16 Facts About Francis Kurkdjian

Francis Kurkdjian was born on 14 May 1969 and is a French perfumer and businessman of Armenian descent.

Francis Kurkdjian is best known for creating the men's fragrance Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier in 1995, which has become one of the world's best-selling men's fragrance.

Francis Kurkdjian released Baccarat Rouge 540 in 2015 under his own house, Maison Francis Kurkdjian.

Francis Kurkdjian was the winner of the Prix Francois Coty in 2001 for his lifetime achievement.

Francis Kurkdjian was born in Paris, France on 14 May 1969 to Armenian parents.

In 1990, Francis Kurkdjian entered the Institut Superieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmetique et de l'Aromatique Alimentaire, a perfume school located in Versailles, France.

Francis Kurkdjian graduated from ISIPCA in 1993 and joined Quest International in Paris the same year.

Francis Kurkdjian continued his studies and obtained a master's degree from the Paris Institute of Luxury Marketing.

In 1995, at the age of twenty-six, Francis Kurkdjian created Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier, one of the world's best selling perfumes.

Francis Kurkdjian later created Narciso Rodriguez for Her with Christine Nagel and Burberry Her.

Besides selling his scents to major fashion designers and houses in the beginning of his new career, Francis Kurkdjian opened the pathways to a new vision, lending his talent to contemporary artists, re-creating Marie Antoinette's favorite perfume for Palace of Versailles, going back in time to the early 17th century and the sources of perfumery.

Francis Kurkdjian has created gigantic olfactory installations in emblematic spaces, making people dream with his ephemeral and spectacular perfumed performances and was honoured the "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" by French Government in 2008.

Francis Kurkdjian was the first to open his bespoke fragrances atelier in 2001, going against the trend of perfume democratization.

In 2006, Francis Kurkdjian redeveloped the Papier d'Armenie for the year of Armenia in France.

Francis Kurkdjian co-founded his own fragrance house Maison Francis Kurkdjian with business partner Marc Chaya in 2009 near the Place Vendome in Paris.

In 2013, the crystal company Baccarat commissioned Francis Kurkdjian to make a perfume for its two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary.