Spend time with Roja Dove, Professeur des Parfums, and you become acutely aware of any surrounding smells, particularly your own. 'Fragrance is like a little peep through the crack in the door of someone's soul. It transports us away from the everyday to a faraway place, or back to the sweetest memory.’
Roja fell in love with fragrance at an early age as his mother headed out to a cocktail party. 'She bent to kiss me and with the light behind her so that she glowed like an ethereal goddess, I was hit by the smell of her face powder and perfume.' Such is the intensity of this recollection that his eyes still light up with pleasure.
Smell is the most primitive human sense. The first to awaken and the last to leave us, it is not merely the sensation of odours but the associated emotions and experiences that go with them. Each time you smell something it leaves a notch in your memory, like a sensory barcode with a unique combination of up to 10,000 scents that determines your taste in perfume.
A signature fragrance is like an heirloom; it nestles deep within the subconscious of those that come in contact with it to leave a lingering sensory memory long after you have departed. The Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie opens the door to discovering that elusive signature scent that steals your heart and encapsulates your soul. Within 750 square feet of black lacquered, Lalique panelled, Baccarat bejewelled heaven are the finest fragrance offerings in the world, many of them exclusive to the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie, and some even rescued from oblivion at Roja's request. This homage to creativity and quality is perfectly supported by Roja's team of consultants, all impeccably trained to help you find your sensory soul mate.
With the world of fragrance at his feet, how did this modern day maestro choose his signature scent? 'It evokes memories of my favourite things; the warmth of spice and walking outdoors on an autumn day.' What better extension of a romantic, refined soul than that. So what does your fragrance divulge about you?