French perfumer Henry Jacques gives us a chance to own a piece of Rafael Nadal

The tennis superstar, who owns an undisclosed amount of perfume brands, does love his fragrances. They are a true part of his daily life and rituals, and a real reflection of his state of mind. One can only guess which ones he wore for his Grand Slam wins.

Hence, it’s no surprise that Nadal also owns his own bespoke collection of scents created in partnership with haute perfumer Henry Jacques. The olfactory connoisseur and his wife worked with the French maison to bring to life three fragrances reflecting their personalities: Rafael Nadal N° 1, Rafael Nadal N° 2, and Maria Perello.

The collection, aptly called “In All Intimacy”, marks a series of “firsts”: a first for Henry Jacques to partner with an icon, a first for Nadal to collaborate with a perfume house, and a first for the husband-and-wife duo — whose love story began almost two decades ago — to join forces on such a project.

Also, in a seemingly out-of-character move, Henry Jacques, which usually keeps its clients confidential, decided to share this bespoke collection publicly with a worldwide launch last November. Nadal’s scent comes in the lighter Brumes version in a 75ml flacon, while Perello’s variants come in both the Les Classique 15ml concentrated essence and Brumes 75ml bottle. They retail at $1,790 each at Henry Jacques boutiques.

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“We have, for nearly 50 years, created many perfumes for ‘recognised figures’ that have never been put forward. [This launch] is a way of highlighting this activity which has remained hidden for a long time. The ‘In All Intimacy’ collection is a great way to move ahead and share our beautiful profession, our sense of beauty, fine craftsmanship and our brand with a greater audience,” says Anne-Lise Cremona, CEO of Henry Jacques.

Familial bonds

According to Cremona, Nadal was introduced to Henry Jacques through her uncle, Richard Mille of the eponymous Swiss watch brand. “[It was] a natural and simple encounter, one of those beautiful surprises that life offers. Rafael is very close to my uncle Richard, who told him about me and my work with perfume. Rafael immediately wanted to know more. Perfume is part of his daily life,” she shares.

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“The connection between Henry Jacques and Richard Mille (the man) is initially familial. The family bond is important, but beyond that, the most important thing is that we wanted and chose to share beautiful professional moments.

“It’s quite simple. Richard, being very close to Rafa, naturally shared with him the beautiful story of Henry Jacques, and Maria and Rafa wanted to be part of the adventure. The fact that they are unveiling this collection ‘In All Intimacy’ is even more symbolic for everyone.”

Mediterranean notes

Being the perfectionists that they are, developing perfumes that truly resonated and identified with the couple was no easy feat. On top of their busy schedules — what with Nadal training for matches and Perello running the Rafa Nadal Foundation — they were also preparing for the birth of their first-born son, now eight months. What would ordinarily take bespoke clients a few months took about two years for the couple to perfect.

Cremona recalls: “The development certainly took some time. Rafael lives the life of a great champion and hence has a very busy schedule. Maria also had a very specific and unique idea of her perfume. We had to discover and grow together. I never wanted to rush things, I wanted it to be and always remain, above all, fun for everyone. In hindsight, this was the time needed to create deep connection and accuracy. Today, we have a beautiful and authentic story to share.”

At the final stage of perfume selection, Nadal was presented two options and asked to pick one. He loved them both so much that he decided to launch them as a pair: a lighter scent for when he’s in character playing tennis, the other for his more personal and private moments.

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The former, Rafael Nadal N° 1, is a fresh and sporty essence subtly balanced with coriander, thyme, violet, lavender, lemon and artemisia — a plant from the Mediterranean basin honouring the player’s roots — complemented by an alliance of cedar wood, leather and sandalwood.

The latter, Rafael Nadal N° 2, is more intimate and poetically linked with that of his wife through the use of bergamot, jasmine flower, lilac, rose and white musk, while notes of citrus, freesia and sandalwood complete the link.

Inspiration for Nadal’s fragrances was taken from his strong connection with the Mediterranean — he lives in a sea-facing mansion in the town of Manacor in Mallorca, Spain. “It is difficult to imagine my life without the Mediterranean Sea. I love its scent, the citrus, the freshness,” says Nadal.

Water was not the only element Nadal drew on; his relationship with nature and earth as a whole was clear. “To me, there is nothing like the scent of the earth after the rain, when the sun sets,” he adds.

Scent of happiness

For Perello, designing the perfect fragrance took a bit longer as she wanted her bespoke creation to smell of happiness. She settled for one of her two picks — a heady yet refreshing bouquet of violet and orange blossom, highlighted by bergamot and jasmine, and enhanced by sandalwood and white musk.

She explains: “I think the beauty of my scent lies in its paradoxes. I wanted it to be light but at the same time memorable, fresh yet sophisticated, soft but strong enough to last the entire day, without being overpowering. Delicate yet mighty. I also wanted it to give a sense of elegance and youthfulness. I had high expectations for this perfume as I really wanted it to reflect my personality, and I love the idea of being recognised and remembered by it.”

Suffice to say, Perello is extremely pleased with the outcome. “I’ve been gifted countless perfumes over the years and used to stick to wearing particular ones over longer periods of time. But, to be honest, I was never fully satisfied with them, as I never really found one that truly represented me and my personality. I’m very happy to now have my own bespoke Henry Jacques scent. I feel very comfortable wearing it; it makes me feel elegant and puts a smile on my face.”

Now a bespoke convert, Perello is more than happy to go through this experience again and enhance the different facets of her personality. “I like the idea of having a signature scent. However, the concept of a scent wardrobe is also interesting where we use different scents to reflect our moods and to suit different occasions,” she muses.

“It’s a journey of introspection which requires you to connect with your emotions, ultimately resulting in your own personal perfume. Along the way, I got to know myself a bit better while also learning a lot about the fascinating art of haute parfumerie and all of its infinite creative possibilities.” – Maria Perello

For almost half a century, Henry Jacques has been crafting the world’s finest essences by virtue of its immense savoir-faire, respecting traditions whilst never ceasing to innovate. All of its essences contain no alcohol preservatives, and are handcrafted using highly exclusive natural components sourced from all four corners of the world. Although the perfumes do not come cheap, they can certainly last for a long time, because all you need is a single drop on each pulse point for all-day freshness.

Perello concludes: “I love the brand’s exclusivity, discretion, and the level of care and attention that they give to their clients, being a family business. These are values that really speak to me. I also appreciate the fact that they only work with the rarest materials, their desire to never compromise on quality, and preserve their philosophy at all costs. In my opinion, the brand is very similar to an haute couture house, perfectly balancing traditional know-how and creativity. I feel like we really created something together, a bespoke fragrance made for me and with me.”