Hans Hendley of Hans Hendley Perfumes

Profile: I was born in Dallas Texas and shortly thereafter my parents decided to give up city life and move to the country to build a home and life. We ventured deep behind the pine curtain of East Texas to our 75 acres only accessible by a dirt road in the thick woods.

Hans as a young boy in East Texas

My childhood was dreamily non-traditional. Rather than attend rural public schools or religious private schools, my folks decided to un-school my younger sister and I, encouraging our natural curiosities and interests. My mother was wholly devoted to helping us discover the world in an organic way. I spent days roaming in the pine forests, getting my clothes dirty with fertile soil and making my hands sticky with tree sap. I spent many nights sleeping under the stars. I warmed myself in the winter with fires built of hand split oak. I ate homegrown tomatoes in the summer. We didn't have a TV. I had a habit of taking things apart and not putting them back together.

I was a Boy Scout. Craftsmanship and making beautiful things was ingrained in me from the beginning. The only job my father has ever had is making and selling his own art – except for the first years after we moved to the country while he put his career on hold to build a home from scratch with his family while we lived in the old farmhouse that is now his studio. From drawing the plans, to framing, to fabricating all the doors, cabinets, moldings, and trim by hand, we built a dream home. This was a significant process to witness every day for my early years. I'd like to think that I helped out more than I probably did!

Hans Hendley

As I grew up and ventured from behind the pine curtain, I went away to art school thinking I wanted to be a graphic designer only to become consumed by photography along with all the requisite college experiences. After school I spent several years in the commercial photography world, working on all kinds of shoots and productions while making hip-hop music and DJing on the side.  Wary of commercial photography and in need of a change, I moved to New York with only what I could fit in a rental car and some gracious friends who let me stay with them while I found a place to live and some work. In the years following I had some fantastic gigs working with spirited niche brands such as Aesop in New York and traveling all over the country.

Hans Loved New York at an early age

But most importantly, it was during these NYC years that I rediscovered my love for perfume. As the young curious boy I spoke about earlier, I would macerate citrus, cloves, cinnamon sticks and pine needles in rubbing alcohol in feeble attempts to make my own cologne. Never did I imagine that later on in life, perfumery would become an unwavering obsession. For the past few years I’ve spent countless late nights and isolated weekends learning as much as I could about the ancient alchemical techniques as well as the modern science of producing fine perfumes. The general lack of public information and sheer difficulty of creating a satisfying and well-structured fragrance continues to intrigue me.

Hans' Studio: blending essential oils and working with Hojary frankincense and Venezualan tonka

I want to create perfume experiences with Hendley Perfumes, that honour our past without being period pieces, while at the same time bravely looking towards a future that is unknown. I want to build a brand that is timeless and honest, free of the weight of contrived marketing stories that are often used to mislead customers about the true nature of a product. The ultimate goal is to make things I love and respect the intelligence and sophistication of my clients; all my perfumes are hand blended by me in my Williamsburg Brooklyn studio.

 

Hans collects classic perfumes  to wear and to study: Dior Homme, Guerlain Shalimar, Guerlain L'Heure Bleue, Terre d'Hermes by Jean Claude Ellena

 

On American Perfumery: America is incredibly vast and diverse, filled with many cultures and ideas. Distilling the American experience into one thing is all but impossible. However I do feel that there are some common themes of confidence, independence, freedom and a tinge of alienation.  American independent perfumery is on the cutting edge. We are bold and not afraid to take risks and try new things, or to resurrect the way things were done a long time ago and give them a contemporary twist. We work with tremendous care and reverence to our craft. There are some incredible olfactory artists making compositions that feel quite American in their spirit of bravery and freedom. I think we are just now seeing the beginning of what contemporary American perfumery can be. I often look at the parallels between independent perfumery and the renaissance of artisanal products and manufacturing in the United States. Craft beer, farm to table restaurants and elevated coffee culture for example can be found in many cities where they were nonexistent just a few years ago.

Photographer Stephen Shore US 97 South of Klamath Falls

Favorite American Artist:I always have a hard time choosing a favorite anything! I'll go with photographer Stephen Shore for now. Much of his classic work is quintessentially American in feel to me. His contribution to color photography and its place in the fine art world is significant. The "Uncommon Places" and "American Surfaces" books are what I really get into. These images represent an idea of Americana that is highly romanticized and filled with contradictions. An idea of America that has slowly been fading away.

Editor's Note: Hans has followed our CaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery for some time now and when I learned that he began creating fragrances just a few months ago , (which are always sold out, since he hand blends each batch, sources and uses rare materials) and lived in Brooklyn I knew that I wanted to finish 2014 with a perfumer who may just become the next rising star. You can follow Hans on instagram @hendleyperfumes (and you can follow me @cafleurebon)

–Hans Hendley, founder and creator of Hendley Perfumes

Hendley Perfumes

Thanks to Hans we have a draw for our US readers of a reader's choice of Gia, Tama or Auric. To be eligible please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about Artisan perfumer Hans Hendley and your choice of fragrance. Draw closes December 26, 2014

Please like CaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery on Facebook and your entry will count twice.

We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize wil be just spilled perfume