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<\/p>\nThe fragrances we encounter throughout our lives are more than fleeting sensations; they are profound markers of memory, emotion, and identity. A single whiff can summon long-forgotten moments, evoke the warmth of a cherished embrace or transport us to places etched deep in our hearts.<\/p>\n
For Roja Dove, fragrance goes further than just a smell \u2013 it\u2019s a silent language of feeling. \u201cFragrance ignores age, colour, creed, and gender,” he says. “It is totally non-judgmental, and it is kind to everyone. It transports you to wonderful places in your life, and it does so willingly and happily. What\u2019s not to love?\u201d.<\/p>\n
Here, Dove takes us on an olfactory journey through the key scents that have defined his life, from the sweet nostalgia of childhood aromas to the family smells that have shaped his creations today, these are his scents of purpose.<\/p>\n
ice cream. Anything that\u2019s got that vanilla custard smell will do it. It\u2019s a very English, very old-fashioned thing, but my grandmother used to make baked custard, and I loved the smell of that and ice cream. I never have ice cream in the house though, as I have no ability to moderate how much I\u2019ll eat. Even when I know that I\u2019ve had more than enough, I will take another spoonful [laughs]. But it reminds me of all the things that ice cream makes you think of \u2013 treats, childhood, summer holidays, carefree times.<\/p>\n
Eau de Lavande by Balenciaga. My mother used to get it for me from Paris because it was very hard to buy. I thought I was the chicest thing in the entire world [laughs], and I was very, very upset when they stopped making it. Although I don\u2019t think I\u2019d want to wear it anymore. It\u2019s interesting, as when I look at my early taste in fragrance, I see this theme of lavender on an amber base running through a lot of the scents I liked. I can see this olfactory fingerprint, if you like, in the fragrances I wore.<\/p>\n
Coty\u2019s L\u2019Aimant \u2013 a perfume you can still buy today, although it\u2019s so far removed from the original. It was a very important fragrance and the scent my mother always wore. Most people don\u2019t realise that Coty was the person who shaped modern perfumery. He created the chypre and the amber \u2013 some of the biggest harmonies in perfumery. He was also the person responsible for conceptual perfume packaging and had the famous collaboration with Lalique, who was a jewellery designer up until that moment. When my mother died, the one thing I wanted from my family house was the bottle of L\u2019Aimant, and I still have it. I smell it rarely, but when I do, it takes me back to a very special place.<\/p>\n
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Guerlain\u2019s Jicky. When I used to get a weekly wage, I\u2019d spend one third of it on a 15ml bottle of Jicky perfume. I can\u2019t imagine spending one third of my income on perfume today [laughs] but that\u2019s what I did every week when I was 18 years old. It was my great decadence, and I was always so excited to open it week after week.<\/p>\n
a very particular type of cake my mother used to bake when I was a child, which had sweet spices in it. She always used to cook it in the evening, so I\u2019d go to bed with this beautiful, sweet, spicy smell, knowing that the cake would be there to enjoy the next day. I can\u2019t imagine anybody not liking the smell of baking. I think there\u2019s something very comforting about it. But when it has the mix of soft, sweet spices, that will do it for me, very happily.<\/p>\n
my signature scent, ROJA, because it makes me feel comfortable. I think the more comfortable you feel, the more confident you feel. And if you\u2019re confident, that gives you power. I\u2019ve always believed that if someone finds the right scent, you can watch them walk a centimetre taller, without the need of a heel. I believe that strongly. I think one of the greatest compliments is for someone to say you smell fabulous, and one of the greatest insults you can receive is somebody saying you smell horrible. Someone could turn around and say they don\u2019t like the top you\u2019re wearing, but that\u2019s just taste, isn\u2019t it? But if somebody told you that you smell dreadful, imagine how terrible you\u2019d feel.<\/p>\n
is a mixture of two things \u2013 the smell of lavender and the smell of jasmine. But this particular lavender is one that\u2019s really baked in the sun, like in the South of France at the end of summer. It gets this slight leathery note behind it, and if there\u2019s jasmine in the air, it\u2019s the most wonderful combination. It takes me specifically to a tiny little town called Th\u00e9oule-sur-Mer and makes me think of many happy summers I spent there with friends.<\/p>\n
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an imaginary smell, which is one of all my closest friends, combined in my head. During COVID, everyone thought our industry wouldn\u2019t survive. In fact, the sales of fragrance went up globally. I think that\u2019s because scents take us to special moments in our life, and therefore special people. What would always get me through a hard time would be just that \u2013 the support and love of my friends. So, I would need to try to concoct in my mind the smell of everyone who is dear to me.<\/p>\n
the scent of the woodland floor in springtime. The smell of bluebells and hyacinths always takes me back to my childhood. I think these two spring flowers, the freshness of one and the narcotic headiness of the other, and the smell of the woodland floor itself \u2013 the smell of the earth, the smell of decomposing leaves and mosses \u2013 really shaped my olfactory fingerprint and my taste. My grandparents\u2019 garden turned into a woodland at the back, and I used to love going into it and being on the woodland floor with the smell of nature.<\/p>\n
the smell of a Cocker Spaniel we had called Ruby. She was the gentlest dog. A dog\u2019s hair holds fragrance, so she had the smell of my family and everyone on her. I was heartbroken when she died. Her smell embodied so much more than just that of a dog \u2013 she was the smell of my family, and she always carried the scent of us on her.<\/p>\n
My fragrance Great Britain. I am exceptionally proud that I am one of some 30 cultural ambassadors for Great Britain. We\u2019re a funny nation, and we\u2019re very good at being self-deprecating. The GREAT Campaign is wonderful because it celebrates all that is great about our country. I was asked to create the scent of Great Britain, and it made me think, how does my country smell? Of course, it depends on where you are. I was born in London, where
\nwe have more green space than any other capital in the world. We have a love of plants and flowers. In our public spaces, we have ancient trees. In the Houses of Parliament, we have wood and leather. The symbol of our monarch and of England is the rose. So, I started to think of all these different raw materials, which for me were very English and that captured Britain.<\/p>\n
We have more nationalities than any other country in the world, and one of the things I love is that you can be the most delicate human being, but the strength and might of the country will allow you to flourish. I\u2019m very proud to have been asked to make this scent and that I get to go around the world and wave the flag for what makes us great. Scent breaks down all sorts of boundaries. When you smell a scent, it evokes a reaction, which has nothing to do with politics or language. It\u2019s its own language, so it allows us to share, to talk, and to understand more about different races and places. It\u2019s more than just a smell \u2013 it symbolises something much bigger for me than just one thing.<\/p>\n