The diptyque questionnaire was designed using the same format as the one Proust answered. These thirty four questions aim to reveal a person dear to diptyque, with the interviewee only having to answer questions as he saw fit.

“Born in 1982, this unusual Parisian illustrator focuses his creative work in the fields of fashion and decor. He is known for the silk scarves he has been designing for Hermes since 2008, amongst other things.
His designs always blend storytelling with ornate decorative detailing. They are distinguished by the plethora of baroque design details and his technique of designing patterns within the purest tradition of the decorative arts.
Pierre Marie has already collaborated with diptyque on the Winter 2010 collection as well as on our collections of Eaux Florales and Eaux Hesperidees. By drawing inspiration from his usual sources: nature, folklore, cartoons and even the history of the house of diptyque (a particular passion of his), this designer has an endlessly creative field of possibilities.
This year, for « At Night at diptyque », Pierre Marie is putting together a collection inspired by Pollock Theatres, the little paper theatres popular in England in the XIXth century that were sold at 34, Saint-Germain Boulevard by the three founders of diptyque during the Swinging Sixties. He even conceived an Andersen-style fairytale in collaboration with Ahmed Terbaoui in which these theatres, and the characters that inhabit them, come to life for a winter’s night play in three fragranced acts.”

2. Which period of human history – a « far-off land » as Racine wrote – would you like to visit as an invisible tourist?
The Middle Ages. Hidden in a mille fiori tapestry or tucked away between the leading in a window, I would observe the customs and intrigues of this fascinating chapter in history incognito.

3. Your favourite foodie treat?
Frasier torte with marzipan on top.

4. Your favourite smell?
My coloured crayons seconds after sharpening them.

6. What kind of musical instrument would you be?
Pipe organ. I’ve been playing for almost 8 years now and I love it. It’s like being at the steering wheel of a large truck, with loads of exhaust pipes expelling harmonious breaths that delight the ears.

12. What are you thinking about right now?
My next drawing.

13. Which activity do you love doing that forces you to focus to the point where your mind goes blank?
Bikram yoga. It’s an intense workout that requires great concentration with no wriggle room for anything else. You come out feeling as sharp as a tack.

15. What kind of music is like an echo of paradise lost to you?
Traditional Bulgarian folklore music.

16. Three top films?
I’d like to pick only one. The one that has given me wings to dream, tell stories and draw since I was a kid. It’s “The King and the Mockingbird” by Paul Grimault and Jacques Prevert. I saw it for the first time when I was 5 years old and many hundreds of times since then: with the same magical enchantment every single time!

20. Which people, past or present, real or imaginary, inspire you?
Professor Calculus. He is scholarly and elegant but also a bit befuddled, which I think is crucial for this day and age.

22. If you could give a bouquet of flowers to a bird: which flowers would you choose and for which bird?
Every flower to every single bird.

23. Is it a bad thing not to be loved as long as you love?
I don’t know if it’s a bad thing but it’s a shame, for sure.

24. Describe your dream landscape?
The sun setting in an immense sky, observed from the highest branch of a magnificent tree.

26. Do you have a catchphrase in your job that serves as your both your compass and your lantern?
“A little further to the west!”

30. What is handicraft and craftsmanship in this day and age?
Craftspeople are, for me, valuable allies, the representatives of choice. Artisanry is a way forward, a body of trades and knowledge bases that should be protected and valued. But we must be careful not to tarnish this word. It has become a ordinary sales pitch these days.

33. Which is your favourite diptyque scent (Eaux or candles) ?
The Tea candle.

34. Describe diptyque in your own words?
For me diptyque is like a magical spell created by three friends and sealed within an oval. This seal is like a door that opens to reveal the promise of lovely perfumed stories.