Born in Grasse, France, in 1949 to parents who worked in the perfume industry, Fléchier was interested in perfume from an early age. In 1967, Fléchier began studying perfumery as a member of the first class at Roure Bertrand Dupont’s perfumery school (in Japanese). Marcel Carles, the son of Jean Carles (in Japanese), was also at the school at the time, and the students learned using the method Jean Carles had developed in 1961. After gaining experience at Roure’s Grasse and Brazil branches, Fléchier joined the fine fragrance (in Japanese) division led by Jean Amic in 1977.
Frédéric Malle recalls that when Malle joined Roure (in Japanese) in 1988, Fléchier was already one of the outstanding perfumers most sought after at the time. Fléchier answered Malle’s questions patiently and kindly, including lessons on fragrance ingredients, repeatedly leaving Malle impressed. Fléchier’s sense of smell for ingredients is extraordinary, but it was cultivated through effort: no matter how successful Fléchier became, the morning ritual of smelling raw materials was reportedly never missed.
Another story illustrating Fléchier’s remarkable abilities has been passed down: while most perfumers fill their desks with bottles of raw materials, Fléchier kept only a few ingredients on the desk, however many perfumes were being developed simultaneously.
From 1997, Fléchier spent six and a half years at Mane, until 2004, creating perfumes for Michael Kors. During this period, Fléchier also trained Ralf Schwieger (in Japanese) as an apprentice.
In recognition of those abilities, Fléchier joined Guerlain (in Japanese) in November 2004, adjusting fragrance ingredients and adapting products to changes in legislation. EU regulations introduced in 2004 restricted the use of oakmoss for safety reasons, making it necessary to change product ingredients, and Guerlain selected Fléchier for the task.
Over two years, Fléchier reformulated Mitsouko, created in 1919 by Jacques Guerlain (in Japanese), to meet the restrictions. Luca Turin, who describes Mitsouko as “perhaps the greatest perfume in the world,” assessed Fléchier’s version as follows (the current version is Thierry Wasser’s).
Fléchier has achieved the impossible. The new Mitsouko complies with every regulation and differs considerably from the original. The opening is more bread-like, the sweetness at the base is a little more restrained, and the iris note in the middle is slightly stronger. Yet it is a wonderful fragrance. If I had to choose between the old and the new, setting aside what I have worn until now, I would choose the new one. Bravo.
From Perfumes: The Guide (in Japanese)
In 2007, Fléchier also reworked Guerlain’s Habit Rouge (1965, Jean-Paul Guerlain (in Japanese)).
Fléchier retired in 2010, with Guerlain as the final position.
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