Q&A with Linda Pilkington of Ormonde Jayne

A few weeks ago, I contacted the Ormonde Jayne people and asked if I could send some questions their way about the company, recent developments in response to economic changes, and plans for the future of Ormonde Jayne. They kindly forwarded my questions to Linda Pilkington, founder and perfumer of Ormonde Jayne, and below are her answers.

Ms. Pilkington is an enthusiastic supporter of the online perfume community, and has made herself available to answer questions from a number of perfume blogs, including Now Smell This, Base Notes, Beauty and the Dirt and Fragrantica.

Question: The talk about town has been the downsizing of the luxury giants, with luxury brands consolidating and rethinking growth strategies. Louis Vuitton has just announced that it's canceling expansion plans in Tokyo even though the Japanese consumer is LV's largest consumer segment. How is the Ormonde Jayne company managing the present economic downturn, and who is your largest consumer segment?

Linda Pilkington: In the luxury market today, the pendulum is swinging back. Consumers no longer want to buy into large conglomerates managed by money men and served by assistants that don't really understand the heritage, the philosophy or the soul of the brand. I think it is for this reason we have seen the small independent niche perfume houses come into their own.

Ormonde Jayne is a tiny business with a big soul - a small team with a big heart. We know our clients and they know us by first name terms, and it is for this reason I have taken my time in developing the company. We have just opened a concession in Boutique 1 in Dubai. I flew out, trained the staff and served the clients; after a three day press event, the team were very on side and I feel they know and understand this exclusive and unique perfume house.

Moreover, we have had a good year with sales figures up, like for like, from 2007 to 2008. Our largest consumer segment is from our everyday customers that visit our Bond Street store. The website represents 30% of our turnover, with a strong following from the USA, Russia and the Middle East. We also have quite a few Parisians visit our perfumery.

Question: The Starwood Capital Group, which owns the Annick Goutal brand, has mentioned a desire to transform Annick Goutal into a lifestyle brand, introducing cosmetics, home linens, lingerie and other ancillary items under the brand's name, perhaps even opening Annick Goutal branded spas in their portfolio of hotel properties. The private equity firm Fox Paine & Company holds a controlling interest in L'Artisan Parfumeur, which has afforded L'Artisan the capital to rapidly expand retail presence over the last several years. Is Ormonde Jayne seeking any private equity investment partners for similar retail expansion -- you must get calls at least once a week! Do you envision Ormonde Jayne as a future lifestyle brand, extending into home furnishings, cosmetics and more?

Linda Pilkington: Ormonde Jayne is a work in progress, my personal vision, and I have lots of wonderful ideas for Ormonde Jayne. There is nothing wrong with Private Equity investors but they would, quite rightly, want a return on their investment and I am not prepared to operate under that sort of pressure. If the money men took a look at our oil costs, they would run out of the building screaming.

So to answer your question, No -- and I can't see Ormonde Jayne bed linen on the horizon. My advice is to stick to what you are good at.

Question: You recently accepted a commission from 20ltd to create Seraphim, an extremely limited edition fragrance that bears the Ormonde Jayne name yet is not sold in any Ormonde Jayne boutiques. Did this collaboration with 20ltd expose Ormonde Jayne to a new clientele? And does a limited edition collaboration like this differ very much from creating a bespoke scent for an individual client?

Linda Pilkington: Seraphim was commissioned by 20ltd, a company that looks for artisans to create a very limited edition of their personal craft. It was not as straight forward as one may think, as it involved a lot of people to make it happen. Brand designers and box creators were brought in to help create the packaging for an exceptional perfume that kept to our original spirit but was created for an unknown market. I had no idea who would buy it or who these people would be, but I was happy to receive a lot of enquires from genuine perfume lovers.

It did turn out to be very expensive, especially as I was ordering a very low volume of everything. The boxes were handmade and the print cost a bomb since the set-up charges were divided by only 50 units. Although 20ltd enjoyed a profit, ultimately I was out of pocket at the end of the project. This was not an issue for me, as it was all a new experience and I enjoyed creating the perfume for this company.

Photos of the bottle and box for Ormonde Jayne Seraphim

Question: You mentioned in an interview that you wanted to open a U.S. location in 2009. Despite economic concerns, are you still planning this, and if so, where in the U.S. do you believe you'd locate? New York is an obvious choice, but are other U.S. cities on your radar, as well?

Linda Pilkington: I am reviewing our expansion plans. For the moment, I want to polish what I have started. 2009 will see our new internet site launched, new product releases, and I want to baby-sit Boutique 1 (in Dubai).

