NEELA VERMEIRE CRÉATIONS
Neela Vermeire Creations launched in 2012 with Trayee, Mohur and Bombay Bling. Mohur Extrait, Ashoka, Pichola, Niral and Rahele followed and then a separate collection of three unique compositions, Nemus, Purpureum and Thynia, which formed Fragments by NVC, abstract, pungent, and maddingly beautiful.
Neela is based in Paris, a qualified solicitor who has worked extensively as an art agent, promoting and representing artists. These two facets of her life provide a balanced experience of right and wrong, the necessity for detail and the freedom of artistic freedom.
Neela has worked with Master Perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour, someone with an enviable back catalogue of iconic scents that have in their own atmospheric ways altered how niche perfumery is perceived and defined. One of Bertrand’s signatures is his ability to capture the aura and temperament of a place. Painting in scent. The word terroir is used by the wine industry to denote wine infused with the soil, weather conditions and local flora. His unique compositions are linked by an instinctive understanding of perfume materials to reflect a complex geographical mise en place.
Trust in Bertrand has rewarded Neela with some of the most beautiful perfumes to launch in the last twenty years. Relishing the ability to work with the best materials, he has woven magic. Together, he and Neela have created a range of voluptuous signature scents that explore a range of Indian milieu, sprawling historical eras of Indian history and faith. Creations doesn’t just pay lip service to its Indian influences either, they are entirely informed by a detailed selection of intriguing and nuanced subject matter and the finest materials available.
The gorgeous, ribbed flacons are columns flaring upwards to a pristine cap designed by the legendary Pierre Dinard, imparting an elegant Art Deco vibe. Although the juice is obviously the most important part, there are few of us who would deny the allure of a beautiful bottle.
Bertrand Duchaufour is a busy man. His skills and intuitive navigation of perfume briefs make him one of the most sought-after noses in the business. Neela presents a range of perfumes exploring a variety of historical Indian histories, geography, and religious themes. Mohur, the conjuring of a Moghul empire rose, Trayee, a hymn to the spiritual Vedic period, Rahele, a tribute to travellers and wanderlust, Pichola, the perfectly reflective lake in Udaipur in Rajasthan, Ashoka, a legendary ruler (302-232 BCE) who apparently precipitated the spread of Buddhism in India, Niral, inspired by the silk trade connections (and the silk itself), between Great Britain and India, and Bombay Bling, a glittering Bollywood melange of lush fruits, pungent spices and jasmine.
The grandeur and luxuriance of Neela’s collection are bewitching. It is a wonderful thing to discover a collection of adult perfumes that offer such rewards. They have different personalities, like a group of familiar friends, but threaded through them with the finest silk memories is an emotional and dazzling portrait of India.