Event Report: FRAGments UnderGround Perfume Collective “The Artisan All Stars at L.A Skinny Studio” June 7, 2014 + FRAGBag Fragrance Giveaway

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June 7, 2014 was a dreary overcast morning that morphed into a sunny, exceptionally warm day in Highland Park, a small city and artist colony southwest of Pasadena and north of Los Angeles. The studio of artist and designer Bradley Thordarson (known as The Skinny Studio) on York Avenue was overflowing with people and press, who were there to celebrate and participate in FRAGments 2014, the second annual gathering of artisanal perfumers from across the US  FRAGments founder and perfumer, Maggie Mahboubian created and hosted this event for its second year and it was even  larger and  more ambitious than in 2013.

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Maggie Mahboubian, Perfumer and Founder of FRAGments (with DawnSpencer Hurwitz and her son (because Maggie was so busy running the show  we did not get a photo of her alone)

According to Maggie Mahboubian who also is the perfumer of Parfums LaLun“FRAGments is a curated perfume-as-art event for artisan perfumers to present their work in a gallery setting where they may sell direct to the public. In addition to highlighting the work of artisan perfumers (those who conceive, make, bottle and market their own work), FRAGments seeks to present others who work with the medium of scent and olfaction. FRAGments is an opportunity for makers to interact with the public in a relaxed atmosphere that enhances all of the senses.The name for the series is derived from “fragrance movement” and picks up on the slang word for perfume, "FRAG". Implicit is the recognition that independent, artisan perfumers are fragments of a whole moving in different directions. FRAGments seeks to celebrate these differences”.

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At FRAGments 2014…lots of sniffing and scent education

FRAGments was so well attended that people filtered into the studio space all day. As one person left, two or three more replaced them, so it was always humming with the sound of voices and laughter…and the beautiful aromas of Artisan perfumery. So much activity it would take several posts, so…I decided to capture a “FRAGment” of the daylong event with a photo-essay.

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Dr. Ellen Covey talks about Scent Perception at FRAGments 2014

Dr. Ellen Covey, Perfumer and founder of Olympic Orchid Artisan Perfumes opened with a presentation on Scent Perception, and her speech had the entire audience enthralled. At the end of her presentation, there were a slew of questions which she graciously answered. Who knew that scent molecules from various fragrances will reside in your nose and skew other scents that you smell later? Olfactory receptors are not infinite in number! Who knew? Ellen Covey did and now so do you. In Ellen’s speech we also learned “the ways in which olfactory information is represented in the brain, and the cognitive factors that determine how we organize and interpret that information.”

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The Fragrance makers at FRAGments

(front row near: Mario T. Gomez, Heather Kauffman and Paul Kiler; second row; Iris Moore, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and ???; Third Row:  Ellen Covey and Tania Ruben; Fourth Row: Sherri Sebastian, Ashely Eden Kessler, Saskia Wilson-Brown, Daniel Karasofski ,Irina Adam and Amber Jobin

 

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 Daniel Karasofski, Perfumer/Artist in “tableau parlant” installation

Daniel Karasofski, tableau “parlant” installation. This installation was an audience-interactive piece as he played the role of a perfumer contemporary to Catherine de Medici (1519-1589) replete with dress, hair, accent, and a display of fragrances created to feature only ingredients available during that time period.

 

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Sherri Sebastian, Sebastian Signs

Sherri Sebastian presented the PURUSA collection (Sanskrit for pure consciousness) which was been

featured in WWD for its innovative use of Argan gel as a fragrance base.

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Heather Kauffman, Jolie Laide Perfume

Heather Kauffman of Jolie Laide, who  is inspired by cinema (and names each of her botanical fragrances after a title of a French New Wave film), launched a new scent: “Cléo de 5 à 7″

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Lisa Fong, Artemisia Natural Perfume 

 Botanical Perfumer, Lisa Fong was a Finalist in the Art and Olfaction Fragrance Awards for Golden Hour. and is always smiling!

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Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, DSH Perfumes

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Display of DSH Perfumes (Photo by Stevie Wilson)

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, one of our country's most prolific and influential olfactive artists. She displayed an edited selection of her scents including recent fragrances: Metropolis and Peony. (She came with husband Edwin and her son. We are so glad she did!)

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Ellen Covey, Olympic Orchids

Dr. Ellen Covey was a finalist in the Institute of Art and Olfaction awards for 2014 for Blackbird. She introduced her two new fragrances: Sakura and African Orchid.

