Perfumers owe their increasingly high profile to Frédéric Malle, whose nine-year-old luxury company, Editions de Parfum, was the first to celebrate perfumers by name. The black label on each bottle identifies the perfumer, like an author’s name on a book jacket.
— From Now Smell This, and See Its Maker at the New York Times.
...the most notable trend in the industry right now comes from the growth in niche products. Fragrance is a sociological phenomenon. On the one hand, perfume is a commodity, dominated by global brands and fashion houses, but on the other hand we're in a new golden age of perfume, driven by artisans who seek to create experiences rather than brands.
— Michael Edwards, quoted in Fragrances of the World 2010 at Cosmetic World.
What do you think — do perfumers owe their increasingly high profile to Frédéric Malle? And is this "golden age of perfume" driven by artisans? Because in both cases I would have said it's all driven by consumers, and more specifically, by perfume-related consumer activity on the internets: the blogs, the fragrance forums, what have you.
I was glad to see your name in lights in the paper this morning, Robin!
While the recognition of perfumer’s work cannot be entirely due to Frederic Malle’s house, I think that Michael Edwards is dreadfully oversimplifying. “Driven by consumers”–which consumers? The view from the ground is that the vast, vast majority of consumers are those who buy the celebuscents or fashion-house scents, the ones who don’t know or care that an artisan designed them. They aren’t pushing this trend. And, by volume, a lot of the internet chatter of these “consumers” is not of the perfumista sort, either, but blogs and sites devoted to a more popular aesthetic. I think connoisseur blogs (for example, NST!) definitely have helped nurture a small market of artists identified by name but after all, commentators have to have something to comment on, and critics have to have something to criticize. If the designers hadn’t come up with these scents, if FM hadn’t supported their design without “focus group” input, we’d have nothing to experience and write about. And if FM hadn’t made their names known, who knows if we’d care?
My argument is that it was not only FM, or even mostly FM, who made their names known…
I was thinking the same thing. I know that’s not where I learned about perfumers.
While the online communities and blogs contributed a lot to the directing the public awareness to the artists behind the perfumes; I think the discussion would have been quite dull if the artisan perfumers didn’t exist. Consumers were clearly getting bored with discussing only designer fragrances and celebrity scents.
Like most chapters of history, I think this one is written by many smaller stories, each a little different but together forming the big picture. My perspective is of an artisan, and since my early days I was very involved in the online fragrance community, because I believed that part of my role is not just to create fragrances, but also educate the public about perfumery, the raw materials, the sense of smell etc. So I participated in conversations about raw materials, etc. and tried to contribute with the little knowledge I have and later on started my own blog. There are quite a few independant perfumers that do that, in through this
Frederic Malle’s line is great – both the concept and the product – yet it is certainly not solely to his credit alone that perfumers’ names are becoming more known and familiar to the consumers. Also – let’s not forget that there were some excellent artisan houses that existed well before him (Dyptique and l’Artisan are just two examples).
It’s just that the time was ripe now for artisan perfumery to flourish.
The relationship between the two (artist and audience, perfumer and consumer) is what dictates it, not just one side of the coin:
Consumers are fed up with cookie-cutter fragrances; and perfumers are becoming increasingly fed up with working for a big corporation that restricts their creativity and decide to open their own shop instead.
Now all we need is a little less of the mass-market releases to distract the public from the true gems that could otherwise make our era a “golden age”.
I don’t know if I even agree that consumers are fed up with cookie-cutter fragrances, I think they’re just confused by the huge number of them. If we were still at 500 releases a year, I don’t think there would be the backlash there is now.
They might be neither fed up nor confused. They might just be bored out of their minds. 😉
Excellent analysis, Ayala. Thank you from all of us. 😉
I can’t disagree with any point Ayala has made. I know first-hand what a little education from somewhat like Ayala has made to my appreciation of artisans and the art and crafting of fine fragrance. (Thank you again, A!) I wouldn’t have the fragrance collection I have and the knowledge of specific perfumers without the help of blogs such as Now Smell This. (Thank you Robin, Angela, Kevin et al.)
