Cuir Kora
A "mirage leather" inspired by a ceremony in the Casamance savannah, pairing mango and spice with labdanum leather and palisander wood.
Perfumer: Anne-Sophie Behaghel, Amélie Bourgeois
Cuir Kora is built on an unexpected pairing: leather with mango. Cuir is French for leather, and the kora is the instrument named in the story. The brand sets the scene in the peaceful savannah of Casamance, at the beginning of a ceremony lulled by the magical harmony of a kora, and calls the result "a mirage leather."
Ripe mango sweetness meets the cool spice of cardamom and the citrus-like resinous brightness of elemi. The brand's word "spicy" comes through in this combination.
The leather in the name is a labdanum leather: dark, ambery and resinous. Palisander wood deepens it, and benzoin adds a mellow sweetness, filling out the "wild, woody" character the brand describes. The page tags it "Mezzo Forte," "Deep Vibes" and "140 BPM."
Anne-Sophie Behaghel and Amélie Bourgeois composed the perfume, and the music is by Cheikh Diallo, who was born in Senegal into a family of musicians. He plays kora and piano and has shared the stage with electro and jazz musicians.
