Interview with the new Issey Miyake fragrance co-creator
“My name is Loc Dong and I’m a perfumer in Paris, I used to live in New York and I’m the co-creator of Issey miyake”
How do you explain the collaboration between the Issey Miyake brand, Dominic Ropion and yourself?
I think Issey Miyake is a very simple and iconic men with a simple idea and natural so between me and Dominique, we kind of play ping pong with each other, I push, he refine and vice versa but the key was to keep the DNA of the brand which is natural, simplicity power and strength.
How do you see the perfume industry nowadays?
The industry is like the world, changing very fast, 10 years ago it takes you 5min to turn on the computer, now u need 3 sec to turn on your iPad. But the most important is to keep the DNA of the brand.
Can you tell us which ingredients you used?
This is a fragrance that can be summarized in 3 words, leathery, woody and fresh.
It’s about black and light, how do we make black? Black is made of wood and leather and light is made out of citrus complex plus the infusion of pepper notes, I think pepper brings modernity to the leather so it creates tension and contrast to the perfume.
What’s so unique about the perfume?
In perfumery, like everything else, cars have 4 wheels, in perfume, you always have wood and flower, it’s the composition of the ingredients and this perfume is composed very simply but as I said every ingredient is carefully selected to the best quality so the ingredient not only for decoration, its there for a reason.
Who is the main competitor of this perfume?
To me the more competition, the better. If you have a great perfume, you always have competition, let’s face it. In general, I think this perfume is for the sophisticated man, simple and charismatic.
What do you think of Dubai and the Middle East region?
Obviously they have their own way of achieving their dreams. Dubai took them 20 years to be where they are now, and that’s very fast and we are always open to beautiful places in the world to visit.
Last words…
Enjoy, be open, try beautiful things
Immersed in the heart of the night.
Into the night.
A new experience.
Nuit d’Issey.
For the launch of his new fragrance for men, Issey Miyake, in collaboration with visual artist and photographer Ryan Hopkinson, carries us into the heart of a mysterious night. Into the heart of an immoderate landscape where glimmering moonlight underscores the relief of a graphic, majestic nature.
An initiatory journey under the protective and kindly shadow of the moon, which serves as a guide for the man who walks alone, absorbing the force of the nocturnal elements to gather up new energy.
At night, emotions are amplified and magnified; sensations are intensified. Landmarks are lost in an immersive dive toward the discovery of a new world.
Bold, free and brave, the Nuit d’Issey man commands admiration. Game for any experience, inclined to rise to challenges, he dives. After his brief getaway, he resurfaces, filled with a natural power to attract… the messenger of this new fragrance.
Anchored in the night.
A black and moonlit night, in the fullness of a world in which the majestic bottle floats and glides on the elements.
The magic of lunar attraction.
The fascination of Nuit d’Issey.
A classic of Issey Miyake men’s fragrances, the bottle is dressed in black to celebrate the night. Crafted to blend shadow and light, the glass changes from a smoky gradation to a streaked black, an abstract monochrome etched into the material itself. In the black hue of the glass we discover the moon’s reflection and its halo of light on the water’s surface. Resting elegantly atop the bottle, the opaque and deep black cap brings a matte effect.
Nocturnal reverie. The box also conveys the contrast, the variation of the two black tones that adorn the bottle, separated by a symbolic horizon line.
Beyond colour, the absence of all colour, non-colour… black is mystery.
Fragrant night.
Nuit d’Issey
Sharp, crisp and mysterious, the fragrance is an ode to wood. An effervescence of rich ingredients, mingled with opulence and potency.
The top notes feature the bright, zesty bite of tangy citrus accords. Exquisite, elegantly masculine bergamot and tender grapefruit with sparkling vivaciousness.
In the middle notes, the fragrance follows a mysterious trail where a leather accord emerges, enhanced with spices and black pepper, and laden with wood and vetiver.
In the base notes, potency takes shape. The attraction of rich, textured accords – “black” woods, patchouli and incense – extends into the exquisite, smooth sweetness of tonka bean.
According to Dominique Ropion and Loc Dong, the two perfumers, Nuit d’Issey was built on a leather backbone surrounded by woods and spices. Their composition was designed to convey the idea of “adding light to the night”.
The strength of woods and the potency of sensual, leathery notes underscore the intentionally very masculine character of Nuit d’Issey, a spicy, woody, leathery fragrance.
Magnetic night.
Hypnotic night.
A night where anything is possible for a hero with triumphal charisma.
