Kilian Hennessy

FOUNDER, BY KILIAN

Kilian Hennessey belongs to a long line of cognac-makers who were pioneers in luxury - a family tradition Kilian followed in, through his creation of a new luxury brand. His family heritage and childhood haunts of the family cellars have stayed with him in his journey into perfumery.

Before graduating from CELSA, he wrote a thesis on the semantics of scent, in search of a "language" common to gods and mortals. Remembering the "angels ' share" as part of his heritage, he was led into the world of perfumery . The "angels ' share" is what the House of Hennessy calls the percentage that - inexplicably- evaporates from cognac cellars, like an offering to the gods . Many of Kilian's fragrances today carry this childhood memory as they are reminiscent of the sugar in the alcohol and the wood of the cognac barrels. 

After graduating, he then went on to train with the greatest noses in perfumery and worked for the most prestigious perfume houses such as Christian Dior, Paco Rabanne, Alexander McOueen and Giorgio Armani.

It was in 2007 that Kilian decided to launch his own brand with the goal of achieving the perfect alliance between elegance and uncompromising luxury. Vital to the brand is their “eco-luxe” philosophy – each bottle can be re-filled and kept for a lifetime. By 2015, the brand has a portfolio of 37 scents within 5 different fragrance collections.

Kilian has taken his brand to new levels by making perfume visible – he has housed a perfume bottle in a clutch as a first step. In 2014, he explored this vision further by creating a collection of scented jewellery. His new venture is creating scented decorative objects for the home, giving physical form to 4 fragrances.

As the Kilian brand evolves and matures, the one aspect which remains consistent is that each and every product created embodies ultimate sophistication and timeless luxury.

Kilian’s French Boudoir Candle won Best New Home Fragrance at The Fragrance Foundation Awards 2016.