To my chagrin, this interview was done via email, rather than in person, but I hold out hope that we will meet in person one day. My interview with Olivier Cresp still remains a huge high point for me.
From the archives: I am beyond delighted to present my interview with Olivier Cresp. I asked Olivier about his new brand collaboration AKRO and he was kind enough to take the time to answer my questions. AKRO consists of Olivier, his daughter Anais Cresp and her partner Jack Miskelly. Between them , they have created a truly original fragrance brand that brings out my lost youth.
Good morning Olivier and thank you so much for inviting me to immerse myself in AKRO. I’ve tried all six of the fragrances and I really enjoyed exploring my dark sides! I loved their audacity. Do you think AKRO will surprise people familiar with your previous body of work?
Yes, definitely. People will be totally surprised because I am not following the current floral or gourmand market trends. I’m just following my feelings. Many people were surprised that I followed the theme of addictions.
You’ve just launched AKRO with your daughter Anais and her partner Jack. Would you recommend working with family? (careful!)
Yeah sure. For me, it’s a question of transmission. The three of us are all equally passionate and I loved using my skills within a family business environment. Our roles within the brand are all well-defined and complement each other.
AKRO embodies the spirit of London, its light and its shadow. Are there further plans for the brand in future?
Yes, the concept was born in London but we want to spray the concept over Europe and across the world. Be on the look out for our pop-up shops in London and Paris in 2019. There are also exciting plans to open a flagship store in the near future.
Apart from Anais and Jack, what keeps drawing you back to London?
Well I like to go back to London because it’s such a diverse city and I go back to London to work with a number of fragrance houses. I also like to go to London for inspiration, especially the east side of London to breathe in the unique creative vibe there.
Which of the Akro fragrances took the longest to get right?
Smoke, because I am not a smoker and I had to rely on my son who is a smoker and he advised me on this one: the differences in burnt smoke and “smoky” smoke etc.
Which AKRO are you?
Dark is definitely my addiction as I love chocolate, maybe too much!!
Who decided the fragrances were complete? Was that a group decision or was it just you?
It was definitely a group decision – a family decision. Sometimes it was very tough, even tougher than some of the big clients I have worked for. Family can be brutally honest and there was no holding back from them throughout this project. Honesty makes for a tough jury! We are very proud of the six fragrances that we have created.
Finally, who do you imagine wearing Akro? The nocturnal deviant, the old lady, the housewife, the rock star, or all of them?
Akro is for anyone that wants something different. That’s what we were going for from the start.
Olivier, thank you so much for talking to me about AKRO. I can’t wait for the London Pop up Store!
Where to Buy
You can buy AKRO fragrances from the website,
Read my reviews of the AKRO fragrances here.
Disclosure
With warmest thanks from me to Olivier and the AKRO team for providing me with my discovery set. Opinions are my own. All photos are from the brand.
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