There’s been a huge proliferation of niche fragrance brands in the last five years, in general, and NYC-inspired, specifically. Former model-turned-entrepreneur Mona Maine de Biran says her niche brand, Kierin NYC, offers a compelling and uncompromising alternative to what’s currently available on the market.
“I come from a diverse background that includes investments, fashion and beauty (though on the other side of the looking-glass as a former model).”
After reading a blog-post of mine, Mona got in touch with me and very kindly sent me a discovery kit containing the brand’s four launch EDPs. These are Nitro Noir, Santal Sky, 10am Flirt and Sunday Brunch. I’ve enjoyed wearing all of the Kierin NYC fragrances. There’s something fresh and playful about them. As I wanted to know more about them, I sent Mona some questions on her background, the brand itself, her choice of perfumer and her rejection of gender binary fragrances.
FRAGRANCE ENTREPRENEUR: Mona Maine de Biran is the co-founder and president of Kierin NYC.
How did the idea for Kierin NYC fragrances come about?
For a long time, we’ve been unsatisfied with the rules and compromises that existed in the market. Since no one was doing what we wanted to do, it seemed like a natural evolution to do it ourselves.
What’s your background? Do you come from a fragrance background?
I have a diverse background that includes investments, fashion and beauty (though on the other side of the looking-glass as a former model). My partners are the industry veterans. My husband’s background includes: managing director for Bulgari Parfums, general manager for Puig North America (Prada, Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne), VP marketing for Clarins North America, Chanel and Clinique. The fact that I didn’t grow up in the industry, however, has helped form Kierin NYC’s unique perspective and brand values. As co-founder and President of Kierin NYC, I aim to challenge some of the conventional rules of fragrance and offer consumers a fresh perspective with a modern approach.
There’s been a huge proliferation of niche fragrance brands in the last five years. What makes Kierin NYC different from the multitudes of brands on the market?
Kierin NYC is an uncompromising brand. Current industry trends in unisex aim for compromise, producing scents which I find to be sexless packaged with un-inspirational and minimalistic designs. The “green” industry also fell into that trend in terms of style.
“We make our fragrances accessibly priced so that more people can enjoy them and enjoy them more often.”
We provide an alternative, crafting bold scents which are genderless but never generic. Our olfactory vibes are uncompromising, high-quality blends and concentrations that are also sustainably sourced, recyclable, cruelty-free, free of unnecessary stabilisers, toxins and skin allergens, and vegan.
We chose to be an accessibly priced niche fragrance. Because quality niche fragrances tend to be expensive, fewer people can enjoy them. Those who do tend to consider them speciality-use fragrance experiences. Kierin NYC tells stories of every-day NYC life and we would like people to incorporate our fragrances into their own everyday life. We make our fragrances accessibly priced so that more people can enjoy them and enjoy them more often.
Kierin NYC is different from other NY-centric brands, some of which were successful for their times in the 1990s and early 2000s, in that Kierin NYC expresses the modern spirit of New York City. Our scents are about people (not places). Art and the city are our muses, not celebrities or elitist stereotypes. We do not produce scents that segregate the city by gender or into neighborhoods. We transcend those boundaries with scents made simply for bold individuals. Kierin NYC is a socially conscious brand committed to inclusivity. We have chosen not to perpetuate biases and, for example, do not produce scents “for her” or “for him”. We aim to inspire people, not define or confine them.
Please tell us more about your take on gender within the perfume industry and why you decided not to participate in this binary?
I don’t participate in that binary because it’s insulting. As a model, I never liked fragrance marketers telling me what it meant to smell like or be a woman. They presumed that I should like pink, crystals and the smell of roses (I don’t). And so, my individualism denied, I was forced to shop for fragrances that I like in men’s aisles. I was always perplexed by the fragrance marketer’s logic. Is a Kandinsky feminine or a Warhol macho? When I go to an art gallery, no one tells me where to go. I think we can all agree, in this modern era, that labeling art as “for her” or “for him” would be insulting to us as individuals. Fragrance, like art, is for all… and should be free of gender-bias labels.
How did you integrate NYC art into your brand?
The white, opaque bottle is like a canvas. The label is purposely positioned “on the edge” of the square bottle as a metaphor for living life to its fullest. The collage art is reminiscent of the lifestyle of NYC and so many street art and graffiti art murals wrapped around the city’s building corners.
Why did you choose Mathieu Nardin as the perfumer for your fragrances
Our choice began with our commitment to producing sustainably sourced scents. As one of a new generation of perfumers known for combining traditional techniques and materials with the very latest innovations, Mathieu was a perfect fit for Kierin NYC. As each scent in our collection began as a mood board and story of real New York City life, Mathieu’s literary and visual methods suited our lifestyle approach. His multi-sensorial approach (smell, sight, sound) to olfactive creation helped us to translate this into “fragrance stories”: Sunday Brunch, 10am Flirt, Nitro Noir and Santal Sky.
PERFECT FIT: Mathieu Nardin is part of a new generation of perfumers known for combining traditional techniques and materials with the very latest innovations.
How closely did you work with Mathieu on the creation of the fragrances
My husband and Mathieu worked very closely together to fine-tune the scents and concentrations. It would have been a quick process if all we wanted were fine smelling fragrances. Our scents are more than that. They evoke a vibe, tell a real story of NYC illuminated by fragrance. It took time and required collaboration to perfect each scent.
“It would have been a quick process if all we wanted were fine smelling fragrances. Our scents are more than that.”
What was the starting point for the fragrances? Was a story important to you?
Our fragrances were born with a story, a real NYC story. While these stories are my personal experiences, they are not unique. Many people living here would relate to my stories as their own. New York City is an incredible inspiration because of its people. Diversity is the lifeblood of this city.
What’s next for Kierin NYC?
We are in full launch mode for 2019. The brand just started a few months ago and launched on Amazon Luxury Beauty in November 2018. Kierin NYC still has a lot of work to do to get the good news of our brand out to the public. Our next launch will be in the UK this April. We will be hosting a fun pop-up store experience in London’s über-trendy Boxpark. Of course, there are many more fragrances in line for our future.
Interesting. Thank you for bringing this brand to my attention: I would have definitely missed them otherwise in the sea of “niche” brands.
I feel compelled to go and buy their sample set because I dislike most of what I read from the owner of the brand, and I don’t believe most of their claims. So, if I buy, try and end up hating these, I’ll be able to write about them – and critical pieces usually write themselves. And if I happen to like them and confirm to myself that these perfumes are more than just PR words, I would be able to write about them and wholeheartedly praise them despite my initial preconception, which is usually works better that the next praise to the everybody’s darling.
On a separate note, am I dreaming, and it has never been there, or have you recently removed the “Like” button from the blog?
That’s a good approach, Undina. Would love to read your thoughts on this brand. Thanks for letting me know. It definitely was there. Will need to sort it out.