Dior has appointed French-Armenian Francis Kurkdjian as its perfume creation director. He is succeeding François Demachy, among the world’s most famous perfumers, who was Parfums Christian Dior’s first in-house perfumer and is retiring.

Kurkdjian will also remain artistic director of his own Maison Francis Kurkdijan, which he co-founded in 2009 with Marc Chaya and inaugurating him to prominence as a boundary-pushing fragrance artist.

“It is a great honor for me to join Christian Dior Parfums, a House with an inspiring history and driven by a creative spirit resolutely turned towards the future,” Kurkdijan said in an Instagram post.

“Today, I am delighted to bring my vision to it with my olfactory creations. Working for Maison Dior while continuing to support my own Maison is a huge privilege,” he added.

“On a more personal level, I think madly of my mother who is watching over me. I thank my family for their support, my friends and all those who know how much I think of them at this time,” Kurkdijan said.

Francis Kurkdjian rocketed onto the fragrance scene in 1995 at age 24, after creating the blockbuster Le Mâle for Jean-Paul Gaultier.

He embarked on his first artistic collaboration that same year with Sophie Calle who tapped him to compose L’odeur de l’argent, “the smell of money,” and granted him freedom to create with no restriction.

The perfumer went on to work with Burberry and Calvin Klein, as well as olfactory exhibits and performances at opulent venues such as The Grand Palais and The Château De Versailles.