Roja Dove is a British perfumer. His fragrances are sold at department stores worldwide. Dove’s career in perfumery began in 1981 when he joined the French perfume house Guerlain, working there for 20 years before leaving to set up his own companies RDPR and then Roja Parfums.
Wife
Roja Dove’s wife or partner is a mystery to the general public. The perfumer rarely talks about his wife or partner.
Height & Weight
| Height | 1.83m |
| Weight | 75kg |
Roja Dove whose real name is Roger Bird was born on September 25, 1956. He is 66 years old. Born and raised in Sussex, South East England. He is the son of British parents.
Life & Career
Roja Dove’s interest in fragrance was sparked at an early age when his mother kissed him goodnight; as she lowered her head to kiss him, he was aware that her fragrance lingered in his room long after she had gone, keeping the image of her cocktail dress and the kiss alive. This interest developed whilst Dove grew up, as a teenager he spent his money purchasing small bottles of scent and was impressed that the tiny containers could contain such an overwhelming effect.
Dove went up to the University of Cambridge to study medicine. Whilst studying there he celebrated his 21st birthday with a visit to the Guerlain Boutique on the Champs-Elysées. It was then that he started working at Joshua Taylor’s, a Cambridge department store. He worked in the male fashion boutique of Taylor’s known as the Peacock. Following this, Dove dropped out of university to pursue a career in perfumery and with Guerlain.
In Dove’s enthusiasm for learning more following his trip to the Guerlain boutique, he frequently wrote to classic French perfumers requesting information and experience. Eventually, pestered but impressed by Dove’s interest, Robert Guerlain offered him a position. In 1981 Dove was recruited into the Training and Public Relations Department where he began to consolidate a professional understanding of the industry.
Roja Dove remained with Guerlain for nearly 20 years; after a number of years, he was given the position of Global Ambassador, the first non-Guerlain family member to be given the role. He was dubbed “Professeur de Parfum”. After two decades with Guerlain, Dove left the house to set up his own public relations firm RDPR Limited, with a head office based in his hometown of Brighton.
In 2004 the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie opened on the sixth floor of Harrods in conjunction with Urban Retreat. “Physically, it is going to be a sensual haven… Silks and satins, lots of glass, mirror, and crystal, as well as the black lacquer, give the salon the air of an exotic boudoir”. Since it opened in 2004 the Haute Parfumerie has stocked scents from many famous and unfamiliar brands including Tom Ford, Caron, Lalique, Xerjoff, Dior, Atelier Flou, Clive Christian, and Grossmith.
Roja Dove received requests from customers to smell ‘Roja Dove’ creations. Previously, in 2002, Dove joined names like Manolo Blahnik in donating prizes for the annual Terrence Higgins Trust fundraiser, the perfumer created a bespoke scent for the highest bidder contained within a Baccarat crystal presentation bottle. In 2005, Dove drew inspiration from this event and created a range of semi-bespoke fragrances for customers of the Haute Parfumerie to purchase; however, these scents come without bottles or names, and with only enough liquid to make 50 of each.
Within the perfume industry itself, Dove has been actively involved with The Fragrance Foundation, The Jasmine Awards, and The Cosmetics Perfumer Retailers Association. Roja Dove has written for a range of titles including Vogue, The Times, Vanity Fair, and Wallpaper on subjects such as perfume, celebrity fragrances, classic favorites, or even the ‘Smells of London’.
Roja Dove has also given lectures and spoken at charity events for The Barbican, The Science Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In 2010 Dove worked closely with the Victoria and Albert Museum for their exhibition Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes, which ran from 25 September 2010 to 9 January 2011, where he created an accompanying fragrance named ‘Diaghilev’ and gave an evening lecture upon 1920s Parisian society and perfume. This is an article about Roja Dove’s wife or partner.
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