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Irina Adam, Phoenix Botanicals

 Natural Perfumer Irina Adam presented fragrances that were inspired by flora, fauna, sea and storms of Hawaii. (She tells a great story about every scent!)  She has an amazing array of  diverse perfumes that include Night Bloom, Lavender Noir, Ka Pueo (The Owl), and Saffron Veil.

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 Paul Kiler, PK Perfumes

Paul Kiler was a finalist in “The Taste Awards” and is known for complex and unique fragrances like Ginger Zest de Citron, Zaffron, Violet Chocolatier amongst his collection!

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Tania Reuben, Pure Natural Diva

 Allergies to department store scents inspired Tania Reuben of Pure Natural Diva to create her own all-natural botanical line.

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Amber Jobin, Aether Arts Perfume  and her Art and Olfaction Award (with Tania Rubin)

Amber Jobin of Aether Arts Perfume, who studied with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has come into her own and presented  John Frum, winner of the 2014 Institute for Art and Olfaction Awards (Artisan Category). This brilliant fragrance was created for 2013 Burning Man Festival, whose theme was Cargo Cults and features a locally-sourced Kava Kava note. Amber is working on some new projects but Michelyn is sworn to secrecy and wouldn't even tell me.

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Mario T Gomez, Mario Tomas Perfumes  at his display at FRAGments

Mario shared his recently released collection of scents: Corazon Blanco, Lo Mejor de Mi #1 and El Poeta.  This collection got quite a bit of attention since Mario has been a "Fragrance Ambassador" for  quite a few West Coast brands, a Contributor to CaFleureBon and so many perfumistas are all abuzz about his new line of fragrances.

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Artist (and emerging perfumer) Iris Moore with her goat tincture scent! (Photo: Stevie Wilson)

Artist Iris Moore presented a “progressing” group of scents featuring a goat tincture: “adDAMnation”, “RUMination”, “ABOmination”, “SUBlimation” and “CULmination”. Iris is quite gifted. Having not  created a fragrance before, Iris has made something genuinely animalic with this hand crafted tincture.

 

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Martynka Wawryzniak, NY Based artist project display (Photo courtesy of Stevie Wilson)


The “Smell Me” project was displayed at FRAGments a collaboration with Yann Vasnier of Givaudan reconstructed The scents were based on tinctures made from the New York based artist's hair, tears and t-shirts she wore. Martynka and Yann unfortunately were not available to attend.

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 Maggie in her Touch me dress (photo by Marc Birenbaum)

Maggie Mahboubian debuted her installation "Touch Me" that was meant to counterpoint Martynka's "Smell Me". Her installation was made up of botanicals that were felted into wool panels (wool traps odor molecules) meant to be touched in order to release the scent.

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Touch Me Installation

She even made the dress. She was wearing and felted the bodice with botanicals. There were a few intrepid friends who even bent down to experience the scent! Hah! She loves how perfume makes people less inhibited. Maggie also released the second edition of Parfums Lalun Phenomene Verte,  her tincture perfume that contains tinctures of those felted botanicals, including a home grown orris she harvested 5 years after planting and aged for 5 years before tincturing.

 

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Ingredients used by Daniel Karasofski for his recreation of the Medici era perfumes

Daniel Karasofski,  is a Perfumer/Artist and had an interactive presentation which was a tableau parlant installation featuring a historical interpretation of fragrances from the Medici era of history with him being in costume depicting that era with all the accountrements one would expect – and so much more!

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Institute for Art and Olfaction

The IAO, which is headed by Saskia Wilson-Brown displayed art-based olfactive projects 'Accident' (Austin Young and Brent Leonesio), 'Three Worlds' (Ashley Eden Kessler and dublab) that translates electronic music into fragrance. The process of scent creation was also shown.

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 Saskia Wilson-Brown, IAO Director, was there taking photos!
 

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FRAGatinis!!!

Maggie Mahboubian did not overlook a single detail and brought a hand blender so that participants and the public could partake of FRAGtails (AKA cocktails that included fragrance elements).  Yummy, fabulous and tasty and ever so FRAGrant.

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FRAGbag of Artisan perfumes

That’s the “essence” of FRAGments (pun intended).  If you were there, we would love to hear  your thoughts about it. If you weren’t there, hopefully you can live vicariously through my post.

Stevie Wilson, Guest Contributor and Editor www.LA-Story.com with contributions from Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Michelyn and Maggie want a CaFleureBon reader to experience this amazing event. Through the kindness of Maggie Mahboubian we are offering a  2014 FRAGBag (There goes Michelyn with  another clever name). Every fragrance line present contributed sample sizes just for CaFleureBon readers (excludes guest displays or tableaus).  To Be Eligible to win a FRAGBag filled with natural and artisanal perfumes,  please leave a comment with what scents or presentations seemed interesting to you and the names of some of your favorite perfumers who attended. Draw ends 6/19/2014. You must live in the US to qualify.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

Writer’s Note: Thank you to Maggie Mahboubian for once again thinking outside of the bottle and providing a showcase for so many wonderful artisan perfumers and presenters. Most perfumers at FRAGMents have been featured in CaFleureBon's Profiles in American Perfumery Series

Thank you to Michelyn for asking me to guest post again (I last reported for CaFleureBon on the Art + Olfaction Awards for CaFleureBon. I will be featuring FRAGments posts & podcasts on my blog, www.LA-Story.com and on Facebook.

All photos are courtesy of Maggie Mahboubian unless otherwise marked.

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34 comments

  • Oh boy does that sound like an interesting and fun event! Dawn Hurwitz is one one my favorite perfumers. I really liked the strong representation of the natural perfumes. I live in the US. Thanks for the great draw.

  • leathermountain says:

    I am in the US. I’m a fan of Ellen Covey and Olympic Orchids, and I bet her presentation was fascinating. I’m particularly interested in visual illusions, which are vivid examples of the constructed nature of perception. I would love to hear what Dr. Covey has to say about the construction of smell percepts. The tableau parlant is campy and educational at the same time, just the kind of playfulness I would imagine at this kind of event. Now, I’d really like to know exactly what Argan gel might be! I’ve been playing around at home with argan-based shower scrubs, partly because I enjoy the smell of argan oil (not to mention its skin-friendliness), and it’s interesting to try to blend it with other scents…. And that’s what the Art and Olfaction award looks like. It’s enormous! I would have loved to have been there. Thank you for the report, and a chance at being able to smell along, after the fact.

  • Oh my so many great fragrances. I just love Amber – Inuus being one of my favorite along with John Frum and Dawn – Bermuda Lime and Bourbon Vanilla being some favorites as well. Irina’s Saffron Veil is another beauty. I’m curious and interested in the Olympic Orchids line….ok I’m actually interested in all of them. To hard to narrow down. Daniel is cracking me up as he was in full character so now all the more curiosity to check out that line of fragrances. Aragon gel and goat hair I can’t quite place in my mind how the fragrances would smell. All in all I want to try them each. Thanks for the great info and an awesome draw. In the USA. Take care.

  • What a wonderful event. I wish I could have been there! As I’ve mentioned before, DSH is my fav perfumer. I own 90% of her samples and about 6 full bottles. I think she is genius. I am just exploring Dr. Covey’s line, and Phoenix Botanical’s is my next sample order. I will admit many of the other perfumers were new to me, and now my wish list grows. I would have liked to try one of the scented cocktails…is that in the goody bag. : ) Thanks for the draw. I am in the US.

  • mariotgomez says:

    Thank you for the lovely write up. Good luck to the winner of the FragBag.

    All the examples are divine and should be experience.

    m

  • Madlonabel says:

    Oh my gosh I can’t with this! Heather Kauffman made a fragrance inspired by my favorite film of all time. Dublab literally made a dream of mine come true with this electronics translation project. Iris Moore is a crazy goat after my own heart. Daniel Karasofski, I bow before thee. Where have you people been all my life?

    I’m only now discovering my deep and incurable love for perfume and perfumers so all of this is super new to me, and I’m flabbergasted at how much everything about this world and this event hits my super nichey nerdy soft spot on the nose. Now I have one more reason to keep Tallulah Jane’s Aiyana on my love for life list – it led me here to this awesome blog! Yay! Thanks everyone!

  • What a wonderful read a wonderful event. DSH is my fav perfumer, I like almost everything, she has created! Thanks for the draw. I am in Germany.

  • I mean, you can’t be goat tincture for interesting! I was excited to see Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Ellen Covey, Paul Kiler, and Amber Jobin represented. I’m in the US.

  • I have liked the Paul Kiler samples I have tried greatly, and Ellen’s Blackbird. I have not had the good fortune to try any DSH yet. USA

  • Dr. Ellen Covey’s talk sounds very interesting! I am also impressed how creative people got with their displays, and I’d love to try a FRAGtail! I am in the USA, thank you.

  • silvrolive says:

    What a great description of a fabulous event! I would have loved to interact with Daniel Karasofski because I am interested in the history of perfume. I am a fan of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and Amber Jobin. Clearly there are many more artists and scents to meet!

