What happens when LIFE happens prior to a special event like FRAGments? When a couple of fragrance designer get into their groove when talking to someone like me, it’s a wonderful thing! It happened a lot with the people at FRAGments, but you can tell ( I HOPE!) that these two podcasts were something special. Emerging from the haze of natural fragrance essences from being in the back of the gallery, the heady experience of talking scents while breathing in such intoxicating aromas was making me loopy – for lack of a better term. Fun and interesting but not me at my finest. However since people like Mario Gomez were experiencing the same thing. Walking up to the front of the gallery, the breeze was picking up through the open door and it was blissfully cooler too. Thus talking to Sweet Anthem’s Meredith Smnith and JK DeLapp was me coming off of a fragrant high into something that required more – more what I am not sure but I certainly had an education by them in talking about scents and I took whatever I had learned and ran with it. I think you might learn more about the business and what it takes to make it in the indie fragrance world from JK DeLapp and Meredith Smith– both accomplished fragrance people.
What’s next in FRAGmnents Spring/Summer 2013? LOTS more to learn about from various fragrance line. This post features Sweet Anthem Seattle and Rising Phoenix Perfumery!
Sweet Anthem Seattle is curated and created by Meredith Smnith. Not only is is an outlet for her scents, she has a brick and mortar store in Seattle which also provides a retail outlet for amazing lines like Rebel Mercury, L’Aromatica, Imaginary Authors and lots more. While she is carrying a lot of other brands, they are in limited supply (read:buy now for great steals!), Meredith is expanding the Sweet Anthem line!
Here are the scents she featured at the FRAGments event!
Sophie:
For the last of the red hot dames. A veritable pastiche of plummy, deep fruit, smoky blossoms, and expensive woods with a golden crown of amber on the dry down.
Perfume Pyramid
Head Notes Benzoin
Heart Notes Black Currant, Neroli
Base Notes Agarwood, Amber
From an old Germanic ballad: The linden-maiden rests beneath an illuminated grove / night-blooming jasmine fastened in her hair / Surrounded by the memory of ash and smoke and trove, the linden-worm takes flight / off they climb together, through the salty air.
Perfume Pyramid
Head Notes Sea Salt
Heart Notes Jasmine, Linden Blossom
Base Notes Amber, Rosewood, Tonka Bean
Always got a dime for the record machine, never lets the music die. Celebrate every day with this bubbles-and-fizz chypre perfume.
Perfume Pyramid
Head Notes Bergamot, Champagne, Lemon
Heart Notes Jasmine
Base Notes Ambergris, Oakmoss, Vanilla Sugar
You won’t hate yourself for loving this one — bright green notes of tomato leaf, coriander, and mint are paired with soft pink peonies and a blushing beeswax.
Perfume Pyramid
Head Notes White Mint, Coriander
Heart Notes Peony, Tomato Leaf
Base Notes Beeswax
A starcross’d love – balmy jasmine sambac flowers and orange blossoms are encircled in enchanting spices. Nips of fresh mango and a faintly glimmering sea shore lay the scene in fair Verona.
Perfume Pyramid
Head Notes Clove, Mango, Pink Pepper
Heart Notes Neroli, Jasmine Sambac
Base Notes Muskwood, Tobacco
Podcast with Meredith Smith/Sweet Anthem & JK DeLapp/Rising Phoenix Perfumery
Fragrances:
A Classic Fougere’s structure is based upon Lavender, Oakmoss, Tonka Bean, Bergamot, Vetiver, and Geranium. Fougeres are considered to be one of the freshest and most aromatic Accords to exist within Modern Perfumery.
Our Phoenix Fougere is built upon this classical structure, and contains nearly 25 natural materials, including:
Top Notes:
Yuzu
Bergamot
Variety of Citri
French Clary Sage
Heart Notes:
Ylang
Orange Blossom
Jasmines sambac and grand
Davana
Lavenders Maillette and Seville
Egyptian Geranium
Base Notes:
Oakmoss
Tonka Bean
French Hay
Haitian Vetiver
Vintage Oak-aged Patchouli
Indian Santalum album
Indonesian Santalum album
“Honeyed Wood”
Fig is a material that is not available to Natural Perfumers, so I set out to create a Fig Doppelganger that would give the olfactory impression of a Mediterranean delicacy…one of my favorites from when I lived in Provence.
A traditional Chypré is supposed to be Warm and Dry. Poisoned Fig is only Chypré’ish, as it is quite Juicy and Jammy—far from being dry…with a juicy jammy Heart layered over a scrumptious, counterpoint Base. Smells like a deliciously honeyed wood.
Top Notes:
Yuzu and Citrus
Bergamot
Heart Notes:
Seville Lavender
Jasmine grandifolium
Nutmeg
Allspice
Base Notes:
Tonka Bean
Vetiver
Oakmoss
Fir Balsam
Several Sandalwoods
“A rich, delicious, musky Gourmand Oriental” intended to be worn by either sex. In Italian, Preda mean “Hunt” or “Booty”–as in, “on the Hunt for”. In conceptualizing this perfume, I captured the fragrance of “a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”; meek at first glance–but underneath the wool…
Nothing is more fun than playing a trick on your prey…letting them THINK that it is YOU that is the one being Preda’ed!
The Classical Oriental structure is based upon Vanilla—with the additions of Gums, Resins, Patchouli, Orris, Tonka Bean, Heliotrope, and Sandalwood. Orientals are considered to be the most sensual and voluptuous harmony to exist within Modern Perfumery—and also has the softest and silkiest odor.
There are traditionally 4 Family Subdivisions of Orientals:
• Floral Woody Orientals: Smells Warm, Sweet, and Soft
• Floral Spicy Orientals: Smells Sweet, Spicy, and Soft
• Soft Orientals: Texturally Ultra Soft and often quite Powdery
• Semi-Oriental: Lacking the Depth of many Orientals—Smelling Sweeter, Less Rich and Less Soft
Prada’s structure is unusual, as it falls into a Gourmand category, and I’ve replaced Patchouli as the central theme rather than Vanilla–with notes of:
Top Notes:
Bergamot
Combava Petitgrain
Yellow Mandarin
Heart Notes:
Rose de Mai
Ylang
Jasmines sambac and grand
Mimosa
Chocolate
Coffee
Base Notes:
Vanilla
Labdanum
Benzoin
Indian Santalum album
And a honking dose of Vintage Oak-aged Patchouli
“A Spicy Floral Amber” You sexy beast. Yeah, you know you are…and now everyone else knows it, too.
Technically—a Floriental. Floral. Sensual. Voluptuous. Animalic.
Top Notes:
Pink and Ruby Red Grapefruits
Allspice
Heart Notes:
Rose de Mai
Jasmines sambac and grand
Ylang
Rosewood
Nutmeg
Clove
Cassia
Base Notes:
Vanilla
Benzoin
Labdanum
Omani Frankincense
JK’s Sandalwood Accord
Civet
“Silky Smooth Masculinity” Testament that less really is more. Smooth, green, broccaded silk.
Smells as delicious on a woman as it does incredible on a man.
(That last line makes you want to buy one- yes!)
Top Notes:
Kaffir Lime Leaf
Heartless:
(Not that the scent is without heart but no true heart notes. Also JK DeLapp doesn’t create fragrances that don’t have “heart” )
Base Notes:
Various Sandalwoods
Haitian Vetiver
Cedarmoss
Much appreciation to JK DeLapp and Meredith Smith for their time. At the end of the day when I spoke to them, it was a heady, ripe with fragrance moment (and a homeless man had been outside smoking a joint!)
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
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