And I wouldn’t have anything to collect without the likes of Frederic Malle and his stable of talent, Francis Kurkdjian, Michel Roudnitska and DelRae Roth, Betrand Duchaufour and l’Artisan, Serge Lutens and Chris Sheldrake, Jean-Claude Ellena and Hermes and TDC, Mathilde Laurent and the visionaries at Cartier, Andy Tauer, etcetera, etcetera.
As usual, the answer isn’t black and white, one or the other, all or nothing — a very Western philosophical approach to the question. The answer is a lovely shade of grey, where all these things are interrelated and it doesn’t really matter whether the chicken came before or after the egg.
I’m just happy to luxuriate in all of it (*she says, in a cloud of Attrape-Coeur this fine morning*).
I became aware of perfume creators by way of a made for TV movie back in the 1980’s, which I think was called “Bare Essence” starring Linda Evans and Genie Francis.
In the early ’90s, when I became acquainted with the houses of Annick Goutal and Guerlain, I began to pay attention to the artistic creators and ‘noses’ behind fragrances.
I think perhaps Malle is the first line that publicized the portfolio of artistic creators of their scents as part of their star feature, and if that has had any significant influence in promoting the perfumers to the awareness of fragrance fans, bravo!
Oops! Forgot to mention that blog sites such as NST have served much to accelerate and enrich our awareness. Thanks so much!
I agree Operafan. I think access the online forums about fragrance definitely must impact the market (and interest in artisan perfumes). I am a perfect example. If sites like NST or The Perfumed Court didn’t exist I don’t think I would even know about artisan perfumes . . . and even if there were artisan perfumeries in my vicinity I would be way to intimidated to go in them. Now, since I feel semi-knowledgable, I wouldn’t feel too intimidated to go to a niche perfume store (just a little intimidated).
Opera- I remember that movie! I watched it ,going, “I want to know what that smells like!”
Genie Francis! That was Laura on GH, right?
And don’t get me wrong, I think the FM brand is wonderful. I think you could just say that the perfumers have made him famous as much as the other way around.
Indeed, she was! There were quite a few big names from television that were in that cast. Probably taken from one of those romance novels.
Anyway, you’re free to form your own informed opinions, Robin. Sorry I really didn’t answer your question on this thread. I was just inputting my own musings.
As someone who loves fragrance, I’ve rarely been drawn to a scent because of the celebrity attached to it. But it always interests me when someone whose work I admire turns out something new.
Frankly, every perfumer, no matter how great, have turned out a dud every once in a while. Those who churn out work destined for one of the “labels” have to work within the specs and restrictions presented to them after all.
Golden age of perfumery? I think we probably are in one, but it will take time for the “classics” to get filtered out from the numerous “cookie cutter” stuff (to quote Ayala), and styles and trends of the moment will also dictate.
What and interesting question, R. The short answer: Both/And! 🙂
The much longer answer:
If by “artisan perfumer” we mean independent perfumers who are both making and marketing their wares on their own dime (like Andy Tauer and others) then I agree with Luca Turin, who posits in The Guide that they would never exist without being able to market their wares directly to the consumer through the web. Blogs like NST and forums like MUA both create consumers (like me!) and provide a place for the crucial word-of-mouth-and-pen advertising that keeps the independents alive.
That said, I think the mainstream industry itself has contributed to this “golden age” by busily killing off it’s best work through discontinuations, reformulations and so on, and by flooding the market with crap. They alienated the consumers that go looking for something else.
I think you can see a very similar thing happening in the music industry, where bloated, hit-driven recording studios who failed to understand how internet-driven distribution was revolutionizing the industry helped make room for lots of little niche and indie labels, and musicians directly distributing their work. I am waiting with bated breath to see how this plays out in the publishing industry–in part the big houses there have tried to deal with it by creating niche imprints within the houses–but that’s another story…
The Malle phenomenon, I think, is a separate, though related, issue. It’s possible (though I have no idea) that Malle was inspired by the popularity of independent perfumers to market the idea of a the perfumer-as-artist–the end effect is similar, since the consumer has the feeling of getting an “artisan” product with much more distribution/advertising power. And I think the indies may have benefited from consumers educated by Malle. But from all the interviews he’s given, I really believe, naive though I may be, that Malle was driven by some of the same disgust we’ve felt with the hit-driven industry. I think the man really wanted to make some great perfume, and he wanted to honor the people who make the stuff. That it’s also a great marketing scheme is a huge bonus, but that was a big gamble when he started–it went against all the received wisdom in the industry.
So yes, I do think Malle has contributed hugely to the rise of the perfumer-as-star. I give him a lot of credit, and I’m glad he was there to take the risk. And I’m even more glad that the magical internets gave rise to an audience ready to receive that gift!
Yes, I see many parallels with the music industry too…they are both fundamentally distrustful of their own customers.
And let’s not forget the importance of perfume’s answer to the music industry’s devoted indie record stores: small retailers who know and love fragrance and provide a key link between product and consumer. I know that without The Perfume Shoppe here in Vancouver and owner Nasrin’s passion and intuition, I would not have discovered so many incredible niche fragrances nor would I have been able to acquire them so easily and directly. There’s nothing like a real, live woman (or man) to guide you to scents that really “fit” you. 😉
On the one hand, I agree 100% about the small, dedicated niche store. I would not be a fragrance fan without them either.
On the other, I think one of the fallacies the fragrance industry has held onto for dear life is that fragrance can only be sold in person by trained staff, and this system, I think, leads precisely to the utter failure to reform and modernize the way perfume is sold in retail department stores, which I do think has much (maybe even most) to do with faltering retail sales for mainstream brands. If they would just let go of the darned SA-on-commission system, I think things would be going much better than they are.
Having had many SA-from-Hell experiences myself, R (I think sometimes I can actually see the dollar signs in their eyes), I could not agree more.
And “trained staff?” If ONLY!! Most of those evil on-commission SAs don’t know their orange blossom from their neroli. 😉
That’s just it. This is the information age, and the average SA simply doesn’t (and can’t, let’s face it, there are too many scents now to know about) don’t have the information. More than that, I think most people are simply no longer interested in the personal interaction. I still say that what the industry really needs is a real Sephora for grownups: a way to try many things at once with minimal interference from staff and no pressure to buy.
I agree about the lack of knowledge of SAs these days, especially when you get away from the city. I used to work with the BEST SA at the Saks Guerlain counter back in the 90s, a woman named Ruth from Switzerland. She was knowledgeable and patient and never pressured me to buy. She really nurtured my relationship with the product line.
Interesting observation about the shifting trends in how people shop; the idea of shopping as a social and recreational experience has waned. People have become very private and reclusive about their buying, when there was once a time where people met-up in shopping districts on weekends and all shopped for the same new styles together. Shoppers now seem to be buying items solely for the sake of recreation or socializing at a later date and are aiming for those products that reflect a distinct sense of individuality, rather than era-specific style. People have so many choices now and access to buying obscure products online, that the drive is more for finding unique items that represent specific, personal tastes of a buyer or gift recipient, rather than updating a fragrance wardrobe to reflect new scent styles and changing times. A spouse or significant other would once buy the newest, fashionable fragrance for their sweetheart, whether it was that person’s usual style or not. There would’ve been only a handful of houses to browse through, each launching one scent per piece, maybe twice a year. Now, there are hundred–maybe even a thousand–new releases every season and while many tend to resemble eachother, it’s sometimes hard to place how modern a modern scent really is. While some of the new blends are really standing out, it seems that one fruity-floral-aquatic year flows into the next. With older scents, you can often pin them down to one specific year or even season of a year. SA’s are still taught to sell fragrance by discouraging old releases, pushing new ones and deterring shoppers from lingering over testers. This method tends to drive away their target audience.
“…they are both fundamentally distrustful of their own customers…”
Perfectly said. There’s such a battle in these industries to fight the customer, as if some clandestine, sacred right will be perverted if the artists and artisans let the unwashed masses get too close to the process of their work. Which is surprising, since the customers most fascinated by what these artists do, are the ones that will provide the financial support that allows such perfumers to create the truly interesting pieces they really want to, but can rarely ever sell on concept because of development costs and low payback.
I mean, let’s be honest, how often would potions like “Secretions Magnifiques” come to be, without a population that supports perfumery as a form of art, rather than just a means of deodorizing carpets or cars? Maybe, it’s just a glorious tradition for artists to harbor secret contempt for their–supposedly–cretin-type patrons…
Congrats, Robin! It must be exciting to get a mention in the mainstream media. You’ve earned it with the passion and quality of NST.
Sweetlife summed it up perfectly. I know there’s been a lot of sentiment over fragrance formulations gone by here on NST and elsewhere, but I really think we are a drop in the perfume consumer bucket and are the least likely thought about by many fragrance manufacturing companies. If it smells good enough (or close enough, according to their research) to the original, then that’s good enough. The average perfume shopper likely doesn’t even know a prior formula exists and certainly is less likely to spend the time and money trying to track it down when the new and similar version’s right there to buy. 🙁
But according to my perfume and MP3 collection, I find a lot of what’s right there to buy quite dull and enjoy the process of research, discovery and acquisition just as much as wearing/listening to the end result. Hence what got me started on my fragrance journey a few years ago. I started reading NST and MUA reviews, learned what sorts of fragrances smelled “good” to me personally, but was intrigued by what was then challenging fragrances I’d never heard of before, as a lot of budding perfumistas have done before me. I think Andy Tauer, Frederic Malle, Divine, Parfumerie Generale, Montale and dozens of other niche/individual perfumers make some of the best fragrances out there now. But I couldn’t walk into my local Macy’s and ask for any of them. Yes, it is small, but even if it weren’t, I don’t know how well known the individual creations of these artists are outside perfume appreciation circles. Unless you look at their contract work for the larger cosmetics/beauty companies.
I love what Frances Kurkdjian is doing with expanding interesting artisan fragrances to fun products like bubbles and bracelets. I hope that it will spark interest among those who might stop by out of curiosity and find that there really are some great fragrances outside fragrance counters. And I think that like a lot of people, some perfumers have to take the less interesting jobs to get their foot in the door. Once they’ve earned enough to finance their passion without restriction, then we get to see the truly original fragrances that are far less likely to have mass market appeal. But many of us have to start out working under someone with more skill/experience and compromising our desires at least a little until we can afford to expand our own wings and go with the turbulance that sometimes comes along with that ability. 🙂
Ah, but “Now Smell This” has even been referenced before, as one of the HGs of fragrance blogs in an “Elle” article about those wacky, crazy, olfactorily-frenzied perfume people (Read: All of us.)
As a consumer, I’m tired of cookie cutter EVERYTHING, including shopping malls (haven’t been in one for over a year). I think forward-thinking people like Frederic Malle; the artisans themselves like you, Ayala; and the online enthusiasts/educators like you, Robin, are all important builders in this “golden age” of perfume. The world wide web is an incredibly powerful tool that gives us the opportunity to connect with like-minded people, learn, and teach. How lucky we are!
So agree on shopping malls…my least favorite chore.
hmmm. . . .a single individual is seldom solely responsible for a success/failure. . .more often, it takes a village. . . and when it comes to systemic change, a whole bunch of pieces must fall into place to be the rudder that changes the course of things. . . . . .
