French born into the notorious Hennessey cognac-making family, he chose to carve out a craft different from what his last name stands for…
Kilian Hennessey, Founder of byKilian Perfumery
With over twenty years of experience as a perfumer, Hennessey has worked for some of the world’s top perfume departments of fashion houses before launching his own brand Kilian Paris 13 years ago. When asked what’s his advice for someone who wants to go into the perfume-making business, he finds the quote: “’The goal is to find a job where you would actually pay to do it, and you will never work a day in your life’” as the answer. “That is me, I could have paid to become a perfumer-and I would have totally been fine with it,” he says. And so, we dive into why this is and the fascinating story of one of luxury