A conversation with Emilie Dewell and what made her start this journey and what makes FO’AH so special?

AUS LIEBE ZUM DUFT: You launched FO’AH together with Abdulla Al-Masaood. Can you tell us a little about your background and how you entered the world of fragrances? How did the two of you meet and how did the foundation of FO’AH come about?

Emilie Dewell: I was born in Canada. My mother is French, and my father English. I grew up in Abu Dhabi for most of my childhood, with summers spent in a small village close to Grasse in the South of France. I think all these different environments naturally drew me to scent, its powers and all the influences that come with it.

My family had known Abdulla Al Masaood from their very earliest days in Abu Dhabi. There, he was one of the most successful and respected business man, with interests across multiple sectors.

After gaining a degree in business from an English University and graduating from Business School in France followed by different internships in luxury, an opportunity arose to be a partner in a new fragrance company with Abdulla. I understood very quickly what animated me.

With endless conversations about how to develop a unique scent, it was clear we wanted something that would resonate within our soul.

The PALM TREE seemed to be a natural choice and start of this incredible journey.

When he past away a few years ago, I had the opportunity to become the sole owner of FO’AH Perfumes with a strong wish to continue what we started together.

FO’AH is the fruit of a seed both Abdulla and I planted a long time ago

ALZD: What is in your eyes so special about FO’AH and its fragrances? 

ED: A few things actually –

Undoubtedly our unique accord – Never used in perfumery before and developed exclusively for FO’AH by Master perfumer Olivier Pescheux (Givaudan). It adds a discreet yet recognizable signature to all our fragrances.

We imagine our fragrances like a bridge between different cultures using the universal language of scent to explore new olfactive territories.

Born between the Bresle Valley (renowned for its glasswork since the 14^th century) and assembled about a 100km from Paris, our bottles where designed in close connection with the artisans who forged them. We don’t believe that such an object should only be used once, that is why we made it refillable.

Re-usable and replenishable we reduced to the minimum our impact on the environment by offering an exclusive refilling online service – allowing its owner to keep it for a lifetime.

We are also an independent and women owned brand.

ALZD: Can you give us a short portrait of each fragrance? What are the characteristics of each perfume?

ED: Our Mémoires d’une Palmeraie collection was imagined as different influences passing through an oasis. Under the shade of the majestic trees, precious ingredients are shared and naturally blend with the delicate Palm standing above them – expressing its different facets through each of the creations.

Mémoires d’une Palmeraie 02 Is the closest expression of the Palm Tree. A distinctive greenness of the oasis at dawn gives the scent a fresh and lively expression.

Mémoires d’une Palmeraie 08 was imagined like a French and Emirati affair. Where the Rose de Mai known for its harmonious roundness and generous character meets for the first time the majestic Palm Tree.

Abu Dhabi has a long coastline, and so we imagined a fragrance which would have arrived by sea. Mémoires d’une Palmeraie 11 is the expression of a Palm tree caressed by the waves, with its fronds sprinkled by salt crystals.

Mémoires d’une Palmeraie 14 is an olfactory expression of a contemporary Oud. Vibrant and in perfect symbiosis with the environment surrounding it. A daring blend, where when paired to our Palm Accord creates an oud for people who aren’t usually fond of oud.

Mémoires d’une Palmeraie 17 is the interpretation of a Japanese spring blooming in the heart of the oasis.  Imagined as a pathway between worlds we chose the iconic Cherry blossom to exude the scent of the Palm in a vibrant creation offering new horizons between Middle East and Asia.

ALZD: What’s with the numbers that the perfumes have as names? Why are they selected numbers and why specifically these?

ED: Our brand name FO’AH has no other meaning than in Arabic. It is a word used to express the blooming of the Palm Tree. Mémoires d’une Palmeraie (Memories of the Oasis) the name of our collection was thought like a travel journal – blank at first, it is our perfumes that write the pages like stories told in the heart of the oasis under the shade of the Palm Tree.

Perfumery is a language of intimacy and emotion. We wanted to let our perfumes speak for themselves and not impose a story on them. Designated by a single figure like the pages of a book – these lucky numbers are linked to the personal stories of its founders and the creation of FO’AH.

ALZD: How was the creative work with Olivier Pescheux and Michel Girard? How did these collaborations come about? How much are you involved in the creative process?

ED: Both where very different.

We worked very closely with Olivier Pescheux on the development of our accord – a privileged moment.

Oscillating between tradition and innovation, Olivier’s know how was a fundamental part of this creative process.

For the elaboration of our Palm accord, he came to Abu Dhabi. It was important for us to show him and let him understand all the facets of the tree. The importance it had for both Abdulla, myself and its link to the Emirati culture.

We wanted him to have an experience as a whole – whether the Palms, the flowers, the trunk or even the minerality and aridity from which it grows from – allowed him to have all the “ingredients” in order to translate it in an accord.

Michel Girard was another approach. Presented as a blind testing – We had a panel of about 5 scents to try out and his sample was very different in that way we felt it had to be added to our collection.

We like to leave the freedom to the perfumers who work on the fragrances. We give them the initial direction – I write up the inspirational texts and create visual mood board to deepen our vision – we then let them surprise us with their interpretation. The best part is when our wish and their translation are in line.

What we look for ultimately is the balance between singularity, the act of creation and the pleasure of wearing our perfumes. We take time and we give time until we are completely satisfied. As a result, we like to think of our fragrances as unique yet wearable. A contemporary approach to Oriental fragrances.

ALZD: Do you have a favorite fragrance in your FO’AH collection and/or one that you are particularly proud of?

ED: Choosing a favorite fragrance would be like choosing a favorite child. I like to wear them all at different times of the day and occasions – However if I had to take only one with me on a desert island I think it would have to be Mémoires d’une Palmeraie 02. It was the fragrance that started it all. The first time it was a clear match between inspiration and creation. The first expression of the Palm Tree – we actually never reworked the initial version proposed by Olivier.  

ALZD: If you think about your childhood, is there a special scent that comes in your mind?

ED: A few:

The most soothing: Undoubtedly the freshness of the shade of the Palm tree I would sit under as a child (a mix of cut grass and a ripe date fruit)

The most mysterious: the Bukhoor burning in my friend’s house and her mother surrounding us in its smoke to protect us. 

The most exciting: My grandmother’s perfume (YSL’s Opium) which announced that friends where coming and that a party was about to happen.

ALZD: What can we expect for the future?

ED: FO’AH Perfumes is still a small independent house for now. It has been 3 years since we launched the brand and day after day, there are always new challenges that make this journey so exciting.

My dream would be for FO’AH to keep growing in the same way, always keeping in mind that what is important for us is to push the boundaries of we know by offering familiar yet unique creations. We are working with new perfumers on new scents and it will be interesting to see what they have as an interpretation.

I cannot give a clear date but hopefully the vision and translation will come into line soon.