Our Special People inspire us with their style, their journey, their way of living their life, or their relationship to perfume. Sillages Paris is a Haute Parfumerie company that wants to celebrate originality and singularity: both in the perfume, and in the people who wear it. Indeed, we believe that each of us is special, so each fragrance should be special. Sometimes we meet people that truly inspire us, and it’s their stories that we want to share with you. These special people can be people we run into, or our own customers we love to meet. For each of them, we have created the perfect Sillage. And to inaugurate our Special People Sillages Paris series, we talk to Eugénie Drion, whose profession is 3,000% #GOALS. She also happens to be an extremely cool girl!
Who is Eugénie Drion?
Eugénie Drion is one of those people who inspire by the freedom of her choices, the vitality of her energy, and the strength of her will. A dancer since the age of 5, she conquered the stages up to the Paris Opera Company with the strength of her work and her passion. But in addition to her dream job, Eugénie also sells us dreams on her Instagram @eugenie_drion which reveals a cool and quirky style, a sunny and relaxed personality that enjoys life, and an attachment to her clan (family and friends) that resonates 100% with our own values. (Family is life.)
The smell of hairspray and powder
Eugénie started dancing when she was 5 years old in a school near Rueil. There she discovered the excitement of the stage and the preparation ritual before going up there! The smell of hairspray that fixes her bun, and the powder that prevents her face from shining in the light are her first olfactory memories. Even today, the make-up ritual before a show is a moment that she particularly loves when she transforms into her character.
From the age of 7, she began to move up a gear, to do intensive training courses, and to take part in competitions. Her parents supported her on the path she had chosen very early on by herself, and pushed her to redouble her efforts to achieve her goals. Two years later, she went through intensive training to enter the Grail: the school of the “little opera rats”, the school that trains future dancers for the Paris Opera Ballet, and which is one of the most prestigious classical dance schools in the world.
Little Opera Rat
At the age of 10, consecration: she was admitted and entered boarding school. The school’s programs are ultra rigorous: school classes in the morning, dance classes in the afternoon, and at the end of each year, students must pass an exam to move on to the next year. 50% fail the exam and are expelled from the school.
After only 6 months in the school, Eugénie took the exam and passed. It was also at this time that she found a mentor in a student 6 years her senior, whom she called “little mother”. Eugénie then began her “Eye of the Tiger” period, and the road to becoming a member of the opera corps de ballet was filled with hard work, a few failures, and a few challenges, like any great victory.
What guided her throughout this difficult journey was the strength of her mind and remaining focused on her goal of one day joining the Paris Opera Ballet. By not dwelling on the past, and instead choosing to work harder, Eugénie continued to progress. This is one of the reasons why Eugénie is so passionate about dance: work pays off, and you can see the results of hours of training very quickly.
The scent of winning
When she finally arrived in the 1st division (the year of Mordor before the competition to join the company), she had to pass two competitions: the internal one where they accept 3 dancers, and the external where they accept 2. Eugénie finished 5th and 4th in both competitions. F *** it! So she repeated the year. However, in addition to having to pass the next time around, she also had to pass her literary baccalaureate.
Eugénie redoubled her efforts as she prepared herself like an actor to inhabit the characters she had chosen for her two dance variations. She was used to perfuming herself (just like the famous actors do) to literally get into her character’s skin. She would choose oriental perfumes, or fresh and green, depending on her mood.
On D-Day, Eugénie felt on fire as she arrived on stage for the competition. Her heart was ready to explode with joy, knowing her moment had arrived. She was 100% in her body and the present. Eugénie was ready, and she went on to deliver a performance that remains the best experience of her life. After passing the competition, she entered the opera corps de ballet. A little detail that still makes her happy all these years later is she obtained her Baccalaureate the next day with honours.
Little lesson looking back: “the work paid off”. OK, so no secrets…
Special People : why we <3 Eugénie Drion more
One year ago, Eugénie Drion founded an association called Indépendanse, which put on dance shows in Egypt in collaboration with Egyptian dancers and craftsmen, in order to share the art of dance in a local context that is complicated in its relationship to art and the body. Her next projects also include Oman and Lebanon.
Eugénie Drion and her Sillage
When we met Eugénie, and after talking with her, the relationship to perfume that emerged was that of a chameleon. For her, perfume is a way of anchoring herself in a mood and a personality, whether on stage or in life.
The sillage she created reflects this: it reminded her of the preparation for the company’s competition, and a particular dance movement: “the summer coupe.” Eugénie admits a great passion for gin and tonic; it’s her “life is a party” side, and counts all citrus fruits among her favourite fetish ingredients. Citrus fruits, called citrus notes in perfume, are ingredients that bring lightness and sparkle to a perfume. So our favorite dancer mixed our secret gin and tonic pairing (which we could almost have created for her!) with citrus fruits bursting with summer sunshine, and warmed them up with a few warm and sensual woods. Because, why not? It’s a way to anchor all your senses in a state of mind, then let your body express itself freely!
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