I think. . .
Yep.
My opinion isn’t as well informed as some … but I’ll share it nonetheless –
I do think that Frédéric Malle took an important step, but I think that with the growing availability of information, and the push to individualize oneself in a world of so many billions, the growing popularity of niche fragrances was a trend much bigger than one man in the making. I think that with more attention and capital moving towards niche lines, the actual perfumers were bound to gain more recognition – in the same way that we follow other artists, musicians, and designers.
I think that blogs like your own and the internets in general are an important piece of the still relatively new availability of detailed information on subjects that may once have been obscure, or even shrouded in mystery. In my opinion, the really impressive thing that Frédéric Malle did was display a truly excellent talent for trend-prediction in the arena of perfumery. The pursuit of exclusivity (individualization, like I said before), and a series of well balanced compromises – expensive, but not ridiculous, not available at your corner shop, but not too challenging to acquire if you’re ‘in the know’, different enough to make you feel special, but not wandering into the territory of intimidating or off-putting … and then the simplicity of emphasizing the right qualities – perfumer, ingredients, smell, mood, sophistication — all of these things were well executed, and done so a bit ahead of the curve.
In other words, I think it was going to happen anyhow, but FM got a jump on the ball, and did it pretty well. And I believe it’s driven by What Makes Money, which is in some ways a function of What People Want.
Oh, and realizing that Maurice Roucel looks like a lovable bear of an uncle who everyone wants to hug, and actually sticking his picture on the wall was a great move.
Agree, and not meaning to diss the FM brand at all — it is one of my favorites. Agree on Maurice Roucel too!
How can we say that we are in a golden age of perfumery if we`re seeing almost all the classics and interesting fragrances beeing tweaked, duo to marketing strategies, regulatory requirements and excess of fragrances, even in the niche sector? To me, it looks like a point before a crash in the fragrance industry, since we`re getting into a point that we`ll have a lot of fragrances almost equal to each other, where you don`t have the classics that made the fragrance today the complexity and artistry that it is and with so much product that is very very hard to inovate. Maybe I`m being cross-patch, but is how a feel, specially with the mass market section, where the juice is no more the center, but the last thing to be conceived and the one who has the smallest budget.
I think Luca Turin also used the term recently, and I presume they’re talking about the explosion of niche & independent brands. Not sure I think it’s a golden age either, but I suppose it depends on how you look at it.
In terms of the classics, rickbr, you’re quite right in saying that it might not be the golden age, at least as far as regulations go (in fact, we’re entering into the dark ages in many ways, with reformulations that are pale shadows of the oakmoss- and sandalwood-laced originals).
However, in terms of availability, I’d say that this is inarguably a golden age for classics. Thanks to the power of the internet, I’ve been able to get my greedy paws on all sorts of vintage fragrances I would never have been able to find even a few short years ago. I’ve bought them on eBay and from on-line stores and swapped all sorts of samples, decants and bottles through Makeup Alley, Basenotes and Scent Splits. Gorgeous old collectibles that used to languish in the backs of drawers of grandmothers are now on the wrists of happy perfumistas all around the world. Seems pretty golden to me. 😉
Have to come back & read all this great discussion but wanted to say, you go, Robin! in the NYTimes!!
Thanks.
I absolutely don’t know enough about industry trends in the last 10-15 years to be able to say if FM is “responsible” for the higher profile of perfumers.
It’s interesting, though, if following perfumers is becoming a trend among more people than just the most hardcore perfumistas. I have a feeling it’s still a small number of people who will grow to recognize these names, but certainly live “Meet the Perfumer” events are a good idea from a marketing perspective… and from an educational perspective.
As in so many industries (food, wine, jewelry?), there are so many niche segments that it’s hard to tell what drive what, and in many respects, the segments don’t resemble one another at all. It’s like trying to compare an artisanal producer of Kurobuta pork to the General Mills conglomerate.
