Amaffi partners up with musical marvel Ibrahim Maalouf for a rendition of the intricate notes that underpin its enchanting fragrance Savanna
Bridging the worlds of scents and sounds, and in an ode to the artistry of both, Geneva-based luxury fragrance house Amaffi has partnered with Grammy-nominated French-Lebanese trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf. Crafted to capture the spirit of Amaffi’s exquisite Pyramids collection, at the heart of the collaboration is the captivating fragrance Savanna, a magical floral fusion of jasmine, neroli, and mimosa.
“It reminded me of something rooted in deep history,” says Maalouf on smelling Amaffi’s Savanna for the first time during the shoot for the scent against Saudi Arabia’s enthralling backdrops. “I made a link between what I was smelling, the place we were shooting in, and the music we were playing. It’s exactly what I’m trying to do with my music, composing avant-garde music, music that people could listen to now and feel is rooted in something very important, rooted in history, my family, my ancestors…” This is captured eloquently in the artist’s composition True Sorry, which now resonates as the signature sound to Savanna, its soulful notes complementing the perfume’s own floral symphony.
Maalouf delved into a myriad of influences for the video shoot shot by Amaffi’s Hollywood team. “The desert winds whispered melodies to me, and Savanna’s fragrance notes danced in harmony. It felt like love at first scent,” he says. Notes that evoked the majestic, grand themes behind the aptly named Pyramids collection ensued. “It’s very interesting to see the pyramids as power, mastery, and vision,” Maalouf says. “I played right in front of the Giza pyramids a few years ago, and felt humbled by how powerful they are.”
Although Maalouf has collaborated with several other acclaimed musicians, his collaboration with Amaffi came as a surprise even to him, a departure from his typical projects. However, he professes an ever-enduring admiration for the art of perfumery. “Perfumes move me. It’s a little bit like cinema because it brings you memories, it makes you dream. A perfume is not only about a good scent, it’s so much more. It’s a story, a history. When my grandmother died at almost a 100 years old, one of the only things that I kept of hers was her perfume. A fragrance is one of the most beautiful pieces of art that someone could actually hold. So I really like the idea that I was actually working on this project. Especially as an instrumentalist and not an actor or singer, it was a very interesting collaboration with Amaffi, and on both sides, because it’s rare for a perfume house to do this kind of collaboration.”
Combining complex notes to create an apt symphony, akin to how a perfume is crafted, Maalouf envisioned the overall process for Amaffi in a melodic blend of the two crafts. “Savanna sounds like a deep, deep percussion playing very slow, very fancy and with a beautiful rhythm. Like something that does not move with time, something that is played for a long, long time, with a very subtle melody, something mixed between Middle Eastern and jazz, and you know, maybe on trumpet. Almost like a voice singing.”
Originally published in the March 2024 issue of Vogue Arabia
