LVEN Workshops
From Concept to Execution: The Wait is Over!
My perfume teacher, Clémentine, ushered me into the world of perfume-making on the very first day of class by presenting me and my fellow students with a « kit » of matières premières, the raw materials that are used by perfume creators all over the world. I arrived at the laboratory, full of curiosity and enthusiasm and a little nervous breathlessness because, well, diving headlong into a professional training program in French felt slightly daunting. Our first kit consisted of a square box made from white cardboard with one of those more or less tight-fitting lids. Inside the box were approximately sixty 2.5ml bottles (they’re called marmottes in the perfume world. That’s a story for another day.) each containing a couple of grams of a raw material used in perfume; each bottle had a small label with 2 numbers: a kit number and an individual material number. So bergamot essential oil, for example, was numbered like this: I 1. And yuzu essence was numbered like this: I 9. Our work went like this: using a paper smelling strip, smell the material and describe it. Put language to it. Gather words for apprehending each individual material. And write all the words down, alongside their corresponding number set.
Over the next 18 months, we were presented with many of these boxes. We covered between 250 and 300 raw materials all together. But I still remember the wild magic of that first day, those first raw materials and the dawning understanding that learning, memorizing, appreciating, and comprehending those raw materials was the key to the world of perfume. And, really, Clémentine helped us see how learning, memorizing, and comprehending those raw materials was really the key to the entire world of olfaction. It was like unlocking a gateway onto a vivid and thrilling new universe which brought our sense of smell into the foreground and started giving us a language for apprehending olfaction.
A week ago I brought this olfactory magic to an intimate sensory workshop here in the heart of Bordeaux.
My beloved friend, Grace, let me use Café Eriu, her lovely and welcoming breakfast and lunch spot just around the corner on rue Fondaudege and, late on Tuesday afternoon, as the light started to turn golden and the jasmine covering the stone houses of Bordeaux started releasing its clove and vanilla scent, 8 of us gathered for a fragrant journey through the olfactory pyramid.
I arrived with Alaina Kennedy, LVEN’s Strategy and Business Developer, and we immediately got to work prepping the space, covering Grace’s wooden café tables (I like to use simple white cotton flat bed sheets), arranging materials, and gradually settling into the gentle hum of anticipation which so often heralds something meaningful or something thrilling.
We had something inspiring and singular up our proverbial sleeve. LVEN has recently entered into an exciting partnership with Nosebook, a project developed by the Parfumerie Bordelaise, a niche perfume boutique which has played a central role in bringing exceptional and unusual perfumes to Bordeaux over the last 15 years. The Nosebook project aims to make perfume accessible to anyone with a curious nose via a small and charming book which explains the central concepts of olfaction and perfumery in an engaging and articulate way. I was thrilled to be in involved with this project, partly because the Parfumerie Bordelaise has always been committed to providing a welcoming and openhearted space for exploring perfume, and also because the Nosebook itself is a tool that’s grounded in an open-minded, authentic, and deeply respectful approach towards perfume and olfaction. This tool was the perfect accompaniment to a LVEN olfactory workshop, with its clear and accessible explanations of the olfactory pyramid and its deep respect for raw materials. Our partnership feels coherent and deeply meaningful.
Last week’s kick off olfactory workshop, Awakening to Olfaction, was the first opportunity to explore what this partnership can offer, in a workshop setting. But more on that in a later article …
Our Introduction to Olfaction workshops aim to get you started with the words, the knowledge, and the hands-on experience to begin understanding what you're smelling.
If you prefer a more intimate setting, private sessions are available, tailored exclusively to you — your pace, your curiosity, your nose. Or, if you'd love to share the experience, join one of our upcoming group workshops and discover the world of raw materials alongside a community of fellow scent enthusiasts.
Both paths lead to the same place: a deeper, richer relationship with fragrance.
📷 Carousel photos 1–4: Isaac Moore @isaac_dmoore · Event photography: Alaina Kennedy @BordeauxTours