My second day at Esxence was spent scouting on my own and with Sr Contributor Megan. Which newcomers might be the scent stars of tomorrow? Which fragrance concepts excited us and what smelled different from the many new collections exhibiting? Some are not 2015 “new”, but for us it was our first time experiencing them.
Nishane Istanbul founders Murat Katran and S.Mert Gurzel
Nishane Istanbul: Murat Katran and S. Mert Guzel, (both born in Instanbul) established the first Istanbul based House in 2012. Turkey is the only country that literally bridges two worlds; Asia and Europe. Since antiquity the Bosphorus (Boğaziçi), the strait that separates two cultures has fascinated artists, poets, merchants, adventurers and conquerors. Introduced at Esxence were their new extraits de parfums which according to Murat took five years of intensive research, finding the right accords, perfumers and endless rounds of revisions in order to bring the true spirit of Istanbul to life. I usually shun large collections and there are 16 perfumes; but each fragrance represents a place, an ingredient, a continent, a country, a time in history. The presentation is outstanding. Each fragrance has a name and a number and is accompanied by a beautiful post card.
Loving all things visual, the use of watercolors to convey the mood of each scent really spoke to me. On the back the notes and fragrance category are printed. I have taken an initial sniff and so far 7 Munegu (Monaco), 16 Afrika Olifant and 4Passion Choco really stand out after preliminary testing. The first, Munegu, is sensual dark floriental rich with amber cedarwood, cumin, nutmeg geranium, ylang, with base notes of tobacco, patchouli, frankincense. Munegu 7 growls like a panther, yet is regal but not for the timid. Even for a cumin phobe like me, the drydown is sublimely elegant. Definitely took me out of my comfort zone. 16 Afrika Olifant will most likely appeal to CaFleureBon readers who like their fragrances animalic and smoky; frankincense, castoruem, civet, leather, oud and musc are right in your face. There is no mistaking which continent you are on here. 4 Passion Choco smells wonderful on me. Passion fruit, coffee, caramelized grapefruit, dark chocolate, linden, orchid, coriander, vanilla, benzoin, patchouli and dark musc may sound heavy , but is almost sheer and perfect for warm weather. All Nishane extraits are available in 50 ml and are sold for 180 Euros (The discovery kit contains 2ml x 16 is 80 Euros and which is approximately $87.00) -Michelyn
Kristian Malbrum (he's taken)
Malbrum: Fine fragrance from Norway? Yes indeed. Malbrum had a lot of buzz at Esxence. I confess that owner B. Kristian Hilberg looked like a modern day version of the Norse god Thor (happily married with children, just saying, I might have had jet lag but am not blind). Kristian’s first name is Bjorn after his great grandfather, a tailor, who lived in Bayridge Brooklyn before returning to outfit Norwegian royalty. I am not sure that Malbrum is really his last name; he mentioned that he called the House this name because it roughly translates into “bad mist”. There are three fragrances to date, all composed by the much lauded French independent perfumer Delphine Thierry who has created both designer and niche fragrances for Trussardi, Guerlain, L’Occitane, Moschino, Etro, Lubin, Chantelle, Masque Milano, Majda Makkali and Cloon Keen Atelier. I was surprised at Kristian’s knowledge of naturals and synthetics as he showed me absolues from Firmenich and Robertet (I spotted them behind the booth). He is more than a creative director and is a collaborator who knows what he wants within the composition. The first edition is comprised of three perfumes: Shameless Seducer, Psychotrope and Tigre de Bengale and are available in extrait de parfum concentration, housed in 30ml bottles with a retro bulb atomiser, although the bottle is far from retro. It looks and feels very modern. Tigre de Bengale’s slinky blend of tobacco, myrrh and patchouli with a lighter top of juniper and cardamom was the stand out in the range and Kristian kindly allowed me to smell the tobacco absolue (which has an exquisite caramelized quality). At approximately $158.00 I would buy Tigre de Bengale in a heartbeat. I had a sneak sniff of the three fragrances in the second edition which will be launched later this year, inspired by Kristian's vision of a man and a woman in paradise; quite different using tropical accords. The bottle labeled #3 has an interesting back-story; Delphine Thierry misinterpreted the brief and created a scent that evoked making love, the scents of sex without smelling like Secretions Magnifique -Michelyn
Miya Shinma
Miya Shinma: Miya Shinma is an eponymous Japanese-Franco centered range with a gracious poetic air. The bottles feature the beautiful art of calligraphy and overall there is a gentle aesthetic across the whole line. Although this collection is not new, it’s the first time that Miya has been to a show such as Esxence and she told me how nervous she was at putting her creations out for everyone to see, however she was very pleased with the response. Miya is classically trained in Paris at Cinquième Sens and her fragrances summon the elements with names like Hana, Tsuki (moon), Kaze (wind) and Yuki (snow).