Oh, and congrats on your mention! Interesting article (though at times the cynicism was depressing).
It is hard to tell what drives what…but both of the explanations given above are very “top down”, and I personally just don’t think that’s how it (or anything much else) works.
Robin- kudos for getting recognized, as I’m sure you deserve it. If it were not for NST, I wouldn’t have expand my fragrance palate to the degree that I have. It’s also nice that you cover all fragrances-from Avon to niche. Not only is this site enjoyable, but it welcomes perfumistas of all levels without reservation. Congrats!
Thanks so much.
Hi Robin.
About Frédéric Malle, if memory serves, he *was* the first one to put forward the name and face of his perfumers, in 2000, before the online perfume community developed. So it really was a turning point. Previously, the names of Jean-Paul Guerlain and to a lesser extent Jacques Polge may have been known, and the names of past perfumers given in books, but otherwise, perfumers had a very low profile.
The blog/forum explosion gave the trend its real impetus. Though the average consumer may not care for the same fragrances “we” do, when they google a new fragrance, they’ll often find the blog posts on top of the search results. So even though they buy mainstream celebrity or designer juices, the bloggers’ opinions are a factor the brands have to take into account. And the fact that we are putting forward the names of perfumers has certainly been a major factor in the marketers’ brainwave…
Oh, I know that, but I don’t think it follows that he is responsible for the “increasingly high profile” of perfumers. When I started reading avidly about perfume in 2003, there was tons of interest, and tons of information available on the net and elsewhere (much of it pre-dating FM). I simply don’t believe that all that interest and sharing of information was due to FM, that’s all, although I’m sure it helped.
May I say that I personally don’t care who created a particular fragrance? **ducks to avoid projectiles** My only concern is how it smells on me. Liking it or not does not depend on whether it was created by Ellena, Roucel, or Grojsman, or by an anonymous nose at IFF or Givaudan. I won’t run out to test something because a name perfumer is attached to it (not to mention some celebrity). But I *will* run out to test a scent based on the notes and descriptions I’ve read in the blogs (thanks!).
And more power to you, fleurdelys. Myself? I’m interested in who creates which fragrances in the same way that if I see an amazing piece of art I want to know who painted it, or if I hear a great song I want to know who wrote and performed it, or if I drink a great bottle of wine, I want to know who made it (as well as the grapes in it and where they were grown and what year they were harvested). It adds to my understanding of art, music, fragrance, wine, whatever, as well as artists, musicians, perfumers, winemakers, whoever. For me, it’s a crucial dimension of appreciation.
Funny how I will differentiate between the “creators” I care about. In terms of a painting or music, I want to know who the artist or composer is. If it’s a wine or a perfume, it doesn’t matter to me who the actual “creator” is. If it tastes or smells good, I’ll just remember the name on the label so I can buy it again. Maybe it’s because these are consumables, whereas a painting or piece of music is one-of-a-kind?
Sounds eminently reasonable, f. But let’s say you found that you absolutely loved Vetiver Tonka, Amber Narguile and Rose Ikebana from the Hermessence line at Hermes. If you found out that Jean-Claude Ellena created all of them, and then you found out that he had his own fragrance company (which he does: The Different Company) wouldn’t you be interested in trying his Bois d’Iris or Sel de Vetiver?
And then, if you loved them, and there was a column from our Robin on Now Smell This about Jean-Claude Ellena, might you perhaps read it with some interest in order to learn a little about the man and his approach to his fragrance-making? I know that’s how I started becoming interested in the names behind the creations.
Practically speaking, I’ve found it helpful. Before, just like you, I would “run out to test a scent based on the notes and descriptions I’ve read in the blogs.” I definitely still do that! But I might just run out to test a scent now because Jean-Claude Ellena created it. Doesn’t mean I’m going to love it, and doesn’t mean I’m going to buy it (case in point: Vanille Gallante). But had his name not mattered to me, I would never have had the knowledge to pursue a potential lemming. There’s so much out there I wouldn’t wear if you paid me to, I’ll take all the help I can get. 😉
Perfect explanation, R.
