Getting more than 10 brand founders together in one place at the same time in a bad reputation city like Johannesburg is no mean feat. But that’s exactly what the team at leading niche retailer Skins did with savoir-faire for their Meet the Creators event.
I got the opportunity to interview most of the founders. Despite my best intentions (I’m so easily distracted, poor time management, etc), I didn’t get around to interviewing Steyn Grober (Aqualis), Jonnie Vigar (Leif) and Jun Lin (Born To Stand Out). Will have to make up for that somehow in the New Year when my brain is up and running again.
Philip Hilege, co-founder of the OG Skins in the Netherlands, was also in attendance. Skins celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025, so will be following up with him on the other side of 2024 to find out more about the biz of niche retail.
THIBAUD CRIVELLI (MAISON CRIVELLI)
In the six years since launching in 2018, the Paris-based house founded by (and inspired by the experiences) of Thibaud Crivelli has become a niche-dom leader.
The past few years have been about extraits de parfum for the brand, such as Hibiscus Mahajád and Oud Cadenza. Will these perhaps over-shadow the appeal of some of your other, equally good fragrances in EDP concentration?
It will happen, yes, but it’s a normal situation and now we have more options for our customers. The extraits make up 80% of the sales, so it shows that we’ve found this connection – it is something that people are looking for. It also explains why, moving forward, we are only launching extraits.
What else is new?
We’ve launched candles for Hibiscus Mahajád and Oud Maracujá.
From your recent launches, which one resonates with you the most?
When I launch the fragrances, I love them, but it doesn’t mean that I would wear them. I don’t create for myself. The perfumes are inspired by stories I live, but I’m not the target.
Is that why the brand has been so successful?
Yeah, because we’ve found a very good balance between stories, originality and perfumes which are not just speaking to me, which are too abstract or too simple.
They are rich in texture and full of life. They are surprising in their originality, but they are not far-fetched.
CHRIS COLLINS (CHRIS COLLINS)
The New York-based model-turned-entrepreneur leads one of the few black-owned companies in perfumery. While I applaud him for being a pioneer, it’s the quality of the fragrances that bear his name that make him really stand out.
Apparently, Kilian Hennessy, the man behind Kilian perfumes, influenced your decision to launch your own house…
My world was in luxury and fashion. I was one of the faces of Ralph Lauren for many, many years. But my true love was always perfume. I didn’t know the whole creative process, about Grasse and Paris, and their history.
IMAGE: Ralph Lauren.
When I met Kilian about 10 years ago that changed everything because he introduced me to this world of perfume, the alchemy and mysticism. So the tagline of my fragrances is “the alchemy of fragrance”. He’s been such an incredible mentor.
We have similar styles. For example, we both love boozy notes. Of course, my interpretations are different to his. We still stay in touch.
You turned 50 recently, so a belated happy birthday. How are you feeling as you start this new decade?
Thanks, not bad for an old man [laughs]. I feel great. Most people try to hide the fact that they’re getting older; it’s a precious moment you should grasp.
To live on this planet, this number of years, and all the accomplishments, all the failures, all the pain and all the love, it all comes together and it comes into my creations. I can’t wait to be 60, but not too fast.
BENOÎT VERDIER (EX NIHILO)
With more than 10 years in the biz, the co-founder of the Paris-based house was in a reflective mood.
What would the most recent releases, Speed Legends EDP and Chandigarh Express EDP, tell us about where the maison is today?
It’s still first, in terms of inspirations, a mix of the founders Olivier Royère, myself and Sylvie Loday, our tastes and our passions in life.
For Speed Legends, it was quite a challenge for Jordi Fernández to translate the feeling of speed on skin.
Chandigarh Express is inspired by our passion for architecture, a tribute to this city in India that was created from scratch [by architect Le Corbusier], like we were created from scratch [Ex Nihilo is Latin for “out of nothing”], but at a different level. We worked with a younger perfumer, Gaël Montero, on it.
It starts from the inspirations when we create together. We like to mix the generations of perfumers we use.
