An interview with Egija Zviedre, a Latvian model and actress living in London. Egija is Puredistance’s favourite model. Many find that Egija’s face closely represents the nature of Puredistance: naturally beautiful, elegant and somewhat distant. This year Egija has completed two independent feature films and plays a part in Ron Howard’s “Rush”. Her modeling work includes playing the Bond girl in Hello! Magazine and she can be seen alongside Daniel Craig in Heineken’s ‘The Express’ commercial made for the James Bond film Skyfall.

What attracts you in the concept of Puredistance?
The Purity. The Pure concept behind it of something clean, timeless, high quality, classic and I believe legendary.

Puredistance Antonia. It reminds me of Paris, because during the day of the Puredistance shooting in the park I was wearing that. I love gardens and being surrounded by flowers, Antonia gives me that fresh garden feeling, I am loosing myself in it.

Which actors and actresses have inspired you?
I have definitely been inspired by a very wide range of actors but to name a few – Julia Roberts, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Ingrid Bergman.

What do you do to protect your inner beauty?

Keep my values, don’t break them. And I try to see beauty everywhere I can. For me it is very important to spend time in nature- there is so much beauty in nature- flowers, trees, water… Its like a feeling that it inhabits me somehow and I am part of it.

If you use the latest Puredistance Perfume OPARDU and close your eyes and picture yourself in the middle of a movie, what is the setting, what is the movie about?
I am definitely wearing a dark red lipstick.. Its raining, 30 ‘ s era, poetry… I am reading poetry from a lover.. I watch the raindrops on the window fall and I am waiting, I am waiting … I feel love, lust and euphoric beauty… i am listening to Edith Piaf.. Closing my eyes… 

Can perfume change your mood?

Oh, definitely! I am quite a perfume freak- it affects me greatly! When I have some free time before taking a flight I wander around the tax free zones and smell one perfume after another, deciding which one I like best. But I am very loyal to Puredistance- I wear it on my most special occasions like the James Bond Skyfall Royal Premiere.

Do you relate to one of the main Puredistance mottos: less is more?
Yes. I can relate to that. Simplicity is beautiful. It’s a soul value.

Can you see yourself still modelling for Puredistance 25 years from now?

Yes! In fact I will make you sign a little peace of paper… Or I can right it on a peace of napkin, and find it again in 25 years from now to re-call this moment in time… And we can laugh about it hopefully.

This month we will launch Puredistance OPARDU Perfume. It took more than a year to further work out OPARDU. Central to the ‘feeling’ of OPARDU have been the expressive paintings of Kees van Dongen, in particular one of his illustrations for the book ‘PARFUMS’ by Paul Valéry, published in 1945 in a limited edition of 1000. (Jan Ewoud Vos is the owner of book no. 429). The bouquet in the middle of the picture below is an illustration of Kees van Dongen. The word ‘OPARDU’ is a creation of the owner and creative director of Puredistance: Jan Ewoud Vos. When he came up with the word OPARDU he felt that this word had always been there, in a mysterious way… evocative and strangely familiar. To him the word OPARDU expresses a deep longing for the bygone days of dreamy opulence and true romance.

When Jan Ewoud Vos showed this illustration of Kees Van Dongen – a rich and lush bouquet of flowers – to Annie Buzantian, the famous Master Perfumer from New York, she instantly fell in love with it. The first word that came to her mind was ‘Opulence’. She also felt this nostalgic feeling for the early years of the previous century; the golden age of perfumery. And then her work began. As a starting point Annie used a reinterpretation of a classic carnation she had already created which was safely stored in one of her ‘secret’ drawers. After many months of intense work and communication with the Puredistance Team she succeeded in creating a Perfume that matches the feeling of the word OPARDU perfectly, and brings back the elegance and graceful beauty of the past. Main notes are carnation, tuberose absolute, purple lilac, jasmine absolute and gardenia with a background evoking the gentleness of romance through soft powdery notes.

OPARDU has an instant hypnotizing effect that revives memories of love, romance and seduction. Be prepared for a perfume that will bring you back to the velvety nightlife of Paris in earlier days. We have pre-launched OPARDU to our dealers and a selection of journalists and bloggers. The reactions we received have exceeded our best expectations. Below are a few examples of the positive feedback.

Sandra Raičević Petrović – Fragrantica
‘OPARDU really leaves an impression that I carry the most precious piece of jewelry, unique and complex, comprehensive and complete.’

Mark Behnke – Cafleurbon
‘It has an amazing amount of sophistication and a vintage vibe while still feeling relevant for the present day.’

Suzanne Keller – Eiderdown Press
‘… that it does indeed make one think of love and romance. Lilac has a way of doing that and probably no lilac scent does it better than the dreamy and elegant Opardu.’

Simone Shitrit – Mais Que Perfume
‘It is elegantly creamy, cozy and floral. It contains a liquid wish for adventures.”

Birgit Öckher – Olfactoria’s Travels
“For me, Opardu stands for “Oh, perdu!”, a sigh of quiet desperation for the things that are irrevocably gone, lost in time and never to be found again.’

Elena Vosnaki – Perfume Shrine
‘Here, in Opardu, the purple lilac is trembling under the morning sun and the white flower notes provide a tinge of honeyed sweetness.’

Yesterday evening was the opening of Jovoy Parfums Rares in Paris at Rue de Castiglione 4, one of the most prestigious locations an exclusive perfumery could have. One finds the store only metres from the famous place Vendome, the Ritz Hotel and many other of the world’s leading luxury brands. François Henin is the owner and mastermind behind it and yesterday evening he spent most of his time in front of the store welcoming the many guests that came from all over Europe with his usual friendliness.

The interior of the spacious store is dominated by a beautiful shade of red that is both modern, warm and inviting. The rustic wooden floor and cabinets – complemented by modern architecture – add further to the warm feeling of the store.

We were very pleased to see that Puredistance was given a special place, so customers can see and sample our Perfumes in the right setting, guided by the right people. We hope François will enjoy great success in Parfums Rares; he deserves it, his project is a beautiful and daring initiative.

Late december 2011 we organised the first Puredistance Event in Shanghai in the Langham Xintiandi Hotel. Jiaqi Zhang represented Puredistance and explained to a select group of perfume enthusiasts the story of Puredistance.

The evening turned out to be a great success. We like to thank the Langham Hotel for their fantastic support, Jiaqi for the professional and personal way he organised the event and last but not least a big thank you to all people that attented the event and gave us so much positive feedback!

As of now Puredistance is not yet available in China. We are in the process of finding the right partners that understand our philosophy of true exclusivity and great personal service. More Puredistance Events will be organised in China this year. This way we start spreading the story of Puredistance in small circles and for the true Perfume Lovers in China we offer a great opportunity to get directly in touch with one of the most exclusive Perfume Brands worldwide. As always we won’t rush to enter the market, but will go step by step and end up with the right people who understand the beauty of our brand.