LIFE BY LEXUS 30
THE MORE DISTINCT A SCENT, THE MORE
POWERFUL AND EMOTIVE THE EXPERIENCE – AND THIS IS THE ALLURE OF BESPOKE FRAGRANCES.
T
ake a moment to think of your favourite smell. For some, it’s freshly baked bread, or the smell of the air after rain. For others, it’s the pungent
smell of petrol that triggers their pleasure sensors, or even the dreamy, leathery smell of a brand-new car’s interior. These scents can not only boost your feel-good juices, but also spark sentiment, calling up cherished memories. So it’s no surprise that in a society where the
desire for unique and bespoke experiences is intensifying, customising personal scents is on the up-and-up too. For example, some European supermarkets have spent millions in R&D euros creating bespoke fragrances for use in their stores that actually encourage shoppers to spend more time – and money – while they’re there. Plus, certain European car manufacturers have forgone that “new car smell” in favour of a tailor-made olfactory brand for their vehicles. I can distinctly recall the first fragrance I ever
wore. It came in a rusted red round bottle and was given to me by an uncle who was relocating to the USA at the time. I was 14 and the iconic, aromatic fragrance of Dior Fahrenheit initiated my obession with cologne. Those musky, muted notes have never left me – like a favourite song, they conjure up memories of my adolescence, a time when I was exploring my identity and freshly formed grooming regime. Fragrance does that. No matter who you are
or where you’re from, your scent leaves an indelible mark on the people around you. Just like an expensive pair of shoes or a tailored suit, colognes are more than a sensory signal: they’re a powerful signifier of who we are and how we wish to be perceived by others: playful, daring, sensitive or strong. Tammy Frazer, South African perfumer and
owner of Frazer Parfum in Cape Town, agrees. “Memory recollection is very sharp and with all that detail comes a flood of emotions and nostalgia,” she says. The fragrance industry is constantly evolving.
Walk into any fragrance outlet and you’re immediately confronted by a cacophany of designer scents and newly minted colognes. Before you know it, you’ve spritzed every inch of your forearm and remain undecided as to which scent is right for the season and your style. What should be a pleasurable experience can quickly turn into sensory overload, so we abort the mission. This overwhelming range of choice, coupled with the rise of the made-to-order movement, has given birth to the bespoke fragrance industry in SA.
Although still a niche market, historically only really explored by well- travelled fragrance aficionados, artisanal aromas are big business for companies wanting to invest in the hyper-personalised fragrance market. According to Lwandie Luzipho, PR and
Marketing Manager for Jo Malone, the rise of bespoke scents in SA is largely because consumers are seeking unique ways to personalise their identity and enrich their experience. The more distinct a scent, the more powerful and emotive the experience – and this is the allure of bespoke fragrances. As a company, Jo Malone’s all about pairing unique and unexpected scents. Step into any of its stores and you’ll be astonished by the product line: Myrrh and Tonka; Black Cedarwood and Juniper; Wood Sage and Sea Salt… Inspired by simple moments and real-life experiences, these ingredients represent the new guard in fragrance alchemy – and it’s about to be enhanced by the brand’s latest collection, The Bloomsbury Set, which recaptures the unconventional life of free-spirited artists in their iconic country house in Sussex, England. One whiff of this intoxicating collection really does conjure up a cosy cabin, complete with worn leather sofas, timber flooring, whisky and a roaring fire. Whether you’re pairing scents or creating
your own, designing a signature fragrance is a time-sensitive process which can take as long as three months. Back in Frazer’s laboratory, before she dons her lab coat and gets to work, she creates a portrait. “Coming up with a new cologne starts with
researching the client, from their lifestyle to their habits and hobbies, to how their skin reacts to certain ingredients,” she explains. “While they might not know a lot about fragrance itself, they know themselves, how they want to be portrayed and what they want to communicate in this elusive elixir.” Based on this psychological evaluation, a consultation with Frazer isn’t just a conversation, but an invitation into sensory experimentation. Spend a morning with her and your perception of scent changes. You learn that base notes are the long-lasting fragrance-extenders that ground the flighty, volatile top notes. You learn that cedarwood is a spicy white wood note that evokes sentimental moments and that vetiver is a fresh grass with a sweetness that anchors most male colognes. With this knowledge, the world of bespoke fragrance makes sense – and the quest to find the perfect cologne takes on a whole new dimension.
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