Harricana – green and woodsy and animalic

I have a friend who owns a luxurious mink coat. It was her mother’s coat, which was gifted to her when her mother was no longer able to wear it. That coat holds a lot of memories for my friend, but gorgeous and functional as it is, she can’t bring herself to wear it. She’s got a good heart and strong conscience, but the sentimental value of this coat has her in a quandary.

She’s not alone. That’s why Canadian designer Mariouche Gagné, owner of the ecolux fashion label Harricana, takes old fur coats and gives them a new life as pillow covers, hats, gloves, bags, boots, jewellery and more – creating sustainable fashion.

Gagné was born in 1971 in the First Nations village of Loretteville. She grew up greatly respecting the environment and her Canadian heritage. A design wunderkind, her work has won many awards in Canada and abroad. In 1997, she founded Harricana – named after the river that flows through western Quebec and northeastern Ontario which was used as a route for fur traders.

So, when Gagné was looking to produce the first fragrance for Harricana, she turned to talented Canadian perfumer Isabelle Michaud. They worked closely on the concept, resulting in Harricana, a gorgeous scent from Michaud’s perfume house, Monsillage.

I asked Michaud about the process of developing the scent. She said that Gagné liked ‘Untitled’ by Martin Margiela, so she knew that a strong green vibe was the way to go. Harricana opens with nose-tingling bergamot followed by intensely green and slightly musky galbanum. Spinach leaf plays up the galbanum by adding a vegetal green element, while basil contributes an herbal anise note. A note of balsam fir adds a different shade of green, while calamus root gives it a spicy warmth. As it blooms, orris root gives it the smell of violets – a nod to the past when violet bunches were sold in the markets of Paris, and women would pin them to their furs – along with a woodiness. Green tea picks up on the galbanum, extending that green note to the heart. Jasmine, exotic and heady, joins the mix and gives it floral depth. It all rests on a warm woody base of vetiver, oakmoss, sandalwood, cedarwood, labdanum and opoponax. Stunning. Musk gives it an anilmalic note that’s evocative of fur.

On developing the scent with Gagné, Michaud says: She wanted it outdoorsy like a walk in the woods or in the tundra, somewhat of a native Indian character, very close to nature, such as the DNA of her brand.”

And that is exactly what the drydown of Harricana smells like a walk in the woods. What’s noticeable in Harricana is the lack of sweet and floral notes – which is refreshing. Harricana smells of nature; green, woodsy and animalic but nature-tamed, refined, sophisticated and polished. It stays close to the skin like being wrapped in a luxurious fur coat.

 Check out Harricana in our shop.