MAAI

MAAI, an extrait de parfum released in 2014, grew out of Antonio Gardoni’s experiments with tuberose. In an interview, he described a continuing struggle with the flower and the way different smells could reveal themselves while others slipped out of sight.

Among the key notes, tuberose, rose, jasmine and ylang ylang sit beside three animalic notes: civet, castoreum and hyraceum. Dried fruits, oakmoss, patchouli, myrrh and Tolu balsam join them, so floral abundance, animal warmth, moss and resinous weight meet within one composition.

The comparisons with large, old-fashioned chypres surprised him. He had thought he was making something new rather than recreating a classical perfume. That difference between intention and reception is part of the story behind its meeting of flowers and animalic warmth.