We write stories, we take pictures, we do mood boards, use music and films. So maybe this is an evolution in our work, 360-degree kind of briefs, that are quite different from what we were doing 10 years ago.
You’ve used the same fragrance company since launching in 2013, Givaudan. Any particular reason for that?
It’s very immediate, very easy working with their perfumers – for example, Dalia Izem, Louise Turner, Quintin Bisch, Natalie Gracia-Cetto – and their ingredients. They have the Ex Nihilo mindset.
“To keep the consistency between all the fragrances, because now we have five collections, that is difficult.”
It’s nice to have a lot of choices, but to keep the consistency between all the fragrances, bring meaning and respect storylines, because now we have five collections, that is difficult.
The market now is all about the extrait, but you still must stay true to who you are.
STINA SEGER (BIBBI)
If the inspirations drawn from the Swede’s meditative state of mind don’t get you; the fragrances most certainly will.
Your brand is quite new and launched in 2023. Had you thought about it for a long time?
I started work on it after my first child in 2020.
Your husband, Jan Vilhelm Ahlgren, is well known for his fragrance company, Vilhelm Parfumerie. Was he an influence at all?
Of course. Because I’m in graphic design, for the concept of Vilhelm Parfumerie, we worked together, even though it’s completely Jan’s brand. He inspired me to take the next step and pushed me to do it. Support from your husband is crucial if you have smalls kids. So now he’s at home with them.
You’ve used Jérôme Epinette as your perfumer. What makes it such a good working relationship?
There’s a bit of a Scandinavian touch to his perfumes and he knows what I am looking for. Working with one perfumer is important because I want the fragrances to belong together.
If somebody was new to your brand and you had to choose just one fragrance that would epitomise what you are about, what would it be?
Ghost of Tom has notes of bergamot and black tea. It has a fresh background. And then you have the dark details. It has so many layers and it’s unisex. I know couples who share a bottle, and it takes you on a journey when you wear it. It has a veil that surrounds you, so it’s comforting.
Is your Scandinavian identity part of your fragrances?
I have my history, my dreams, so it’s there, but not in an important and obvious way. What I love about my country is the nature, the mystique of the deep forests, the northern lights and the oceans. Every country has its energy and essence with which we are born.
SIMONE ANDREOLI (SIMONE ANDREOLI)
The Italian perfumer / founder is an unashamed lover of all things sweet and tropical. But there’s more to his brand than that popular style.
You seem to go for the sweeter side of things. Is that something you particularly enjoy?
We’ve become a popular brand for tropical and exotic fragrances because I’m a traveller. I love to discover tropical paradise places, so I’ve had several trips to the Caribbean and Africa as well. This has an impact on my stylistic approach, for example, Leisure in Paradise and Malibu – Party in the Bay.
They’re a celebration of life, while in the Poetry of Night Collection, you can indulge in more transcendental, contemplative experiences.
You started in 2011. How has your style changed since then?
I started in 2011 as a fragrance creator, but the brand was born in 2014 when I was 24 years old.
So this is the 10th anniversary of the brand. Congrats!
Thank you. I never wanted to be a perfumer for another brand. I wanted to impart my own vision of creativity with my own brand. So I created fragrances which could truly embody my frame of life, my experiences around the world that are made of people, places, emotions and feelings.
Intense feelings because I’m not interested in light stuff or ordinary and trivial things.
What has been the biggest change from when you first started?
Maybe in 2017 when I released Don’t Ask Me Permission. It’s about losing yourself in the crowd of the wildest nights in Rio de Janeiro. So don’t think too much, just go with the flow and lose yourself without asking permission to experience novel feelings.
That was probably the changing spark and we started doing tropical and exotic fragrances, a first in the industry. Now, everyone is launching mangoes and passion fruits.
“I’m now focusing on creating different fragrances. Because I’m a creative nose, and I like to challenge myself.”
I’m now focusing on creating different fragrances. Because I’m a creative nose, and I like to challenge and prove myself.
For instance, Ocean of a Midnight Moon embodies the majestic strength of the sea and its profound poetry at night. It’s fresh and mineral. The aromatic part is typical of a Mediterranean environment. And then leather and driftwood. It’s structured and multi-layered.
BRAM NIESSINK (FUGAZZI)
With his work-hard, play-hard ethos, the Amsterdammer has made a name for his company and its daring approach.
What were you doing before you founded your brand?
I did my bachelor in fashion management at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute. There were long nights to hand in projects in the morning and working for deadlines. I learned a lot at that school about real life.
Let’s talk about Fugazzi Angel Dust that was created for the introverted person.
When I started the brand, it was all about the loud, outperforming the competitors, because people pay a lot of money for a perfume. I was always taking the maximum amount of oils to have the right quality and price value.
I was thinking, let’s make a molecule kind of perfume that fits more into the home setting, daily use, even when you go to bed. And I did it with one ingredient, mostly: Cashmeran. It’s a beautiful, long-lasting body scent.
If Angel Dust is your more introverted fragrance, which one would be the opposite, the extrovert?
Goudh and Sugardaddy are very loud. It’s like you can’t even wash them out of your clothes [laughs]. But they’re still likeable. That’s important to me.
Now, everyone wants to be loud and make a statement thing. Ultimately, my gut feeling has to say: we do this or we don’t do this. It’s not written by a group but, of course, we now have guidelines and a specific idea how to show the brand to the world.
How does the bottle fit into your approach?
I keep the bottle, as you can see, very boring. I learned in fashion school that marketing should last at least eight to 10 years without changing the packaging.
And your collaboration with Born To Stand Out?
I called Jun Lim [founder of the South Korean house] with FaceTime and told him I adored his brand. He loved my brand too. From that moment, we put the greatest thing together in four to five months. From the perfume to the bottle, it’s a lot of work to do something like this. It turned out to be so much fun.
Collaborations are normal in fashion, but not in perfumery. I’ve always tried to be a bit of a trendsetter. You must be creative to compete with the big firms. It’s a busy industry and there are always new brands.
GREGOR JASPERS (THE GREY)
Seeing a gap in the market for premium skincare products specific to the needs of men, the Dutchman has been helping us look our best since 2018.
You’re not a dermatologist, but looking at my skin now, what product would you recommend?
I don’t know your age, but you’re fairly wrinkle-less. You’ve got strong skin. But strong skin also comes with dull skin. You should exfoliate a bit more than you do.
Pigmentation is my thing. What would you recommend from your range for it?
This is our biggest enemy: photo-ageing and wrinkles through the sun is the worst and, of course, pigmentation of the skin. SPF is most important.
I’m going to do a routine based on your skin type. The Grey Charcoal Face Wash pulls out the dirt and is a very deep-cleansing face wash. It will also help to de-puff your under-eye area.
Then we have The Grey Exfoliating Face Scrub. The white part contains bamboo stem cells and the black pearls break open and release vitamin A for brightening your complexion. When you’re in the shower, put it on your face, for about 30 seconds. It won’t fall off, because it has a gooey texture and acts like a fast facial mask. Slowly rub your face, no pressure is needed.
IMAGE: The Grey.
If you asked me what I would take on a desert island, it’s The Grey Daily Face Protect SPF50, a very light formulation. I’m going to explain to you how we created this product.
“If you asked me what I would take on a desert island, it’s The Grey Daily Face Protect SPF50.”
We chose a chemical filter because it’s way lighter and to convince guys to use SPF daily, there don’t need to be any hurdles about whiteness or stickiness on the face. It needs to be invisible.
But some people with sensitive skin react to chemicals. So imagine the filter as small ping pong balls. We have a larger molecule, the size of a beach ball, and we put the ping pong balls inside the beach balls. In this formulation, there’s no chance of irritation, because the ping-pong balls don’t touch the skin.
IMAGE: The Grey.
These beach balls are charged positively and negatively, so they attract and then push away. In the formulation you get a very even spread of the beach balls. We use less beach balls to have SPF50. That’s a technical innovation of ours.
Find these brands at Skins stores in South Africa.
