Top Row:  (L)Felicia M. Hazzard, Mesha Munez, Ellen Covey, Laurie Stern; Middle Row: Dannielle Sergent, Paul Kiler, Ann McDonnell; Bottom Row: Jane Cate, Michael Coyle (Mik), Tania Reuben and Shelley Waddington (Photo collage MC)

There's a literary perfumer party going on in The Fragrance Designer's Primer. A.K. Crump, President of the Artisan Fragrance Salon/Taste TV in San Francisco, CA, in conjunction with Cafe TV Publishing, has released a collection of interviews with some of the leading niche/artisan perfumers- many of whom we have had the honor of working with at ÇaFleureBon. We have covered the Artisan Fragrance Salon/TasteTv Awards for four years and the book encapsulates much of the pioneering spirit of artisan work.

Fourteen indies * were presented with the same 34 questions**, from the philosophical and psychological to the nitty gritty of what it takes to be an artisan perfumer and small business owner, (all answered gracefully in the cases of Ann McDonnell & EcoGenics Active Botanical Skin Care– a natural skin care company and Felicia Hazzard, a blogger.  Among the many guests overheard at the party, Felicia Hazzard and Ann were new to me and I smiled with appreciation at Felicia's insights to the question “Has the internet helped?” and related to Ann's statement that “Holding in my hand the product that had once only been a vision was a thrill for me.”  La Fleur by LIVVY is a natural perfume house from Colorado (practically a neighbor!)  that I would love to get to know over crème brulee (a popular response to the question “What is your favorite dessert?”)

An expansion on simple fragrance reviews or company profiling, we learn as much about the perfumer and their process, as we do their individual back stories and interests. Laurie Stern of Velvet and Sweet Pea Purrfumery, for example, came across her love for perfume making while searching out lace in France for her former clothing business; Paul Kiler of PK Perfumes was inspired by walking through meadows of Mountain Misery (a plant called 'kit-kit dizzie' by Native Americans) as a child (the fern exudes a resin containing up to 12% essential oil!) Michael Coyle of MIKMOI and I share a love of the French language and he states his travels to France in the 90's as early inspiration. It also becomes clear the varying reasons olfactive artists choose perfume as their medium, and one of the most interesting questions, “Is perfume a luxury?” Differing perspectives from a resounding “yes” to Ayala Moriel's thoughtful response, “…wearing fragrance is a way to tap into those nonverbal and sensory aspects of our life and communicate on a different level.”

Mesha Munyan of Meshaz Natural Perfumes speaks to her distillations of lavender while Dr. Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids writes of new materials available to the perfumer as a response to “Are there any new developments in the field you find very exciting?” I laughed out loud  when Ellen answered,  “You’re kidding right?"  to the question “What is your favorite food".  A question integral to the Artisan Salon is  “What makes a fragrance designer different than or similar to other artisans such as chocolatiers, chefs or fashion designers?” and in true voyeuristic style we philosophize with Shelley Waddington of EnVoyage Perfumes who points out that “The sense of smell is most closely related to taste…think of Proust and his madeleine.”  Jane Cate of A Wing and a Prayer, writes that purchasing her materials in the US and continue working with the her American suppliers is an ongoing commitment when asked  “What are some of the Biggest Challenges?”

Photo: Courtesy of the publisher

The gathering centers around the theme of a primer, and the business of an artisan perfume house is still at hand, with Ineke Ruhland of INEKE encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit when asked “How did you go about starting the company from a small business standpoint?” – offering among others, “…Working Solutions and Pacific Community Ventures.” Dannielle Sargent of COGNOSCENTI speaks to having a good education when asked “Where did you learn to develop a fragrance?” Although many artisans are self taught, the surge of interest in perfumery has made many a teacher available to the ready student. “I am essential self-taught,” explains Dannielle, “But have had inspired guidance from Yosh throughout my career.” It is this sense of community which pervades the artisan perfume world and The Fragrance Designer's Primer is a noteworthy example. Perhaps as the “drive safe!” message of the party, Tania Rubin of Pure Natural Diva reminds us to “…practice safe scents and carefully evaluate the ingredients going onto your body….” part of her response to “What about tips for people who just want to wear perfume?”

The Primer is a small business printing, and while I devoured the book in one evening, the “journal-style” choice of fonts was distracting (although it added to my sense of eaves-dropping at a party, and quite a few typos made for a bit of difficulty in reading. (I could hear our Editor in Chief Michelyn Camen, ever the perfectionist whispering in my ear). Photographs of the perfumers of and workspaces/products added a nice touch to the book, but alas were not of consistent in quality.  The now familiar Artisan Salon photograph graces the cover of the paperback party encouraging the potential of every artisan perfumer established and encouragement of those yet-to-be.

-Einsof, Natural Perfume Editor

(my copy was supplied by the publisher for review)

Thanks to the generosity of TCB Cafe Publishing and TasteTv.com we have a copy of The Fragrance Designer's Primer: A Roundtable of 14 Fragrance Makers answer 34 Creative, Brand and Business Defining Questions (The Entrepreneur Primer) (Volume 1) for a US registered reader. To be eligible please leave a comment on Einsof’s (who has returned from hiatus) book review and which perfumer's fragrances you have tried. Draw closes June 8, 2015

*

1. Fragrance Belles-Lettres
2. Meshaz Naturals Perfumes
3. Olympic Orchids
4. Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery
5. LaFleur by LIVVY
6. Ayala Moriel Parfums
7. Ineke
8. COGNOSCENTI
9. PK Perfumes
10. Pure Natural Diva
11. EcoGenics Active Botanical SkinCare
12. A Wing & A Prayer Perfumes
13. MIKMOI
14. En Voyage Perfumes

**

1. What started your love affair with fragrance?
2. How long have you been interested in perfume?
3. Was there anything from history, recent or ancient, that also drew you into the field?
4. What was the point of starting your own fragrance line?
5. Is perfume a luxury item?
6. How did you go about starting the company from a small business standpoint?
7. What were some of the most important steps?
8. What were some of the biggest challenges?
9. Did you find any aspect of setting up the company to be actually fun?
10. What appeals to you about the business?
11. What inspired the company name?
12. How did you come up with your logo?
13. So you have got the business set up and then you have to figure out which products you will sell first. some perfumers decide this before they even start their company… which did you do?
14. How do you go about developing your fragrances?
15. Where did you learn to develop a fragrance?
16. What are some key ingredients and tools you must have?
17. Do you need someone to help when you develop a fragrance?
18. What do you advise people to avoid when developing a fragrance themselves?
19. What do you want the buyer to come away with after smelling your creations?
20. What are some of your favorite brands of perfume?
21. Favorite perfumer?
22. Favorite food?
23. Favorite desert?
24. Favorite movie with fragrance?
25. Favorite book with fragrance?
26. What makes a fragrance designer different or similar to other artisans such as chocolatiers chefs or fashion designers?
27. Do you consider yourself a floral person, a musk person, a citrus person, an earthy person or something else?
28. Who is doing exciting things in the artisan perfume area, in your opinion?
29. Are there any developments in the field that you find very exciting?
30. Has the internet helped?
31. Do you have advice for anyone wanting to get in the business?
32. What about tips for those who just want to wear perfumes?
33. Favorite beer or wine?
34. Do you have any advice on how they can make sure they have a profitable bottom line?

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