After decades of unwavering passion for the craft of perfumery, Alberto’s ideas continue to stand out. His extraordinary journey is alive in his intricately designed, legendary body of creations. It is certainly no surprise that Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas is the very first perfumer in history to receive the Fragrance Foundation’s esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award. His life-long partnership with research and development chemists and encyclopedic knowledge of perfume history allow him to fuse innovative natural techniques with breakthrough synthetic molecules, many of which he helped bring to patent, to create true works of art. Humbly, he notes that he still has doubts. “Even when we’ve learned everything there is to know, there is always doubt. A formula is like a well-written sentence: there are thousands of beautiful words from which to choose, but what makes it impactful, is the emotion with which they are brought together.” Raised in Seville, Alberto was encouraged to develop and explore his inquisitive nature. His chic, refined parents were always elegantly dressed. The patio of his childhood home captured scents like a fragrance bottle. Young Alberto would revel in the scents of the well, of medlar trees, clean laundry and jasmine from their lush, beautiful garden. At the epicenter of his holidays was the ocean. Memories of sea breezes, the unforgettable smell of the Atlantic, and the mysterious secrets of the sea still move him. With a smile on his face, Alberto recalls a time when he spent his vacation in a phone booth in order to stay up to date on an important project. He sent his children to buy candy, using the change from their purchases to extend the call as time ran out. Alberto’s three children, now grown, have chosen different career paths than their father’s despite their inherited olfactive gift. “You must have an innate passion for creation. It’s a calling. You have to love it, love it, and… love it.” While Alberto’s heart belongs to Andalusia, his life’s work brought him to Geneva, where his desk sits in the middle of his laboratory. As a young man, he had a revelation that behind every fragrance is a designer. “If a fashion designer couldn’t touch and experience the fabric with his hands, it would be… unthinkable.” Much of his inspiration comes from being surrounded by his ingredients, and he couldn’t imagine doing it any other way. Having always looked to the future, “maybe too much! ”, he admits that he doesn’t get much sleep. There’s too much to do, too much inspiration to gather, from strolling through his beloved garden with a freshly brewed cup of coffee in hand, to observing tigers in India. Nothing stops a true creative mind, not even the day’s end.