London, London, London!!!

For scent-enthusiasts the next few weeks in London is heavenly, from posh’n sparkly Harrods to the more trendy-gritty Shoreditch. Harrods has done a fabulous job in celebrating fragrance with their exhibition ‘The Perfume Diaries’:

‘A true celebration of the fragrance industry, The Perfume Diaries chronicles the fascinating story of perfume from ancient times right through to modern day and beyond. Harrods will unveil the amazing heritage behind fragrances on the market today, demonstrating the evolution of the world's favourite scents.’

At The Book Club in Shoreditch you can, on the 28th of September, experience ‘The Scent of the 1920s’ told by perfume: a Scratch+Sniff event. (Remember to book online, £12 per head)

And on your passage from east to west, or vice versa, why not hail a Penhaligon-scented cab, to complete your fragrant journey?

Stamp it

Although this isn't a new product, I just recently came across it again, thanks to our friend Corinna. I found it inspiring and wanted to share it.

Janvonborstel created a scented stamp as a sampling promotion for Comme des Garcon's 2007 global promotion. It's a really clever way of leaving a visual, as well as, scented mark of the fragrance. You can view a video of the stamp in use on Jan von Borstel's webiste where the above image is also from.

This somehow reminded me of the wax stamp used to seal envelopes, it could be nice to add scent to that, so that when the envelope is opened and the seal is broken, it also releases a personal scent...

Going back to our post about scent graffiti; a personal scent stamp, could also add another dimension to tagging!

A Precious Scent

I recently stumbled upon this interesting video on The Guardian website. It explains the History of Oud and how it is deeply ingrained in the everyday culture in the Middle East. Oud is produced in the trunk of Agarwood trees and has to age for years before it can be used as a scent. It can be burnt to scent a room or clothes and can also be found in an oil form. In it's pure form it is more expensive than gold!

Scent Gives Back

Scent is often perceived as a bottle of pure luxury, a way to sell more ‘stuff’ or simply as a tool to mask odors we dislike, as for the latter, it can be taken one step further and actually provide a vital aspect for most humans: Dignity.

A while back I talked about scent to a friend of mine who is a nurse, and she told me about a facet of scent within her line of expertise that rarely is being focused on; namely the strong and often offensive odor of tumor wounds in cancer patients. She explained that even if the patient was fighting for their lives, for some, vanity and self-esteem became a vital tool to survive mentally. It took my mind back to my late grandmother, who even when very ill was adamantly using lipstick and her l’air du temps perfume. The last two weeks of her life in hospital, she could not communicate at all, and I could see in her eyes that she did not want me to be there. In hindsight, I strongly believe this was due to her feelings of not being ‘presentable’. If I could go back in time, I would have brought her her lipstick and perfume those last weeks.

At the time of the chat with my nurse-friend I had the idea that it would be interesting to develop special scents for the cancer patients in question, which would ease the mental strain of smelling bad. While researching this, I found that there are a few projects/studies out there addressing this topic: Medihoney®, and a pilot project using a blend of essential oils, both have not only shown to decrease (and sometimes completely eliminate) the offensive odors of cancer wounds, but have also had a healing effect on the wound itself.

I find that this is a golden opportunity for a ‘to the point collaboration’ between the beauty industry and medical care, one which goes beyond labeling the beauty products with i.e. pink ribbons.

And if I am lucky enough to get grandchildren one day I will ‘train’ them to bring flowers in the form of liquid, and also maybe a lipstick, -if I should ever be hospitalized.

Scent And The City

I know it's a cheap headline, but I couldn't help it... I have recently discovered the lovely work of olfactory artist Maki Ueda and found it utterly fascinating. For her installations, performances and scented art pieces, she makes most of her ingredients herself: -and rather than distilling the scent of rose petals she focuses on the scents from daily life such as food, drinks, materials, persons and the environment. (read more on her website and blog)

Her latest, upcoming scent adventure: 'SMELL & ILLUSION' is a boat-trip where new smells are being added to the existing environment. It will be part of the Urban Explorers Festival (May 21,22,23/ 2010), which focuses on exploring the city of Dordrecht, Netherlands.

"SMELL & ILLUSION It's a boat-trip expedition for the sense of smell. As you proceed the canals of the Dordrecht's old city center, you will smell different scents one after another, from the smell of coffee to the smell of laundry, from the smell of rose-field to the smell of smoke."

What a great way to explore a city!!! I am already thinking of what scents Oslo would bring to the table in a scenario like this...?

Scented Music

Just before Christmas, I went to a gig by Taken by Trees in London. They were one of my favourite bands from 2009 and their album East of Eden, is heavily inspired by Eastern music and produced in Pakistan. At the concert they lit incense sticks, and as the scent filled the small room and the music played, the audience was transported to Pakistan.

I was wondering if scent and music had been used together before, when I stumbled upon an old Danish article describing a Jazz concert in 2006 where the band collaborated with the scent artist and anthropologist, Joel Leonard, to combine the two senses. Joel Leonard was up on stage as part of the band, composing scent mixes 'live'. If the band was playing a tune from South America, Leonard would send out scents from this part of the world. Likewise, intensity, excitement and sex themed songs would be enhanced with corresponding scents. I would give a lot to be able to go back in time to see and smell this gig!

The band was asked if they thought the concept was a success, they did but said that they felt that the music and the scent was at times competing with each other for the audience's attention. - Something that is worth keeping in mind when creating a scented experience!

We didn't have any luck finding more information on Joel Leonard, so if any of you know more about his work or how to contact him, we would love to hear from you.

A really NEW bra idea...?

Yesterdays Perfume has been so kind to share this FAB ad from a 1948 Vogue. It seems funny and slightly silly at first glimpse, but thinking of it, it is actually a fairly valid idea, which even solves a few issues: If you are allergic to wearing fragrance directly on your skin this could be a solution. You are not only branding yourself with your choice of 'whiff factor' but I'm certain this bra will generously give away of its molecules when placed back in your drawer (no scented liners or sachets needed).

Nevertheless, and on a more serious note: what I love the most is the alternative ritual of how to apply and use scent. Anything to challenge the boring phssshht-phssshht-atomizer, which is, if I may be so blunt: maybe the least sensual and luxurious way to get that scent on you! I have no idea why the fragrance industry don't confront this particular aspect in the river of scent-launches. As some of you may know, I have worked for many years with investigating new ways of experiencing, applying and using fragrance (you can see my designs here) and I embrace anything unusual when it comes to how to wear a scent. So in the era of Mad-Men-Mania: go Bou-K-Bra!