Steve DeMercado (R) and Michael Simpson (L) of OK Fine Fragrances
Our Profile: Steve DeMercado and I, Michael Simpson, have been collaborators, workmates, rock & roll bandmates, and great friends for 20 years. And this week, we’re thrilled, as Co-founders, to introduce you to our own indie brand, OK Fine Fragrances. The fact that it’s actually happening this week is still sinking in, but in a way, you could say it’s been in the works since we first met. Everything about the company, and the amazing new creative process we’re pioneering, reflects on our history together. It’s a direct reflection of our beliefs about what fragrance is and what fragrance can be. Mostly, it’s about our passion to create a brand like no other for indie fragrance lovers that get it.
Steve DeMercado Master Perfumer Co-Founder OK Fine Fragrances
Steve’s intro to the business is a great story. He was the bass player in a rock band playing a gig at the fragrance house, Naarden, the summer of his senior year in high school. The electricity went out and he struck up a conversation with newly hired master perfumer Johann Hydel. They immediately hit it off and Johann offered Steve a summer job as his compounder. Today, Steve is the multi-Fifi award winning nose behind scents for Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Michael Kors and others. A good lesson for all you young rockers…right?!!
I fortuitously discovered the wonderful world of fragrance as a junior marketer managing the classic after shave brand, Skin Bracer. (Thanks, I needed that!) I immediately realized that talking with people about fragrance and creating products that fulfill their wants and desires is an amazingly fun way to spend the day. I spent the first half of my career marketing brands at Coty and the second half with Steve at Fragrance Resources where we collaborated on creating fragrances and product concepts on behalf of a wide range of clients.
OK Fine Fragrances American Oak Barrels
OK Fine Fragrances is all about offering a rule-breaking, innovative, authentic, world-class artisanal fragrance experience to fragrance fans who, like you, who will settle for nothing less than WOW! We are proud to introduce you to the first company dedicated to handcrafting fragrances aged in American Oak barrels. This process has been used to add aroma, complexity and to smooth fine wines, whiskeys and bourbons for ages, and now we’re pioneering this creative process for an entire range of fine fragrances.
And the results are amazing. We begin by crafting honest, straightforward, artisanal fragrances that are then aged in American oak barrels “seasoned” with ingredients specifically chosen to interact with the original scent. Steve monitors the aging process, just as a master distiller would, until he feels that oak barrel has worked its magic. In his words, “This approach is incredibly inspiring, and I’m always surprised with the results. And I love the fact that each batch is unique, never to be exactly replicated, even if I tried! And limiting our batches to 75 bottles makes them and the experience all the more special”.
Steve and Michael jamming in between batches.
On American Perfumery: We’ve all been pretty lucky to have experienced a golden age of perfumery in the US for the last several decades. And it’s been an amazing time to be in the business in New York City as we’ve trended from powerhouse florals in the 80’s, to sheers in the 90’s, woods in the 2000’s, and back to all of them again in the 10’s! We’ve also been lucky to experience the rise of niche brands, many of which now are corporate-sized or owned themselves. But we think today is the most exciting time of all in American Perfumery.
Today, AMERICAN INDIE FRAGRANCE is totally where the action is! Small, independent makers are igniting the industry with new, innovative ideas, risk-taking scents and, finally, with more fun, and definitely less pretentious, attitude toward fragrances and branding. It’s less about trends and flankers and more about artistry and expression. Steve and I are having a blast as the newest members of this talented, entrepreneurial and passionate group of Indie fragrance makers.
Waiting for Gracie rocking a fragrance industry party way back when. Steve is second from right and Michael is in the far right
Our Favorite American Artists: Our favorite shared passion, after fragrance, is making music. We formed a garage band called Waiting for Gracie years ago with a few good friends from the industry and spent every Wednesday night and many Saturday nights rehearsing and gigging. We didn’t get quite good enough to quit our day jobs, but we did have way too much fun playing together. Today, we play in several different bands, and interestingly, the genres are all distinctly American, including the blues, jazz, country and bluegrass.
Multi-genre American music musician, Ry Cooder.
That’s why our favorite American artist is Ry Cooder, a musician’s musician well known for his interest in a broad range of American roots music.
Steve and I are totally thrilled to be the first company dedicated to this amazing new approach. And we’re proud to be small, rock and roll, rule-breaking American Indie makers.
–Michael Simpson and Steve DeMarcado of OK Fine Fragrances
If you’re in the USA, please enter to win a bottle of your choice from OK Fine Fragrances. To be eligible you must be a registered reader, register here or your comment will not count. Tell us what you found interesting about Steve and Michael’s fragrance journey, where you live and which OK Fine Fragrance you would want should you win. Draw closes 5/25/2019
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Michael Simpson and Steve DeMarcado are our 144th American perfumer(s) in our series, which began in 2011. All photos belong to OK Fine Fragrances except where noted
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