Victoria Christian: Evoking Emotion Through Scent
History is an amazing thing. It weaves in and out of our lives … most of the times, unknowingly. So you can imagine the goose bumps that appeared as I listened to the story unfold. Completely and utterly enveloped in the romance of it all.
What an extreme pleasure to have met with Victoria Christian, daughter of Clive Christian, by phone. I felt like a teenager listening to the latest gossip saying “tell me more, tell me more.”
Clive Christian’s vision has always been to celebrate the heart of the home - the kitchen. At a very early age, Victoria experienced the crystal chandelier (Clive’s signature) adorning the kitchen. Her father had a way of mixing classic, Victorian-esque style with modern sensibilities … in every room of their home. Soon, this began to catch on as people came to realize that you don’t have to sacrifice style for function. So when the Christian family moved into an old Victorian house, built in 1869, it certainly didn’t take long for each room to become a masterpiece in itself.
Victoria grew up in Cheshire, England. And when she was 4 years old, her parent’s bedroom was undergoing renovation. In the 1800s, vanity rooms were a part of the bedrooms. During this time, the floor boards needed to be replaced, and as they were lifted, a dark green glass perfume bottle with a gold crown on top was discovered. For 20 years, that green bottle was displayed on the Christian’s mantle, a beautiful treasure from the past. And then, another career direction was revealed to Clive. On his way into town, he noticed a boutique closing down. Something caught his eye immediately. It was the dark green bottle with the gold crown! Feeling an undeniable connection, Clive couldn’t let the perfumery close. So, in 1999, he bought the rights and archival material. Several years later, that dark green glass bottle of perfume was revived into what we know today as the scent 1872.
Back in the 1800s, women wore corsets so tight, they would often faint. An absolute form of perfume, or tonic, was said to revive fainting ladies with just one whiff. In addition, bathing was not a daily ritual, so perfume was warn underneath women’s garments. As the day went on and the body warmed, the wonderful scent of English Lavender would emerge. Perfume was considered the ultimate luxury. Queen Victoria loved this English Lavender scent so much, that she crowned the bottle of perfume. So this perfumery that Mr. Clive Christian bought, actually received the stamp of approval from the Queen herself. Victoria says,
Perfume is such an intimate accessory.
Victoria Christian, born in 1978, is the oldest of three daughters. She has always been “daddy’s little girl.” Naturally, Victoria wanted to be a part of it all! Though Victoria started in theater, she has been with Clive Christian Perfume for the past six years. The first two years were spent in NY at Bergdorf Goodman to help launch the fragrance. She took great pleasure in sharing the experience of how perfume used to be with women from all over. Just last Christmas, Victoria recalls her time with a woman over the span of 4 days. Each day, this woman came into the store to smell the scent X. She had never spent that much on perfume for herself before and wasn’t quite sure if she should buy it. On the third night, after having sprayed X, the woman went to pick up her husband from work. For the first time in 25 years he said, “What perfume are you wearing? You must wear it everyday.” Well the next day the woman came back in, slammed down her hand on the fragrance counter with excitement and said “I have to have it.” Turns out, this woman was the writer for Dirty Dancing (recounted from her own experiences as Baby).
In case you didn’t already know, last year it was unveiled that Clive Christian Perfume made the Guinness World Record for their scent, No. 1, being the world’s most expensive perfume. Another shining moment for Victoria.
Recently, Victoria moved back to London to begin her career as the Business Manager for Clive Christian, the company. Her typical day is spent at the computer, speaking with the media and attending events for both the perfume and home lines. Victoria enjoys working with Elton John each year when he puts on his annual Aids Foundation Ball in Windsor. Both the invitations and gardens are scented with Clive Christian No. 1 (my scent!). Victoria loves being a part of such an amazing event. She works long hours on a regular basis, but she loves every minute of it.
It never stops. The world is so big. And while my version of rest and relaxation translates into shutting off the lights, I consider myself to be super lucky to have found my passion and making it my profession.
The whole Christian family gets together over Christmas to enjoy each other’s company … even partaking in silly family games.
Victoria made it easy to connect with - and not because we’re both one of three sisters and we both love and wear Clive Christian perfume daily, but because she is a caring and passionate person who loves sharing the whole experience of how a scent can evoke emotion. And when you break it down that way, you will forever look at (or smell) perfume in a different way. Like Victoria says, it’s an intimate accessory.
Stumble it!
My name is Victoria Christian! What a small world! I am glad to see another Victoria Christian who is successful in the fashion, interior design, perfume, and cosmetic industry! These are the things I want to do when I get out of highschool! I also have been involved in theatre! I am in the drama club at my highschool, and I have been involved in every play, and musical! I hope to be famous someday. Although I don’t know how that is going to happen!