffany’s, Cartier & Links of London.

Designed by Caulder Moore, the smoked glass & antique gold shagreen walls give the store Ormonde Jayne’s trademark sophisticated decadent look.
Linda Pilkington, creator & owner

“When I first saw the “to lease” sign on Pavillion Road, I knew it would be the perfect location for Ormonde Jayne and I have always loved Sloane Square. Our original business plan was to start looking by the end of 2011, but I operate on instinct! As we are an independent company without outside investors, we have the luxury of making quick decisions. Following the success of our debut in Harrods earlier this year, it felt like the next logical move. Sloane Square is an international address in the heart and soul of London & we are thrilled to be opening today”.

Other design features include the generously sized new Portraits consulting table. The complimentary Perfume Portrait service is an innovative way to find your perfect scent and Ormonde Jayne can now host small groups of people. Clients having their Portrait taken with our trained and knowledgeable staff are invited to smell 21 raw ingredients taken from the seven different perfume groups – a blindfold will sharpen your sense of smell but is optional! Likes & dislikes are noted and then we will offer customers one or two scents to spray. The idea behind Perfume Portraits is to let your personal taste be guided by your mind’s limitless scope to decipher the countless aromas around you and then letting those positive sensations guide you to your signature scent.

If booked in advance, our staff can arrange for Champagne and truffles to be served after a Portrait to celebrate a birthday or special occasion.

Ormonde Jayne flagship store in Sloane Square will be open seven days a week.

Newly launched items

Navidad Christmas Candle – £60
a limited edition candle with festive notes of amber & cardomom
tonka and mandarin presented with a gold lid housed in a handmade gold box.

Gold Crème – £56
a scented pot of gold for shimmering décolletage and shoulders in
Orris Noir or Ta’if

Gold Dust - £400 (exclusive to Harrods)
scented with Ta’if, this dusting powder contains 24 carat gold
for a sparkle that won’t fade.

Ormonde Jayne Perfumery in Sloane Square
192 Pavillion Road
London
SW1X 0BJ
Tel +44 207 730 1381
Monday – Saturday 10am – 6pm
Sunday 11am – 5pm

Ormonde Jayne Perfumery in The Royal Arcade, Old Bond Street,
Ormonde Jayne Perfumery in Harrods, Ground Floor, Knightsbridge.