Briac FROCRAIN, creator of MARLOU.
My work has always involved the human body, its social identity, how it communicates, how it is represented. First through the study of architecture, then fashion design and creation, I was finally drawn away from the visual sphere, down to the closest intimacy with the skin. Here, passions of my childhood began to come back to me; carefree culinary and botanical experimentations, unburdened by social expectations, activities indulged in spontaneously, instinctively. This same childlike freedom accompanies my exploration of fragrance and perfume.
​
I created Marlou so that, from an olfactory perspective, the body could take its place in society. This implies the acceptance and even ownership of faults, of imperfections inherent to that living object which is never wholly clean. Marlou is a perfumery which intertwines with the body’s presence, embraces its flaws and creates it a new olfactory personality. This work is based around animal notes that blur an individual’s olfactory appearance, emanating trails of illusion. The body speaks, arousing the senses, sparking dialogue.
Why Marlou?
The word has a colorful history in the French language. At first it referred to a ‘pimp’, though few today know this archaic meaning. Later, ‘marlou’ became the cunning, crafty lad who, beneath his shenanigans, hid an endearing side. Now used for children, the word evokes mischief, harmless devilment. For a long time, Marlou was my own nickname. It has its own history and, like many things in life, conjures impressions of both the clean and the tainted.