The world of perfumery is becoming increasingly avant-garde. Classic florals, straightforward gourmands and one dimensional fresh colognes will aways be classic, but they often lack the element of intrigue or surprise that begs the question, 'What are you wearing?'.

If you are into niche perfumery, you might know Gaël Montero. The French-Spanish nose is known as part of a new generation approaching perfume from a place of contrast and contradiction. The goal is not to make a universally appealing, safe fragrance but instead something that makes people feel. Montero's portfolio is pretty prolific: Born To Stand Out Dirty Milk, Maison Crivelli Musc Nurāsana, Saffran Secret, Versace Crystal Emerald and most recently, Dries Van Noten Velvet Violet.

Dries Van Noten as a house is known for contradictions and contrasting prints, colours and textures. The perfume collection follows a similar suit – each scent is built around an unlikely scent pairing (like patchouli and cannabis, or chestnut and silk). The latest – created by Montero – is Velvet Violet. Warm and toasty, it takes a classic powdery floral note (violet) but pairs it with roasted sesame, giving the fragrance a textural, almost crunchy finish. It's a gourmand, but nothing like the textbook vanilla/caramel/praline ones dominating the category right now.

Below, RUSSH speaks exclusively to Montero on the thinking behind the 'umami' perfume, unexpected note pairings, creative instincts and his favourite smell in the world.

What is your earliest scent-related memory?

Dry, sun-scorched flora, mixing cistus plants, everlasting flowers and wild lavender, which you can smell in Spain, where I lived until I was 17. It is a magical smell! I learnt years later that these are ingredients used in perfumery.

Tell me what initially drew you to perfume making?

From a young age, I had an interest in smells, but what truly fascinated me was discovering the creative world behind perfumery. My path was shaped by a series of important encounters, first with a Kuwaiti perfume boutique owner who introduced me to oriental perfumery, then later with Françoise Marin, the former director of the Givaudan Perfumery School, as well as Jean-Michel Duriez, who was an in-house perfumer at Rochas. Then, I became the assistant to Jordi Fernandez at Givaudan in Barcelona. This was another key encounter. I spent two formative years with him, before joining the Givaudan Perfumery School, then joined the team in Dubai in 2020.

What do you think is the most essential skill a perfumer needs to succeed – is it a strong sense of smell or something else?

Curiosity, because it's what pushes us to experiment, imagine new mental architectures, combine blocks and think about the evaporation of ingredients. Ingredients often inspire me, both natural and synthetic ones.

Luxury fragrance increasingly feels like a space for artistic expression rather than simply beauty. Have you noticed a shift in how consumers are engaging with perfume over the past few years?

There is much more information available on perfumery today than a few years ago, so consumers have an increasing curiosity about the behind the scenes of perfume making. They acknowledge the work behind creations.

Also, there are hundreds of launches every year – in order to be unforgettable, we need to focus on unconventional and distinctive combinations.

Violet has such a loaded history in perfumery. What did you want to strip away or challenge with this fragrance? Tell me about your creative thinking surrounding the project?

The starting point was really to move violet away from its expected associations, to challenge the structure around it. The creative work focused on the idea of a roasted violet, something more textured and never smelled before. I worked around woods, roasted effects and cereal-like facets to give violet a more contemporary expression.

What shaped this idea of a "modern" violet for you?

The idea came more from the contrast that exists in the world of Dries Van Noten itself, between colour and shadow, richness and lightness. I wanted to translate that contrast olfactively. Very early in the process, I imagined a violet that would feel luminous at first and progressively reveal something darker and textured. I wanted to pair the violet with something totally unexpected – far from floral and citrus. The goal was to create surprise while still keeping elegance and modernity.

You matched violet with sesame – which is pretty unusual in perfumery. Where did that idea come from?

That dimension felt very interesting within the Dries Van Noten universe, which is also built on contrast and unexpected combinations. Sesame immediately created an unexpected dialogue with violet. It has a distinctive roasted quality, but also something soft, enveloping, almost tactile. At the same time, it is different from traditional notes used in gourmand perfumery.

You’re right. Gourmand as a category is so popular – edible notes are having a real moment right now. What does sesame specifically bring that a more traditional gourmand note (like vanilla, tonka or praline) couldn't?

Sesame creates a very different type of gourmand effect without the overload of sugar that can sometimes come with those traditional gourmand notes. There is something almost umami-like, which gives the fragrance texture and depth. It creates a gourmand dimension that remains elegant, dry and textured.

You’ve made so many incredible perfumes in your career, but what did collaborating with the Dries Van Noten world teach you about creativity or design?

What I found very inspiring in the Dries Van Noten universe is the way contrasts are handled with precision and sophistication. There is always tension. Texture also plays a central role, whether through fabric, colour or materials. The project was less about following trends and more about expressing a strong identity in a refined way.

How did you know or decide Velvet Violet was ‘finished’?

A fragrance is finished when the balance feels natural and nothing seems unnecessary anymore. The initial idea of Velvet Violet was very clear from the beginning, but finding the right balance took time. When you work around contrast and unusual associations, every adjustment changes the perception of the fragrance quite significantly.

What do you hope someone feels when they wear the fragrance – what kind of emotional response are you trying to solicit?

People who are drawn to Dries Van Noten appreciate experimentation and enjoy fragrance that feels distinctive rather than conventional. Velvet Violet is not designed to fit into a familiar floral category. It is meant to create intrigue. Ideally, the wearer feels both elegance and a certain freedom in the way the fragrance expresses itself.

As a perfumer, where do you think the line sits between creating something commercially appealing and something artistically uncompromising?

The balance often comes from working with familiarity and surprise at the same time. With Velvet Violet, violet is a familiar ingredient that people can immediately recognise and connect with emotionally. It is nostalgic, in a way. But the way the violet is interpreted creates a different perspective that encourages people to experience the note in a new way.

What excites you most about where artistic perfumery is heading?

As someone who enjoys exploring and testing different creative directions, I find the openness to unusual ingredients, unexpected structures and more abstract ideas very exciting. It creates space for fragrances more driven by emotion and individuality.

Last question – what is the best smell in the world, in your opinion?

The ones that create an immediate emotion before you can even explain why.

Dries Van Noten Velvet Violet

Images: @driesvannoten. Portrait supplied.