fashion and scent, partners in ethereal design

For many years now, scent, has been used to manipulate consumers into increased purchasing. One has only to think of scent’s relationship to nostalgia to understand its special power to emotionally sway decisions. It’s about time that designers look to scent to innovate not only in marketing but branding. As a recent article in The Business of Fashion explains, fashion designers seem to understand better than most just how integral the ethereal senses of touch and smell are to the experience of a brand.

scent comedy

Marcel Duchamp would chuckle at the latest hijinks of Dutch art duo Lernert and Sander. Their perfume “Everything” is a stylized slop bucket of samples of each and every fragrance released in 2012. It’s available for sniffing at Colette in Paris but we wish it were being showcased at the BHV.Image

NYC fragrance dinner

Sniffapalooza and Methods & Madness

Fragrance Dinner with Atelier Cologne
Sunday,  2/17 in NYC!
When
Sunday February 17, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
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Where

Jo’s
264 Elizabeth St
New York, NY 10012
Driving Directions

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I can’t make it
Jo's Private Dining Room
Greetings!

In Sniffapalooza’s never-ending quest to bring you the most fantastic sensory experiences, we’ve been dreaming of an event that combines extraordinary aromas, tastes, textures, creativity, insight and stimulating conversation joined together in perfect harmony. And now we’ve collaborated with incredible partners to bring our fantasy to reality!
It is with extreme pleasure that we invite you to Sniffapaloozaand Methods & Madness’ Multi-Sensory Fragrance Dinner celebrating Atelier Cologne on Sunday, 2/17 at 6pm at Jo’s Restaurant in Nolita in New York City! We will be joined by special guests – perfumer Ralf Schwieger and Methods & Madness founder, Chef Tessa Liebman.
We all know Atelier Cologne as a stellar artisanal fragrance brand and purveyor of amazing scented products for body, bath and lifestyle. Atelier Cologne is the first perfume house dedicated entirely to the traditional Eau de Cologne form of fragrance, expanding on the characteristic freshness with new innovations and unusual combinations of ingredients, and giving birth to a new classification of fragrance, the Cologne Absolue. And, over the duration of our six-course dinner, we will step inside their fragrant world for a comprehensive look at the brand concept and creative vision of this beloved cult-favorite!
Methods & Madness is an intimate dinner series where Chef Tessa Liebman focuses on the work of an artist/perfumer/maker and creates a menu influenced by their body of work. Chef Tessa has spoken extensively with perfumer Ralf Schwieger about his process (the “methods”) and the inspiration (the “madness”) behind the fragrances he has created for Atelier Cologne: Orange Sanguine, Vanille Insensee, Ambre Nue, and there will be a special feature of the newest jewel in Atelier Cologne’s crown, Sous le Toit de Paris, which is currently in premiere launch.
Our journey begins with a glass of sparkling Prosecco as we gather together in the warm embrace of Jo’s private back dining room. As we dine, each course will explore a different Atelier Cologne scent.  Ralf Schwieger will offer insight into his inspiration of creation, and Chef Tessa will speak about preparing the menu to reflect Ralf’s work. Barista Ezra Baker will provide olfactory and palate cleansers in the form of specialty coffee cuppings throughout the meal. Guests may bring their own bottles of wine, if they desire.
After the meal and the presentations, the party moves across the street to the Atelier Cologne boutique for bespoke cocktails created especially for this evening! There will be ample time to sniff and sample all the Atelier Cologne fragrances, and to chat with Ralf and Chef Tessa.
As a special token of appreciation, each guest will receivedeluxe samples of all the fragrances explored at the dinner, and a personalized leather bracelet stamped with their name in silver. A special GWP is a 30ml fragrance of choice with the purchase of a 200ml fragrance. Complimentary monogramming is available to customize your bottles, and samples of any of the Atelier Cologne range are yours for the asking!
Due to the private and interactive nature of this incredible event,spaces are extremely limited. The registration fee forSniffapalooza and Methods & Madness’ Fragrance Dinner with Atelier Cologne is $130, and includes six curated courses, coffee cupping palate cleansers, presentations with Ralf Schwieger and Chef Tessa Liebman, glass of Prosecco, bespoke cocktails, tax and gratuity, and gifts.
If you would like to share in this unique exploratory sensory experience, just click REGISTER NOW to sign up via PayPal or credit card. Reservations will be taken on a first-come basis, and this event will sell out very quickly, so please respond as soon as possible. You know how we hate for you to be disappointed!
Looking forward to sharing an indulgent Sunday evening with you, Methods & Madness, and Atelier Cologne at Jo’s Restaurant  on 2/17…
Viva La Sniffa, Baby!Team Karen
Karen Dubin, Founder & Director
Karen Adams, Operations Manager

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I can’t make it

time and places in a bottle

Inspired by the budding scent art scene studded with artists like Sissel Tolaas and Martynka Wawrzyniak, Goldsmiths’ design student Olivia Clemence has been busy formulating her memories into olfactive experiences. She uses homemade equipment involving steam for extracting the scents. It looks like scent art might be finally taking a very exciting and courageous leap beyond perfumery.

deconstructing perfume

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The Art of Scent exhibit at New York’s Museum of Art and Design is a foray into how perfumes are born. It is a minimalist yet visually striking exhibit that surveys a brief history of Western perfumery through key fragrances. The twelve fragrances showcased are all scents that were available on the market at some point. Beginning with Guerlain’s Jicky (1889) and ending with Margiela’s Untitled (2010)ach scent represents a particular trend in fragrance.

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The first room is an open airy space with twelve yonic wells installed in the wall that emit a motion-sensitive gust of perfumed air. It is a surprisingly gentle way to experience each scent. There are timed privalite displays in the place of plaques to explain the historical significance and composition of each fragrance.

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The second room is even more hands on with a long glass table and chairs where visitors can sit and experience a more potent version of the twelve fragrances by dipping scent strips into small vials of the actual perfume in liquid form. At opposite ends of the table there are two options for contributing feedback on the exhibit that is projected in a real-time word cloud on a wall. One is an ipad that captures word associations for each individual experience of the fragrances. The other is a white notebook in which guests may record their personal associations with scent. The wall installation takes visitors through the process of building a fragrance through different modifications. The walls deliver a card for each of the five “mods” of Lancome’s popular fragrance Trésor (1990).

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The Art of Scent evokes the wonderfully subjective and ephemeral nature of fragrance in an immersive experience that speaks to all of the five senses. If only there was more of an aural component other than video recordings of interviews. Nonetheless, the exhibit promises an exciting future for multisensorial art made possible by cutting-edge technology.

 

The Art of Scent is at the Museum of Art and Design, 11, Columbus Circle, NY, NY 10019 until February 24, 2013

scented song

boris vian

It seems Boris Vian wasn’t the only Frenchman keen on combining music and other senses. In 1922, Science and Invention featured an illustration of a scent organ inspired by perfumer and chemist Dr. Septimus Piesse’s theories about syncing scent and musical notes. When played, Piesse’s scent organ, like Vian’s pianocktail, would produce an odor (or a cocktail in Vian’s case) that corresponds to a given pattern tapped on the organ’s keys. Notorious jazzman Vian took it a step further, however, by simultaneously producing a cocktail representation of a musical tune.

We eagerly anticipate the appearance of his pianocktail in Michel Gondry’s film adaptation of Vian’s novel. Mood Indigo is slated for release in early spring 2013.

pianocktail