New fragrance Tsubaki has a stronger personality than others in the line and is described as a modern Fougere although if you like Rose Anonyme from Atelier Cologne you may feel drawn to this. Tsuki (moon) is another that stood out for me; it’s a romantic fragrance with an interesting accord of bamboo and raspberry and is her signature. Michelyn liked Hinoki (named for the wood) and Sakura (cherry blossom). The booth display was lovely and Miya very modest about her talent; she also has written four books on perfume –Megan
Room 1015 and Michael Partouche
Room 1015 is a new brand from Michael Partouche – a rock musician with a pharmacy background. These are his rock n roll perfumes. In the line are Electric Wood, Atramental and Blomma Cult. Of the three I liked Blomma Cult, the more feminine fragrance in the range. It charms with its light violet, vanilla and musk tones. The perfumers behind the brand are Amélie Bourgeois and Anne-Sophie Behaghel. -Megan
Map of the Heart is an Australian perfume house founded in 2014 by Sarah Blair and Jeffrey Darling who work in the film industry but was new to us. There are three original perfumes in the collection – V1 Clear Heart, V3Red Heart, V2 Black Heart and now Gold Heart the new addition.
If you’re a lover of dark intense perfumes, deep and rich with spices, then Black Heart will be something you should try. It was near an out of body experience. They have really pushed the boat out on this one and only bold explorers need apply. The bottles are shaped as a real heart and are coloured as they are named. They’re created by legendary designer Pierre Dinand and mould to the hand in quite a wonderful way. Jaques Huclier is the perfumer.-Megan
UERMI Profumi
UERMI is an Italian perfumery that melds fabric and fragrance…UERMI –wear me. How often do we reach for a perfume based on what we are wearing from denim to cashmere. Ve velvet, No Suede, AB Cashmere, XXX Latex, Oh Denim, Do Washi, We Tweed and UR Silk. Jean Jacques, Philippe Bousseton, and Antoine Lie of Takasago are the noses. UR Silk by Jean Jaques was my personal favorite with its luscious laconic fig and gilded iris that I wanted to bathe in, so soft and sensuous. –Michelyn
The show was closing when I by chance stopped by what may have been the most interesting lines of the show, Rubini. My cell phone had died and there was no one at the booth. I had brought 10 empty sprayers and all had been used. FRUSTRATED but undaunted, I ventured on.. Rubini is an Old Italian House resurrected for a modern audience by one of the descendants. As I look at my notes, I have written down fiberglass and Fundamental, the name of the fragrance that really captivated me. I asked around later that evening and the perfumers are Ermano Picco and Cristiano Canali who are facebook friends, so they will be hearing from me soon. On the plane I reached for my scent blotter and the most heavenly citrus and sandalwood still wafted from the mouillette 18 hrs later. To be continued. –Michelyn
–Megan, Sr Contributor and Michelyn Camen Editor in Chief
(Later this week will be our wrap-up and Best of Show).
Thanks to the generosity of Nishane istanbul we have a discovery kit of 2ml x 16 for any reader in the world. To be eligible please leave a comment with which new discoveries tempted you. Draw ends April 3, 2015
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume