Francis Kurkdjian was born in Paris , France on 14 May 1969 to Armenian parents . The Kurkdjian family had at once fled the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide and had settled in France after being deported and relocated to Aleppo . Having been exposed to music and dancing at a young age , Francis Kurkdjian wanted to be a ballet dancer during his youth . However , he failed passing the competition to study at the Paris Opera School of Dance in 1983 . Kurkdjian , who already had an interest in perfume making since he was thirteen years old , decided in 1985 to become a perfumer . In 1990 , Kurkdjian entered the Institut Supérieur International du Parfum , de la Cosmétique et de l'Aromatique Alimentaire ( ISIPCA ) , a perfume school located in Versailles , France . He graduated from ISIPCA in 1993 and joined Quest International in Paris the same year . Kurkdjian continued his studies and obtained a master 's degree from the Paris Institute of Luxury Marketing
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Francis Kurkdjian