The Fairmont Windsor Park Hotel’s newest boutique opened, and Floris celebrated its grand opening. Reporter Pete Brooker was dispatched by Bond Lifestyle to sample the Floris x 007 Eau de Parfum and speak with Floris Director Edward Bodenham on the development of the 007 Fragrance. At the bottom of this post, you may find a 10% discount code.
As the ninth (!) generation of the Floris family to lead the company since its founding in 1730, Edward Bodenham is the current director. The original and main shop is still located at 89 Jermyn Street, and all of its scents are still made in the perfumery behind the shop.
This week, Floris opened a new, little Floris store within the Fairmont Windsor Park Hotel, which is located nearby London. The Arora Group owns the brand-new premium hotel, which debuted in January 2022.
According to Edward, the hotel’s boutique was put together quite swiftly. It all began when a member of the Arora Group’s family entered the Floris store on Jermyn Street and had their own perfume made there as a wedding gift. Then, as they were constructing this new hotel for the Arora family company out in the countryside, they gave Floris a boutique within the hotel.
Pete Brooker met down with Edward Bodenham, director of Floris, during the opening ceremony of this boutique to discuss the new 007 Fragrance and to question him about the nature of the first discussions with EON.
Bodenham: “EON contacted us pretty much out of nowhere. I was really honoured and excited to be approached to collaborate on a scent to mark 60 years since Dr. No because I am a huge Bond fan and grew up watching Bond movies and reading Bond novels.
I’ve learned about perfumery from my father and grandpa as well as other sources throughout the years as I’ve grown up in the industry.
So, has this been brewing in your imagination for a while? After all, you obviously have links to Bond. Were you imagining the scent of a Bond perfume even before this relationship was discussed?
Bodenham: “Subconsciously, for sure, because you sort of acquire an impression via the experiences of watching the movie and imagining the tastes of the beverages and the environment. Evidently, it has been a topic that is dear to my heart. As a result, when we reached the last scent, we knew right away that it was the one.
“And where does that process begin?” asked Brooker. Your mood boards are up now. Does the office smell like Morland smokes or have a photo of Sean Connery hanging on the wall? What is happening there?
No, it’s actually just sitting in our perfumery, which is on Jermyn Street, via the back of the store, said Bodenham. When you’re working on something new, focusing on it, and finding a lot of inspiration inside the walls, it’s pretty atmospheric, which is quite inspirational. The building itself is amazing, being in the centre of St. James’s, and it all contributes to the creative process.
Do you collaborate with EON throughout that creative process? Do they get involved or do they leave you alone because they believe you can put together a decent fragrance?
Bodenham: “They contributed to the scent, but they had great faith in us. They were aware of our business and the fact that we had undoubtedly been producing fragrances for a very long time. In order to offer us a little guidance, they gave us a few suggestions that they had in mind, but we were all already thinking along the same lines. It made everything so enjoyable. Because they, happily, agreed with us as well when we had made our final decision and they had tried it. That was very good.
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“You mentioned some of the notes in there,” said Brooker. What are the key characteristics that, in your opinion, define Bond as the actual character? What are those nuances that are coming through when individuals buy this fragrance and they smell it for the first time?”
Bodenham: “I guess the Juniper is probably one of the most noticeable components because of the Gin link and of course the Martini.
It’s challenging since the components add up to such a large amount.
The woodiness and warmth of the amber note make one think of the gentleman’s clubs in St. James’s. The Dianthus is responsible for the fragrance’s faint smokiness and boozy component. And the woody aspects of course, Sandalwood and Cedarwood.
When discussing James Bond, you immediately think of all the many settings and movies. Therefore, it is snatching up tiny pieces here and there. For instance, we included a hint of rum because we wanted to maintain the link to Jamaica.
The combination of all the tones really seemed to capture everything.
The Floris 007 Fragrance is currently available at Floris (UK) for £200, but you can save 10% on any purchase by entering the special coupon code FLORISJBLIFESTYLE on the Floris website (code is valid through midnight on September 11, 2022).
