In the warmth of Andalusia, the scents of orange blossom, jasmine, rosemary and incense bathed her youth.
Before heading off to school, it was traditional to comb one's hair and perfume with Cologne, which could be bought by the liter at the pharmacy. Cologne's characteristic scent of cleanliness was the first fragrance to awaken his sensibilities. Having followed his parents into exile in Switzerland when he was just 11, Alberto Morillas continued to frequent perfume shops, which at the time was rather rare for boys his age. His fascination with Old Spice, its cinnamon and spice scents, and later Dior's L'Eau Sauvage and Caron's Un Homme were the first fragrances he wore on his own initiative.
However, he had no idea that behind each of them lay a creator and, consequently, a profession. The turning point came in 1970, when he was studying at the Beaux-arts in Geneva, and reading a portrait of Jean-Paul Guerlain in Vogue radically changed his perception of the perfume profession. Although he didn't have a doctorate in chemistry, he managed to convince Firmenich to offer him a position in the scientific research department on natural essences headed by Dr. Säuberli. In direct contact with the designers who entered the laboratory, Alberto Morillas perfected his knowledge of fine perfumery and began to compose his own perfumes on the sly, despite the ban. Defying the rules, he presented his first juice to the company's management... an act that marked his entry into the world of perfumery.
Attracted and surprised Firmenich then proposed to the young man who "creates perfumes without being a perfumer" to cross the Atlantic and pursue specific training in New York. He obtained the title of Perfumer in 1977 and that of Master Perfumer in 1998.
