File under // Ask An Artist - an oldie but goodie
File under // Ask An Artist - an oldie but goodie, very excited to bring it back.
We love fragrance, so we were stoked to chat with Josh Meyer of Imaginary Authors - a niche perfume company that creates some truly unique scents with unforgettable names and stories. Here is what Josh had to say…
What was the first fragrance you ever owned/loved?
Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet, it has a decidedly non-sephora-perfume-y fragrance that is absolutely absurdly arrogant. To this day, I have never smelled anything that is so distinctly austere in it’s own pompous attitude.
How did you get your start in fragrance?
For most of my life, I was in the “boycott perfume“ camp. It wasn’t until I snagged my first bottle that I started diving in and going overboard learning all I could. Once I realized that perfume was an art form that had so many manifestations and associations, I was completely hooked.
I love the story telling concept behind your line, and how you think of scent as an art. Was there anything in particular that led you to use this concept as the foundation for Imaginary Authors?
It was really important to give the scents more than just the fragrance to be able to chat about the magic that is inside the bottle. The scents come first, and then we will wrap stories and images around the scent to help explain exactly why it’s so fun.
Which one of your fragrances do you wear the most?
I’m really happy with Cape Heartache for the winter months, and I think Violet Disguise is perhaps my best designed scent. It starts off with a muted dark plum and it’s magical as it dries down to a labdanum amber base.
Have you noticed any olfactive trends recently that you find exciting?
I’ve been having a lot of fun making particularly masculine fruit scents. Lots of ladies are particularly excited about heavier masculines for just this reason, and so I feel like i’m working backwards a little bit by making heavy masculines for women and flowers and fruits for men.
What are some of your favorite raw ingredients when experimenting with new fragrance combinations? Some of my particular favorite notes are iris, leather, bergamot and linden. Fig oil isn’t something that is made naturally, but currently, i’m having a lot of fun working with the concept of a fig accord and blending it with a very rich and creamy accord. It’s completely delicious!
Big thanks to Josh for chatting with us - make sure to check out Imaginary Authors and explore some of the stories HERE.
Image via
-Kristin