In the end, that’s all I care about too…but since I haven’t the time to try 1000 new fragrances a year, knowing the names of the perfumers helps narrow down the field of likely suspects 🙂
“In the end, that’s all I care about too.”
Really and truly, R? That’s all?
Well sure, at least in the sense that if Jean Claude Ellena makes a fragrance I don’t like, I don’t want to own it any more than I would if it was by something else. I guess you could say I care more in that it’s a bigger disappointment, is that what you mean?
Yeah, that’s understandable, R. Me, too. I mean, that makes sense to most of us, I’d reckon. But surely that and your first comment about narrowing your sampling field aren’t the only reasons you care about who creates a fragrance? Somehow, that doesn’t sound like the Robin I know. Maybe I’ve been mistaken?
Well, it perhaps understates how much I adore the work of some perfumers…I mean, I’m considerably more excited about a perfume if it’s by one of my favorite perfumers, and yes, I also find it very interesting to “follow” the work of some of them. But several times recently I’ve heard people compare perfumers to rock stars, and that doesn’t resonate with me at all. I mean, I’m not dying to meet any of them, and I don’t much care about their personal lives, you know? I’m only interested in what they have to say if it’s about perfume. I’m sure I’ve said I’m a “fan girl” of one or another perfumers, but I mean that entirely related to their perfumes.
(then again, I’m not dying to meet any rock stars either. I sometimes think I’m missing the “fan” gene or something…I haven’t felt like I was a “fan” of anybody outside of being a “fan” of their work since my unbridled admiration of David Cassidy many moons ago, and yes, the David Cassidy reference surely dates me! All of which is part of why the whole celebrity perfume thing is just entirely foreign to me)
The rockstar simile is perfectly inadequate, I couldn’t agree more. I met rockstars in the days when I was a rock critic, and I’m meeting perfumers now: the only common point is that some of them are passionate about their work…
I do enjoy those conversations tremendously because I get a better perspective on their creative process, plus I get to smell the raw materials they use (you just cannot talk with a perfumer without him/her sauntering away to pick up this or that vial).
But the good ones have spent years in obscurity toiling away in their labs and while they’re glad to talk about their work and perfume in general with someone who appreciates it, and happy to see their creativity acknowledged, they’re not about to let the limelight go to their heads. And they’re not particularly ecstatic about doing PR work… If anything, they remind me more of the artists I know: “famous” within a limited circle of connoisseurs but basically dedicated to their craft. I can’t see any of them headed for the limos and groupies lifestyle any time soon.
I’d give it to the way Frederic Malle has trained his sales staff. Very, very few other sales staff know the names and history of the perfumers behind the products they’re selling. Jean-Claude Ellena’s first four for The Different Company did this as well, so I’d give him a bit of credit for making the buyers more familiar with the creators. I still think that sales staff in stores influence public perception more than the perfume community on the internet.
Agree…the FM staff I have talked to have been wonderful.
I feel compelled to comment here since I became interested in perfumes because of this very blog…
One of my less glamorous jobs involves looking at thousands of websites. For the most part, the sites don’t leave an impression on me; when I came across NST, however, I was really blown away by the poetry and intellect evident in the reviews and the “nerdiness” of the perfume community. I got hooked by reading perfume reviews!
Granted, the seeds were already there — a background in the arts and an affinity for sensual pleasures, a mom who wore Chanel n5 — but I’ve always avoided department store perfume counters like the plague. From the “safe” distance of my computer, I can read about and try a panoply of fragrances, from FM to Caron to JLo.
Thanks, NST… for better or worse, you’ve made a perfumista out of me!
Oh good!
Nerds? Who, us? 😉