The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Malfa Walls takes its name from a fortified boundary, a wall that separates what's within from what lies outside. For 2024, perfumer Julien Rasquinet built this fragrance around that tension: the duality between protection and exposure, between what's kept inside and what tries to get in. The composition opens with blackcurrant liqueur's tart sweetness, a bright contrast to the smoky leather that follows. As it develops, frankincense and sage take hold, creating an aromatic heart that feels both ancient and contemporary. The base, oud, leather, and cade juniper, grounds everything in smoke and warmth, like the walls themselves holding firm against time.
What makes Malfa Walls work is the way the blackcurrant liqueur interacts with the smoke. Instead of opening with incense or wood, there's a sweetness here, tart and almost medicinal, like Crème de Cassis. The thyme adds an herbal edge that prevents the top from becoming overly sweet. When the frankincense arrives, it doesn't fight the fruit, it deepens it. The sage keeps everything grounded, green against the smoke. And the base is where the walls hold: leather and oud create a persistent smoky foundation that lasts through the entire wear.
The evolution
The first minutes belong to blackcurrant liqueur, tart, sweet, almost medicinal in its intensity. The Sicilian mandarin orange adds a brief flash of brightness before the smoke begins to rise. The frankincense takes hold as the opening settles, bringing with it a sense of something ancient, incense in an enclosed space, the kind that lingers. Sage enters softly, herbal and green, tempering the weight of the smoke. As the fragrance develops, the leather has fully arrived. It's warm, like a jacket that's been worn for years. Oud and cade juniper add depth, a smoky mineral quality that stays close to the skin but announces itself when you move. The drydown is long. By the end, what's left is a faint trace of smoke and leather, like the memory of a fire that burned all day.
Cultural impact
Malfa Walls belongs to the High Standards collection, a line that aims higher than the usual. The smoky leather category has long needed something with more dimension, and the blackcurrant-liqueur twist here delivers exactly that. It gives the fragrance an unusual quality that sets it apart from conventional smoky offerings.
