Taksim Square Istanbul
Try to imagine the most crowded place you’ve ever been. How many different sub-cultures can you count? There are different types of people in the street from metal heads, to fashionistas, to a business man in a suit and students running towards metro station. In this city every faith is present… Muslim, Christian, Hindus, Buddhist, Jewish, agnostic and atheist. People take to the streets to protest for what they believe in..Sound like an ususal metropolis, maybe New York? But it is not New York, I am describing Taksim Square in Instanbul, which is a bridge between both Eastern and Asian cultures.
Creative directors S Mert Güzel, Murat Katran and Berkan Basoglu at Excense 2015 Photo Michelyn for ÇaFleureBon
Nishane is the first and the only niche perfume house based in Turkey. Since 2012, both owners and creative directors Murat Katran and Mert Güzel of Nishane have developed an Extrait de Parfum Collection which is a mixture of strong olfactive memories created by rare essences debuted at Esxence 2015. Each Nishane fragrance has a unique story inspired by the tradition of the exotic city Istanbul-the bridge to two worlds. Since Murat was a stage actor and Mert a coffee table book designer, the line takes inspiration from many places, but all roads lead back to Istanbul. Múnegu is not only their favourite place to visit but also a mixture of different cultures bottled in Extrait de Parfum concentration. A fragrance called “Monaco”, interpreted in an oriental way with a nod to the independent state's heritage and French glamour.
Múnegu opens on citrusy and woody notes. From the first second, it can be understood that Múnegu is a dry fragrance. But the dryness is wonderfully balanced with citrusy notes and spices. While citrusy notes boost the woodsy character of the fragrance, spices join the harmony in order to add a final touch to the grand opening. If you love the dryness of woods as I do, Múnegu could result in instant love; the scent is so incredibly thick and powerful. After the woods settle down, patchouli from Indonesia shapes the strong base of the fragrance.
painting of a -Morrocan Rug, source unknown
Múnegu starts to evolve into an opulent and decadent dusty style that reminds me of a Moroccan rug lying on the ground of Taksim Square. Like the square itself, the fragrance consists of many tastes and styles with a hint of memories that took place right on the rug, with a hint of French flair. To me, what is precious in artistic perfumery is both the uniqueness and wearablilty of compositions. Nishane has accomplished both with Múnegu. Addictive, solid, deep and wearable at the same time. With 30 percent concentration, both projection and sillage are copious, especially for the first hours. So Múnegu is also a winner in my book when it comes to these performance measures. My singular complaint is that I find the base notes somewhat linear. Múnegu is so bold it right after the heart notes that the story told by the fragrance has to be finished by the wearer iin his or or her mind.
Since I’m a die-hard patchouli fan, I’m also very sensitive to that note. I don’t find old fashioned patchouli fragrances like Givenchy’s Gentleman wearable in a modern habitat. To me, Múnegu is in the same league with Tom Ford’s Patchouli Absolu, Profumum Roma’s Patchouly and even Serge Luten’s cacao boosted mighty fragrance Borneo 1834. It could be easily said that Múnegu is the driest and woodier of the bunch. So if you’re getting along with these fragrances well, give a chance to try Múnegu.
Munegu Nishane istanbul
Múnegu is a standout in this line and something I'll never want to be without, and i am fine with finishing the story. Let highly eastern-infused so-called niche brands keep using oud notes, if you are looking for something dark, spicy and different, not imagined in the minds of a Westerner than Nishane offers you a genuine culture experience.
Notes: Orange, Cedarwood, Cumin, Cardamon, geranium, ylang, ylang, patchouli, labdandum, tobacco, ambery notes.
-Guest contributor Berkan Basoglu, author of gurmekokular.com You can follow Berkan on instagram here
Editor's Note: Berkan will bring his considerable knowledge of niche perfumery once a month to CaFleureBon with emphasis on Eastern brands
Photo: Munegu by Berkan
Thanks to Murat Katran and Mert Güzel of Nishane Istanbul we have a 50 ml edp parfum extrait for a ÇaFleureBon reader worldwide. To be eligible please leave a comment with why you would like to win Munego, where you live and what you enjoyed about Berkan's review. Draw closes April 10, 2015.
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