Nikolas is working as a freelance creative director in Berlin. He is one of the most fanatic perfume lovers I know. As a teenager he started to collect perfume miniatures and when I show him a new perfume he always mentions a scent from the past that smells alike. In 2006 he founded his own label Friendly Fur, selling fur from overpopulations. This year he will launch his first own Friendly Fur perfume – created by no one else but Mark Buxton! Until then he has to wear his favorite scents. And that’s what he told me about them:
„Basala by Shiseido released in 1993 was my signature scent for years, unfortunately it has been discontinued and I have only a few drops left. I would describe it emotional: sensual, ethereal but definitely not overblown or cloying. A chypre with bergamot, that conjures a certain freshness and reveals a smart congeniality to the sensuality. No clumsy attitude of lascivious frivolity, but an honest tension and attitude, which reflects the sexappeal of tradition and values. Sandalwood and fir are balancing between a down-to-earth-feeling and exoticism. The scent is a statement of an involuntary seduction when passing by, of an ambivalence that makes you curious, which is irresistible, because this scent is not only soft and clean, but also shows its melancholic and gloomy side. A universe of purity and forgivable profanity – elegance with a wink.
My actual ‘smells like’ is Mandragore by Annick Goutal. With regard to the emotion it is less sensual with light notes and a nearly hazy character. Nevertheless you will find the same irresistibility of a preppy, who is freshly washed on the one hand like a newly starched white shirt, but on the other hand has also a refined character – comparable to a 1920′s sideboard made of wood, bakelite, crystal and chrome.
That’s how I smell – currently! But hopefully I will launch my first perfume within this year – a creative teamwork with Mark Buxton. Then I will smell like… stay tuned!“
