JEAN-PIERRE MAROIS - FROM MOVIE PRODUCER TO FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF LES BAINS GUERBOIS
“Les Bains Guerbois is an adventure that captivates me. Spanning three centuries, it has found its breath again like never before. A breath in which exquisite, unprecedented scents mingle, thanks to the great perfumers we have invited since 2018 to turn the key dates of our house into fragrances. A unique, powerful and eclectic Parisian story that rhymes with well-being, celebration, creativity and a thousand other things.”
Jean-Pierre Marois holds a master's degree in film and comparative literature from the Sorbonne. He went on to spend most of his career in the film industry, directing and producing feature films with directors such as Abel Ferrara, Oliver Stone and Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu.
Constantly travelling for work, he fell in love with the hotel and restaurant world. By applying his visual talent to overseeing interior design, staging public and private spaces, shaping brand identity and developing the storytelling of his properties, he brings a cinematic vision to hospitality.
In March 2015, he transformed Les Bains, the legendary Parisian nightclub and former spa, into a disruptive 5-star hotel. In the years that followed, Jean-Pierre Marois reinvented Les Bains Guerbois and turned it into a Parisian Maison de Parfum.
You didn't start your career in the perfume industry; you first found success as a director and producer. How did those experiences shape your sensibility?
I have always had a passion for art. I graduated in literature and film. To me, artistic creation is the best way to be happy in this world.
What is the story behind the Les Bains Guerbois perfume brand?
The brand was born when I turned this legendary address into a 5-star hotel. I felt that Auguste Guerbois's legacy deserved to be brought back into the light, and there was no better way to do it than to launch a line of fragrances. So in 2016 I started with an Eau de Cologne and a scented candle, followed by a collection of Eaux de Parfum in 2018. This approach, together with my wish to create an original scent for the hotel, led me to work with the "Grande Dame" of perfumery, Dorothée Piot. The process was fascinating and made me want to go further.
Les Bains Guerbois fragrances are created by the most talented French perfumers. How did you convince them to work with you?
That's true! Not only are they the most talented French perfumers, they are also among the very best Master Perfumers in the world. The process was much like making a film, since I used to be an independent filmmaker. I always had to convince talented people to join projects, not for the money, but for the quality and the sense of freedom that independent work brings. In this case, what drew them to Les Bains Guerbois was the chance to have a kind of "carte blanche", free from marketing committees. The proof is that most of the star perfumers we have worked with agreed to collaborate with us a second time.
Your fragrances take us back in time while feeling thoroughly modern. How did you achieve that balance?
As you know, our approach to perfumers is like pitching a film: the story and the concept behind each new fragrance are crucial. Part of that pitch is reminding them that we are not a heritage brand in the sense of creating heritage perfumes; our aim is to tell a story about the past with a contemporary twist. Being very talented and smart, they understand this concept and deliver truly modern fragrances.
Do you have a favourite fragrance in the whole Les Bains Guerbois collection?
It's very hard to choose just one; to me they are all labours of love. Still, some resonate with me more than others. First of all, I would name 2015 Le Phénix. I wear it very often, and it represents a great achievement for me, as 2015 is the year Les Bains Paris opened. 2015 Le Phénix is a woody, elegant and timeless fragrance. It also won a Fifi Award from the Fragrance Foundation in 2018.
I also love 1979 New Wave, a masterpiece by Dominique Ropion, and Oud Laqué, our "French-style oud".
What is your first scent memory?
Probably my mother's skin mingled with Guerlain's Shalimar.
Is there a quote that defines you?
Less is more 😉