  • again, if i could only attend ONE perfume event– THIS would be it!

    The most interesting exhibit for me would hvae to be Daniel Krasofski’s tableau parlant! Not only did he go the distance of costuming and presenting within a HUGE picture frame, but the perfumes and accords he was presenting were used int he tv show Reign. unfortunately, his perfumes are not as of yet for retail purchase.

    i would have giggled at the chance to smell Maggie’s dress. (but careful to only touch the display perhaps. 😉

    the IAO exhibit i know is the end result of hard and fantastic work!

    Iris Moore sounds like she has made something unique and perhaps could be used in many other perfumes. the only goat tincture i am familiar with is Anya’s Garden PAN.

    Lisa Fong has her ubiquitous smile on!

    truly there isn’t anyone who participated i would not want to experience and discuss with… but Maggie and Daniel would be my beelines.

    thank you for covering one of the most interesting exhibition of the year (IMHO)!

    i do live in the usa and would love to experience the FragBag!

  • Kim Morgan says:

    The interactive displays would have been a huge draw for me… and anything where I can learn. Also, I’m a huge fan of natural fragrances and love the idea of seeing what inspires those scents!

  • Marion Low says:

    What a lovely time you must have had! Thanks for a fantastic draw, so much talent deserves much success. I have the luck to adore perfumes from Dr.Ellen Covey and DSH both who have unleashed many special fragrances, and just discovered Paul Kiler’s amazing line last year. I’m afraid I would be like a kid in a candy store there. I’m in USA.

  • Of the featured perfumers, I am only familiar with Paul Kiler’s work – I actually have one of his works in my collection. However, the fragrance that intrigued me the most from what I read was Corazon Blanco by Mario Tomas.

    Thank you for the draw – I live in the US

  • Oh, so many I am unfamiliar with and several I love. I am particularly sorry to have missed Dr. Covey’s lecture. It sounds like something I would have really enjoyed and I am a huge fan of her perfumes too. I have been looking forward to exploring a couple of the other lines mentioned and have noted a couple that hadn’t been on my radar. I live in the US and would love to be entered in the draw. Thank you.

  • I’ve always been interested in “Accident”; its concept and visual portrayal already intrigue me. I would one day like to meet Dr Covey and Paul Kiler, among many others. I reside in the US.

  • Donna Spiegel says:

    My head is spinning from experiencing what must have been an awesome fragrance collective. So much creativity and contribution to this world one doesn’t quite know where to begin. What is calling my attention is Dr Ellen Coveys presentation of the olfactory senses as well as her 2 fragrance intros. Another interesting fragrance presented is the PURUSA collection by Sherri Sebastian. Using Argan gel as a fragrance base when Argan is so popular now in the health conscious world and marrying that concept is brilliant. Wish I could have sampled a fragatini. Looks yummy. What a wonderful event Grwat smells and creativity and perfumers I’m in the US Would love a fragbag. So generous.

  • My housemate and I attended both Fragments 2013 and 2014 and, as a result, indie fragrance has become a household obsession. Last year I purchased samples from Rebel and Mercury in Seattle, (Nikki Sherrit) which I’ve shared with people though out the year and have continued to purchase online. This year, I was impressed with the sensuality of Purusa and the creativity of Iris Moore and her very handsome muse Aadam (the goat). I’m looking forward to incorporating some new fragrance into my life and to gathering a small posse for a playdate at The Institute for Art and Olfaction.

    Thank you so much, Maggie M for coordinating such a beautiful and easy to experience event! Love it. (the detail was brilliant, from the aromatic treats to the easy-to-navigate layout)

  • Ellen Covey’s Blackbird is a wonderful fragrance. The Iris Moore presentation seemed very original and interesting. isa

  • Shelly Ray says:

    Fantastic event! Loved Phoenix Botanicals Saffron Veil. So beautiful as it morphs on skin. Equally obsessed with Jolie Laide’s À Bout de Souffle Eau de Parfum.

  • I loved the description of Maggie’s “Touch Me” presentation most. I love the idea of touching to release scent, and I really like that her dress was part of the scented presentation. Maggie is also my favorite of the perfumers who attended, I really loved her Jalousie perfume. I also like Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. I am in the US.

  • This was the first perfume event I ever attended, and it was loads of fun! Any newbies out there who have hesitated to attend FRAGments or an event in another part of the country, do yourselves a favor and go!

