by Matthew Zink courtesy of the brand

Smoke is like the memory of a fire.

As soon as a ribbon of smoke appears it begins to fade.

Thinning and dissolving as quickly as it begins.

Until it’s gone.

What was bright and hot and burning, is now a memory.

A fragrance that lingers.

A soft haunt.

The ghost of a flame that once was – Matthew Zink, January 9, 2024

by Matthew Zink promotional materials, courtesy of the brand

When I heard whispers of a sensational new perfume from industry insiders and fragrance friends alike, I quickly ordered a sample of an extraordinary collaboration among designer Matthew Zink, fragrance developer and Fragrance Foundation Award Winner 2024 Carlos Huber of Arquiste, and Givaudan senior perfumer Yann Vasnier.   The Eau de Parfum by Matthew Zink is the first fragrance from the brand Charlie by Matthew Zink. ÇaFleureBon Editor-in-Chief Michelyn Camen put me in touch with the composers. Thank you Matthew, Carlos and Yann for sharing your creative process with our readers- Rachel K. Ng, Editor

Rachel K. Ng: Can you to share a bit about your process for conceiving and creating “by Matthew Zink”?

Matthew Zink: Carlos and I met in New York 13 years ago when I created Charlie by Matthew Zink and he created Arquiste. After 5 years as Design Director of Victoria’s Secret Swimwear, I launched Charlie in 2010 with my partner Raquel as a luxury swimwear brand that celebrated the joyful sensuality of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.  Today, Charlie by Matthew Zink is proud to have become an international cult brand with a fabulously loyal following that has expanded into additional Italian produced menswear categories including our signature swimwear, underwear, clothing, fitness, accessories, and now fragrance and home. Carlos and I remained in contact as time passed and I have certainly enjoyed seeing Carlos’ talent and success over the years. The creation of the fragrance was to be a very personal project for me and I immediately reached out to Carlos. I was thrilled when he agreed to work on the project. He quickly suggested his colleague and Senior perfumer Yann Vasnier of Givaudan Paris.  With Carlos as the fragrance designer and Yann as the perfumer, we were destined to experience magic.

Fragrance Developer and Scent Designer Carlos Huber of Arquiste via Carlos Huber

Carlos Huber: When Matthew came to me with the idea to create a signature scent, we discussed his brand, his sources of inspiration and his customers at length. Charlie by Matthew Zink has built an extremely loyal audience for many, many years, and I’ve always admired how honest and impactful his branding has been. It’s a celebration of sexiness and confidence. Matthew and I had known each other for over 10 years and helping him calibrate his vision in olfactive terms was an honor. : He described as inspiration, a day in the life of a Charlie man…his morning routine, the intimacy with his partner, his confident sensuality. I thought Yann [Vasnier] was a perfect choice as perfumer: he’s a master of quietly intriguing suede notes, sexy musks, smoky facets and contrasting accords.

by Matthew Zink  Eau de Parfum inspiration courtesy of the brand

Matthew Zink: When we began the process, I sent Yann and Carlos a brief about a passionate encounter between two individuals.  I gave almost no scent direction.  I wanted you to feel the fragrance, not smell it.  The last few lines of the brief I provided was: “phone. keys. watch. wallet. long kiss. door locks. he buries his face in your pillow. intoxicated by what lingers.”

Carlos Huber: I translated Matthew’s ideas around confidence, attraction and sex into fragrance notes, and spoke to Yann about working around the themes of skin, smoke, fire, sweat and spices. He presented a number of impressive sketches, but this one stood out. From then on, the evaluation and refining process was straightforward. Matthew and I traveled to Paris to meet with Yann and we would try different modifications on different days to assess the best one. The smokiest always won. The Mystikal™ and cumin nitrile notes were stand outs…they created something so real and direct. I loved its power and direct message…this was a smoky scent unlike anything I had tried or worked on. it was unique and sooooo confident. From then on, I would wear this fragrance every time I went out, and every -single -time, everyone near me commented on how much they loved it. People kept asking where they could find it. I knew we had something special.

Givaudan Senior Perfumer Yann Vasnier, courtesy of the perfumer

Yann Vasnier: When Carlos asked me to collaborate with him again, I obviously said yes without question. It is always such a pleasure to work on his highly researched themes and sophisticated concepts. And this time did not disappoint! By Matthew Zink is a very different tale and very unique brand and approach in our perfume industry. I loved from the start working with such a sexy erotic brand and very interesting founder Matthew, definitely more than meet the eyes. I was immediately very inspired for names and concepts and olfactive directions. My perfumer trial root Braises/Burning Embers was perfectly fitting – burning literally and conceptually – around a very high dosage of pyrogenated notes. A key ingredient was this very little used molecule called cumin nitrile bringing this super high-octane masculinity edgy sweaty sexiness… perfectly hairy! Such a pleasure to work with Matthew and Carlos.

Matthew Zink: When I experienced Yann’s “Burning Embers” for the first time, it was very similar to falling in love. It was strong, and it almost scared me. That sense that your mind and heart are telling you to run, but it’s unclear if you should run away or toward.   However, I was instinctually drawn back to breathe it in again and again.  It did not smell like perfume to me.  It felt like a poem, or a first glance.  Like a memory that you had buried and now returned with all its vividness and power.  I was in love.

Matthew Zink: The fragrance has become a sort of invisible ribbon of smoke that guides my conscious and also always seems to carry at least a whisper from of a great love of mine. After the launch, I began to paint again, to draw again, to write.   began to return to art in a very private way again.

Yann and I have never talked privately about his process in creating by Matthew Zink, but I feel the depth and confidence of this very unique fragrance speaks volumes of his artistry, and the magic of allowing a painter to paint. These two gentlemen somehow thoughtfully and lovingly interpreted my desire to perfection.  The process was one of the most inspiring of my career.  And with my name on the bottle, I could not be prouder.

The fragrance can be purchased through the Charlie by Matthew Zink website or through the Arquiste website.

Notes: cade oil, styrax pyrogene, roasted sesame extract, Mystikal™, olibanum, cumin nitrile, fir balsam, benzoin, vanilla absolute and sylkolide

Bottle my own; I  wear by Charlie Zink as does my husband.

~ Rachel K. Ng, Editor

All Photos are courtesy of Matthew Zink except where credited otherwise and cannot be reproduced without permission.

courtesy of the brand

Thanks to the generosity of Matthew Zink we have a draw for a 100 ml bottle of by Matthew Zink for continental USA ONLY for one registered reader. You must register here. To be eligible please leave a comment on what you enjoyed about Rachel’s Behind the Bottle with the creators. Draw closes 7/2/204

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