Stephan Matthews

Showing posts with label Zoologist. Show all posts

Monday, 18 October 2021

LOUDO by Sarah Baker Perfumes

The idea of using childhood as the inspiration for a fragrance is always going to be fraught with dangers, quite simply because everyone’s childhood is different. What resonates with one person may not be familiar to another. Add into the mix a fashionable ingredient and you also have a second level of preconceived ideas that carries the potential to disappoint. So, when Sarah Baker announced that her latest fragrance would combine childhood memories and oud, there was a definite intake of breath. Could the inspiration and the ingredient really be brought seamlessly together and offer something truly original?

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Monday, 25 May 2020

MUGUET 56 by Daniel Pescio

As soon as we mention florals in the same sentence as perfume our minds instinctively turn to feminine fragrances. We have been brought up to believe that flowers are for girls and woods are for men, in the same way as choosing pink and blue, but thankfully things are changing. A willingness to challenge stereotypes has seen many men reaching for florals. Sometimes it’s to disarm but mainly it’s simply a love of this style of fragrance. One perfumer that has an incredible skill and creating florals is Daniel Pescio, and this is perfectly displayed in his beautifully constructed lily of the valley perfume, Muguet 56.

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Thursday, 19 December 2019

MY TOP CHOICES FROM 2019

They say that time passes quicker as we get older and that definitely seems to have been the case this year. It only feels a moment ago that we were celebrating the start of 2019 and here we are, twelve months later, getting ready to slide into a new decade. Over the past year I’ve written ninety two articles for stephanmatthews.com, with another two to come, and thought that it would be fun to revisit a few of my favourites. It was difficult to choose what to include but, from Bengals to bamboo, there were a few that really stood out for me. So, I wonder whether I've included one of your favourites?

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Monday, 18 March 2019

CHAMELEON by Zoologist

When a perfume company takes a very particular inspiration for its fragrances it can often run into difficulties with breaking out of a perceived style. This has been one of the challenges with Victor Wong’s Zoologist range, but it’s one that is about to be blown out of the water. The brand became known for highly scented animalic fragrances that often veered more towards “olfactory artistry” than “wearability” and, with the exception of Hummingbird and Camel, were very anchored in a niche clientele. This month sees the launch of Daniel Pescio’s Chameleon and his balance between style and substance is absolutely spot on.

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Monday, 7 January 2019

CAMEL by Zoologist Perfumes

The word “animalic” is often used to describe fragrances that are musk-laden, dangerously resinous, or that exude a carnal sensuality. It’s gone far beyond mere ingredients and instead has almost become a subversive trend of its own. The level of animalic-ness varies from company to company but there is one brand that is pushing the limits to breaking point. With fragrances that don’t obey the “rules” and a concept that, six years on, is still extraordinary, Victor Wong has sailed Zoologist right into the eye of the storm and the results are wonderfully challenging. So, from Bat to Beaver, it’s time to “talk to the animals.”

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Monday, 21 May 2018

STEPHAN'S SIX - SVEN PRITZKOLEIT

After studying to become a pharmacist in the family business, Sven Pritzkoleit also realised a long-standing fascination with perfumery. Many years of trial and error, studying and creating, and learning about the raw materials of scent ultimately resulted in critically acclaimed fragrances under the name of SP Parfums. With praise from the industry and fans alike, and also recent collaborations with Miguel Magos and Zooloigst, I thought it was time to find out about Sven’s own fragrance memories during “Stephan’s Six”.

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Monday, 28 August 2017

STEPHAN'S SIX - VICTOR WONG

The links between a former video game artist and the world of niche perfumery are not very obvious, but that is exactly what happened with Victor Wong. In 2013 he formed Toronto based Zoologist Perfumes with the notion to capture the “idiosyncrasies of the animal kingdom and transform them into scents.” With nine fragrances now in the range I thought that it was time to find out about his own “idiosyncrasies” as I ask him “Stephan’s Six”.

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After twenty successful years as an actor, I decided the time was right to begin a new career, and that was in the perfume industry. Scent had always been a passion of mine, and working alongside a new group of creative minds ended up being the perfect fit.

As a Brand Consultant, Evaluator, Copywriter and New Business Advisor, the variety of work is exciting, and definitely draws on my acting background. Every day brings new challenges, experiences and delights to a workplace that is crammed full of new releases, evergreens, and fading classics.

This website brings together my ramblings on all aspects of the perfume industry from bottle design to fragrance, companies to noses, and everything in between.

Opinions are my own and do not in any way represent the views of the companies mentioned. Where products or services have been provided by the companies it is stated at the end of the article.

Companies and readers are welcome to contact me by using the Send Me A Message option below.

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Monday, 18 October 2021

Monday, 25 May 2020

Thursday, 19 December 2019

Monday, 18 March 2019

Monday, 7 January 2019

Monday, 21 May 2018

Monday, 28 August 2017