interview by carlotta buosi

Lola James Harper is Rami Mekdachi’s way of gathering together people, places and memories from the last twenty years he spent working as a music producer and fragrance maker and traveling around the world. Composing fragrances and music are both inseparable parts of Rami’s every day life and the core identity of his labor of love - Lola James Harper - which he created in the aim of communicating the importance of sharing memories and feelings way more than what we tend to do. We spoke with Rami about his innovative idea and his future projects for Lola James Harper: a collective about friendship, travels, music, fragrances and encounters.

You've had a very successful career working freelance and developing fragrances for brands for the likes of Colette candles and Roger Vivier. What made you desire to launch Lola James Harper?

At some point while I was art directing, taking pictures and making music for different clients I just realised that I had collected so many pictures, sounds and fragrances reminding me of moments, places and people I loved and how nice would it be to gather them all together. That’s how Lola James Harper was born.

Perfumes have the capacity to trigger our subconscious and evoke memories. What are the perfumes you are mostly attached to and what do they remind you of?

Any fragrance is linked to an emotion, a feeling. Lola James Harper Fragrance is a collection of olfactive memories of inspiring places around the world. I love them all and each fragrance is full of souvenirs and happiness for me.

You're also a musician and producer. Does music have any role in inspiring your work with fragrances?

Music and fragrances are similar in many ways: both of them are about poetry, imagination, dreams, symbols, energy and mind set. I believe that when you look for an answer you often end up finding it somewhere else. For example, I might find a perfume name while mixing a song. Being versatile is my way of being an artist.

Traveling is a true passion of yours. Tell us about one place that has captured your heart and why.

There is a place in Corsica - in the middle of the scrub - near Calvi where I go to get things cleared up in my head. The smell of labdanum, thym, and rosemary there is amazing and the sun light is always bright. Whenever I’m there, I like to sit in a deck chair with a pen and a notebook. This is where I decided to create Lola James Harper, but also the place I go to when I need to point out what I am proud of versus what I have to improve. It’s been years that since I’ve started traveling a lot and I’ve learned to create special places everywhere I go. But I always remember the feeling I have in Calvi Maquis.

What do you have in mind for the future of Lola James Harper?

We are currently finalisingour first musical movie, 85min about our last two decades: globe-trotting the world, discovering music, friendship and family. We are also planning the launch of Lola James Harper’s first album with twenty five rock and folk songs.