I would love Ormonde Jayne in New York, but I would want it to be just right all around: the location, the style, the offering. Ask me again in 2010.

Question: The Le Labo Fragrance company has perfume counters installed in Barney's stores throughout the U.S. to broaden their exposure outside their own boutiques. What are your thoughts regarding partnership with a retail giant such as Barney's, Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue for distribution outside your website and boutiques?

Linda Pilkington: USA stores are gorgeous and I would love to partner up with one, giving them exclusivity and working together to make it a success. It depends which one would share the same desire and commitment.

Question: You've done interviews with the blogs Now Smell This, Base Notes, Beauty and the Dirt and Fragrantica (among others), and Ayala Sender wrote on her blog about a visit and conversation she had with you in your London shop. While many perfumers keep themselves fairly isolated from fragrance bloggers, you have chosen to make yourself accessible to the Internet community. What initiated your interest in engaging the Internet fragrance community, and are you experiencing growth in online sales that corresponds with your accessibility to fragrance bloggers? How do your online sales compare to sales from your brick and mortar shops?

Linda Pilkington: The internet is a big part of the future. With two small children and dogs, I have become an avid internet shopper and do nearly all my shopping late at night when all is quiet on the Western Front; therefore, I want Ormonde Jayne's site to be a continuation of our boutique and an easy option for our clients.

A lot of our customers are based in London for a few years and then return home, so we want to be able to serve them wherever they are in the world. We are launching (a revamped website) in February and will let you know straight away when we go live. The new site will be very consumer friendly for our international clients.

Perhaps I am more in touch with the cyber folk because I think the Internet is a wonderful tool for embracing the world from the comfort of your own private surroundings.

Note: Ms. Pilikington stated in answer to the first question that "Our largest consumer segment is from our everyday customers that visit our Bond Street store. The website represents 30% of our turnover, with a strong following from the USA, Russia and the Middle East. We also have quite a few Parisians visit our perfumery."

Question: In an interview with the Khaleej Times, you said, "Dubai is my natural and first choice of market outside of the UK given that a few of my significant ingredients like ta'if rose, orris noir and oudh oil are from this region." Now that your boutique is open in Dubai, has the consumer response been what you expected? I read in a newsletter from your company that customers in Dubai were shocked to find lush fragrances containing Middle Eastern materials in a British perfumer's shop. What is your best selling fragrance so far in Dubai? What is a fragrance you most commonly recognize while in Dubai?

Linda Pilkington: My best sellers in Dubai are Ormonde Man and Ta'if. The customers are very different to the UK, and their shopping habits are different. You might not see as many people, but several have called and ordered several bottles each to be picked up by a driver. The way of life is very different there, the sun is scorching and the day to day routine is not necessarily conducted in the way we go about our usual habits and chores.

Dubai has a smell which I caught the moment the glass doors opened from the airport walking into the night air. It is a work in progress.

Question: The Starwood Capital Group reports that just one of Annick Goutal's fragrances is responsible for over 30% of the entire company's revenue. Do you have a star of the Ormonde Jayne line?

Linda Pilkington: Isfarkand is our sugar daddy, worn by men and woman (although that was not by design), and it seems to be our all time favourite with a bullet!

Question: In the recently published book "Whiff!" by C. Russell Brumfield, the author talks about the upcoming scent revolution, where scent will be used in virtually every enclosed public space to enhance mood and influence consumer behavior. Have you ever been approached to design a scent for a public or commercial space, such as a hotel chain requesting a mood fragrance for its lobby spaces?

Linda Pilkington: Eight years ago, one of my fragrances (that was created as a shower gel only) was bought by a big company for a washing powder!!!! They wanted it and I didn't, as I thought it was not fine enough. You never know in this world!

Question: I'd like to finish with a somewhat personal question: Among your present fragrance peers, is there anyone whose work simultaneously challenges, informs and inspires you? Have you ever created a fragrance in homage to another perfumer's work, past or present?

Linda Pilkington: One perfume I adored for many years, and still do, was by Shiseido -- Feminite du Bois, a woody chypre. So different and unique, an inspiration. Ormonde Woman is not the same, but I liked the idea of a green woody chypre as our signature, and hemlock was the perfect ingredient.

Thanks to Linda Pilkington for her time, and a special thanks to Sarah Ehrlich for making it happen.

ADDENDUM:

Following is a link to a YouTube video clip of an interview with Linda Pilkington. It takes you inside the Ormonde Jayne shop in London: click to go to video