© La loupe by Benoit Courti
When it comes to niche perfumery, there has to be a distinctive style that sets apart the niche perfumery from mainstream. Of course that distinctive signature would not be appreciated by the majority but that’s the matter underlying niche marketing. Segmentation and choosing your target market is the key point of success.
Initio Parfums Privés (photo Initio)
In recent years some niche houses began lose their way and leave behind their original philosophy in order to reach new markets and expand their market share. So there is a decision. Will they remain small and artistic or will they become the players in the big market? Very few can do both. Fortunately there are still passionate houses with bold perspectives. Without a doubt Initio is one of them which debuted in 2015. Initio has two meanings: "The beginning". The origin, a return to the essence of the perfume, in its original, magical and sacred function. Or: "I initiate". An initiation to discover the perfume as an object of power.
© Self Portrait Benoit Courti
The house has two main lines. Their “Magnetic Blends” are concentrated around synthetics in the vein of Geza Schoen’s Escentric Molecules and “The Absoutes” are complex fragrances that can be layered with Magnetic Blends. I find all the Magnetic Blends well-crafted but there’s a single one that stands out for me. As the name says it all, that one is called Divine Attraction! It’s not a secret that I like challenging fragrances most and Divine Attraction is the most challenging one in the line. It’s love at first sight for me.
When I detected leather, vetiver and smoke, I grabbed the bottle and my wallet at the same time. Since then we’ve an intimate relationship. I won’t describe the notes one by one because the fragrance is all about leather, smoke and vetiver. Depends on the humidity level, sometimes you smell the leather the most and sometimes the main player is vetiver. An animalic feeling surrounds you with the initial blast but that fades too quickly. I wish that would have lasted more.
Don't expect something easy to wear. When the animalic notes phase out, Divine Attraction becomes the smell of catatonia which describes condition of being apparently awake but unresponsive. And it’s the proof that niche market is still breathing. Serenity takes over in the middle phase and is joined by gloomy memories. The projection is not the greatest but remember the temper of the fragrance. We want to remain silent sometimes… The longevity is there for you as a ticket to reminiscence.
Fresh citrusy scents can be worn by anybody and that is just fine, certainly you can garner compliments easily. But in my book, niche fragrance is something else… Something risky, artistic, visceral and something unexpected! For those who like Olivier Durbano Black Tourmaline, Naomi Goodsir Bois d'Ascese, Comme des Garçons Black and Jovoy Private Label, Divine Attraction will be sure to captivate you.
Intitio Perfumes
Disclosure: from my collection
-Guest contributor Berkan Basoglu, author of gurmekokular.com You can follow Berkan on instagram here
Photography © Benoit Courti
Art Direction: I chose the black and white photography of Benoit Courti because they appealed to me, counter culture and on the edge of light and dark. All the art is copyright to him and is not affiliated with CaFleureBon
Divine Attraction Intitio Parfums by Berkan (black and white)
Thanks to the Perfumed Court we have a 3ml glass spray vial for a registered reader world wide. To be eligible please leave a comment with why you want to try Initio Divine Attraction, where you live and if you have tried Initio Parfums before. Any thoughts on niche entering mainstream now is your chance. You must sign up for The Perfumed Court’s Newsletter to be eligible. Click here. Draw closes 7/11/2016
We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume