Patricia Bilodeau
Patricia Bilodeau discovered she had a passion for scent at a very young age, but the realization that she wanted to pursue a career in perfumery came gradually.
“I began as a perfumer by accident. I took a Summer position in a fragrance lab back when I was in high school. I kept coming back every summer and eventually decided that it was what I wanted to do,” she says.
Though she has a long list of interests outside of work, including yoga and meditation, it is cooking that has most influence on her work as a perfumer. “I like novel combinations and I like trying to do things that haven’t been done before”, she states. “In both fields you need to experiment with combinations of ingredients to truly know whether they work together.”
Fragrance is very important to Patricia, and goes far beyond a professional interest. “I find my sense of smell is a source of immense joy in my life. On a personal level, I tend to favor what are traditionally thought of as darker notes – Incense, Leather, Balsams – these are the fragrances that bring me great comfort.”
Patricia attributes much of her creativity and desire to experiment with unusual and eclectic influences to living in New York. “Working here allows me to be exposed to so much diversity - cultures, food, fashion - the list goes on and on. It’s such a dynamic place; I find inspiration at every turn.”
“My inspiration for this perfume was driftwood. I live and work very close to the East and Hudson rivers – so close in fact that I commute by ferry. One day I spotted a beautiful piece of driftwood bobbing along, caught in the river’s current,” she remembers.
“The sun was beginning to set and created a stark contrast of this very weathered piece of wood in the water. I decided on the spot to create an accord celebrating the beauty of the experience and it became the unique signature of the fragrance.”
As a perfumer who delights in challenging convention and rules at every turn, Patricia embraced the opportunity to work on this project. “It was terrific to work without a brief for this fragrance. It left creative freedom up to the individual perfumer and I wish I could say that’s the way it would be all the time. But, it’s not the real world. Submitting a fragrance as it was, and having it accepted as it was, was a dream come true.”
Woody by Patricia Bilodeau
