Hermes Un Jardin Apres La Mousson Review – Jean-Claude Ellena; 2008

Nothing lasts forever. Many years ago, the first time I got to meet and interview Jean-Claude Ellena, he said that one of the reasons he was proud to work for Hermes was that the brand never discontinued any of their perfumes. Every scent, he explained, had at least a few admirers, which is why an effort had to be made to sustain the production of all of them. Sadly, if various sources are to be believed, the devil of discontinuation has finally decided to stop at the doors of Hermes HQ, and he’s taking not just one perfume, but several, including Muguet Porcelaine and Eau De Narcisse Bleu. But of the names on the list, perhaps the one whose departure will be the hardest to take is Ellena’s own Un Jardin Apres La Mousson, released in 2008 as the third member of the Jardin series. 

Granted, as far as mainstream releases go, it was always on the challenging side. That strange, sandy burst of mustardy-yellow turmeric and ginger at the start. Then the curious juxtaposition with metallic-ozonic tomato leaf. Somewhere behind them all, the peppery earthiness of coriander. And then of course, in the distance, an evocation of heat and rain: not quite marine, not quite salty, not quite balmy, yet unmistakably post-downpour-like. This was a garden presented with both a respect for a land that was far removed from the creator’s own as well as an infectious enjoyment of the novel and the unfamiliar. 

Perhaps it is too much to expect a brand to keep making a product that simply isn’t attracting enough pennies. Perhaps the decks do need to be cleared once in a while. But I for one wish that a half-way solution could have been found in this situation. Maybe Mousson could have been retired to some kind of online-only or boutique-only range. It is simply too original, too distinctive and too magical a piece of work to be entirely removed from our world. And amongst the many olfactory conjuring tricks Ellena pulled off in his career, it is perhaps the most compelling, because it was amongst the most difficult to understand. I shall miss seeing it at Hermes counters, and I’ll treasure what I have left of it. 

Persolaise

[Hermes Un Jardin Apres La Mousson review based on a sample obtained by me.]

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