&rsaquo; Creative Energy - Fragrances of Ireland

Arthur Burnham (RIP)

Arthur Burnham, who worked with us over 12 years until his sad death in 2007, was a creative perfumer with nearly four decades experience in the fragrance industry. His was the name behind many famous fragrances including Inis – the energy of the sea, Innisfree and Inis Arose, as well as designer Paul Smith's award-winner Paul Smith Men and its partner Paul Smith Women.

Arthur had a enviable pedigree - he trained in Grasse, France, with the most prestigious French fragrance house Roure Bertrand Fils et Justin Dupont.

"I was offered a three month placement, working entirely in French, and thought I was in for a free holiday on the Riviera. But at the end of the first month I was so entranced I asked if I could stay on," he said.

The company thought he had a 'nose' and agreed to train him as a perfumer, which involved serving a 10-year technical and creative apprenticeship.

Arthur Burnham went on to work in South Africa, Australasia, the UK, on the Continent and in the USA - and he was Managing Director of Dragoco, one of the largest international fragrance supply houses, for 20 years.

Arthur was an enthusiastic member of the fragrance community and a trusted advisor, creative perfumer and industry guru.

Burnham & Partners' consultancy projects have covered an enormous range including fine fragrances such as Cerruti Original and Noir, to personal Christmas gifts from the Prince of Wales, using essential oils from the Highgrove estate.

The story behind a fragrance is often as vital and fascinating as the fragrance itself, as he explained: "Inis shows how important a story can be both for marketing and inspiration. The story behind a fragrance gives it credibility. If you can give a fragrance a legend or myth, it becomes even more attractive. With Inis, we weren't trying for a functional product but something extra, something which has a very personal appeal."

Inspiration for Inis came from Connemara on the west coast of Ireland while the overall image was taken from the seas around Ireland and a photograph of seven surfing dolphins taken in Australia.

Esprit Magazine July 2001
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Peter Sellers - Biography & Pictures

As well as being a freelance creative director for Fragrances of Ireland, Peter Sellers is an artistic photographer of some note. Studying photography at the London College of Printing he shot 'Prague in Spring' in 1991 for his professional portfolio using colour like a painter.

His biggest major commission has been to make a photographic essay to introduce to an international audience the location and theme of the planned 1996 World Expo in Budapest "Communication for a better world". This was shown as a major exhibition entitled "Hungary: an emerging vision" at the Budapest Royal Palace for nine weeks over Christmas 1994; later a selection of the work was displayed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Fort Worth, Texas and Wellington, New Zealand.

Returning to Ireland after Hungary, Peter started to communicate through perfume; perhaps not surprising after the moral of his photographic essay by Antoine Saint-Exupery's Little Prince "But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart". He is the creative energy behind the two international perfumes from Fragrances of Ireland; "Innisfree - the essence of Ireland" and "Inis - the energy of the sea" as well as the latest addition to the portfolio, Inis Arose, launched to great acclaim in 2002.

His life's work is a photographic fable called "The Magic of Light" recently published and selling around Ireland and International (see www.themagicoflight.net for stockists). The book, a kind of children's picture book for grown-ups(!) brings together all the creative strands to make a whole; combining photography with perfume and words through beautiful calligraphy over the images, and highlighting that sentience - how dolphins communicate through feeling - is key. In the words of the famous perfumer Arthur Burnham; "An understanding with the head and a seeing from the heart" to make a better world for us all.

If you would like to find out more about Peter and view some wonderful photographs from his forthcoming book please log on to www.themagicoflight.net

Tony Karacsonyi

Australian wildlife and nature photographer Tony Karacsonyi brought us the magnificent "Seven Surfing Dolphins" photograph which he captured in September 1997 at Mollymook Beach on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.

This image went on to win a Highly Commended award in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition 1998.

Tony was later awarded the prestigious Australian Geographic "Photographer of the Year" award in Sydney, for his vibrant study of the Giant Australian Cuttlefish - one of the world's largest cephalopods (or mollusc, from the same family as octopus or squid).

Tony's work has been published in magazines and journals globally, including National Geographic, Australian Geographic, GEO Australasia, Aqua GEO, Nature Australia, Stern & London's Times and Daily Mail newspapers.

Contact Details:
PO Box 407 Ulladulla,
NSW 2539 Australia,
Tel/Fax (02) 4455 4552 (Australia)
Tel/Fax + 61 2 4455 4552 (International)
E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Please view samples of his work at www.tonykphoto.com.au

Sophie L’Abbé

Winner of the François Coty prize for Best Creator of Perfumes in 2005 (voted by professional perfumers world-wide), we were very fortunate to work with Sophie on the creation of our newest perfume Inis Ór.

At the launch of Inis Ór in Dublin, 2007, Peter Sellers, David Cox and Sophie L’Abbé