    Dr. Covey’s lecture and Q-and-A was fascinating. I don’t think DSH actually brought White Lilac (she told me she had an awful time choosing only five fragrances to bring), but she did have Peony and Metropolis there, as well as Ma Plus Belle, which has been lingering in my memory and which I am regretting going home without. For Jiminy, above, Mario Gomez’s Corazon Blanco was indeed lovely; the caramel didn’t show up at all on paper, but smelled yummy on skin. Paul Kiler and Amber Jobin were both really friendly and helpful, but unfortunately my nose was pretty much fried by the time I worked my way around to them. I went home with Olympic Orchids California Chocolate and Phoenix Botanicals Night Bloom.

    I got to smell Accident, which was exactly as advertised, fascinating but disturbing. “Smell Me” was also really interesting, but I managed to miss “Touch Me” completely. Daniel Karasofski’s display was great, and an accord he made featuring chocolate, coffee, and cognac among other things may have been the single best thing I smelled. (Only on paper, alas, it was not for sale.)

    I’m in the US, and I’d love another chance to win a FRAGbag.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    Daniel Karasofki’s presentation seems really interesting because he took us back in time. In fact,
    one of the main reasons i enjoy exploring classic fragrances before 1960s is to have an idea of how
    life was back then and how people smelled…Some of my favorite perfumers in the presentation were
    Sherri Sebastian, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Amber Jobin, and Dr. Ellen Covey…the one fragrance i already
    knew about in this presentation beside SHerri Sebastian creations is Blackbird..

    I reside in the US

  • This event makes me so so happy!! I absolutely
    admire Maggie and her amazing vision. So bummed
    that I was out of town that weekend. It looks like
    I missed out on some incredible talent.

  • Elizabeth Ryerson says:

    I am going to plan to attend next year. What a fabulously fragrant event! I would have liked to hear Dr. Ellen Covey’s talk on Scent Perception. Love the PURUSA collection name and would love to try a sample and am already a fan of the gorgeous fragrances from Aether Arts and Phoenix Botanicals as well as the inspirational Dawn Spencer Hurwitz.
    So many unique and talented fragrance creators!
    I’m in the USA.

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I would have loved to have attended (and sipped one of the FRAGtails)! Daniel Karasofski’s Medici and Maggie Mahboubian’s “Touch Me” presentations seem very interesting and avant garde to me as well as Irina Adam’s scents. My favorite perfumer who attended is Phoenix Botanicals. I live in the US.

  • Francesca Belanger says:

    Sounds like such a fantastic event. Wish we had a NYC version. I’m a big fan of Maggie Mahboubian’s skincare product and I love her Blanche de Bois fragrance.

  • This sounds amazing! So much great talent and scented wonderfulness in one space! Thank you for the virtual tour.
    Some names I know and love are Dr. Ellen Covey and DSH. Got to try a sample of Blackbird and it was so transporting–I remembered smelling grapes growing outside near a pine forestwhere it was sunny and dusty and dry when I was a child; in Blackbird it was like those same plants ahd been transported to a cooler misty seaside. Have not had a chance to try most others as they’re quite indie, but remember reading about many here!

    Maggie Mahboubian’s Touch Me tableau greatly appeals to me because of the tactile experience of scent. Very unique and engaging! I also like historical stuff and probably would have had a blast with that interactive presentation.
    USA

  • This was a great event. i happened to be in LA (visiting from NYC) and am very glad I was able to attend. I don’t think the article mentions that the scents that Daniel Karasofski presented are based on characters from tv and theater. I believe he created them in part as a means to enable various actors/actresses to better inhabit specific roles. They are wonderful in their own right as perfumes but I think Daniel’s intentions for them are an important part of the story.

    The FRAGtails were amazing and I thought the dublab project worked really well. I left with DSH Peony and samples from the creation of Addam, but it was hard to decide among all the great, creative work!

  • I’m hoping to be able to attend a FRAGments event myself someday! I began the series because I wanted to savor the work of others in a festive atmosphere. At least I managed a quick sniff at the end of the day . . . FRAGtail in one hand . . . camera in the other . . .

    What amazing artists/perfumers, second year in a row. I’m honored that everyone put their faith in my ability to pull it all together and I’m floored by the talent, dedication and spirited community.

    Many thanks to Stevie and Michelyn for presenting this wonderful documentary post. They captured the spirit of the day.

    And looking forward to more fun, olfactory wonderment and friendship!

  • Iris Moore says:

    This was a great time. It was wonderful meeting so many talented people. Thank you Maggie, you did an amazing job!