Oswald Paré of Motif Olfactif
Profile: I grew up in Burkina Faso, a small inland country in West Africa. Whenever I asked my mother for help and she knew I could figure it out on my own she would say, “everything is just a matter of perspective.” This is what guides me to this day. So, too, I believe a fragrance has several angles- the maker’s view, the wearer’s intent, and the impressions of the ones who smell it on the wearer’s. I didn’t set out to have it so, but my brand took on a life of its own and became somewhat of an extension of me: an extreme introvert who understands the broader perspectives but focuses on connections, treasures creativity and uniqueness, and refines the small nuances that make the difference.
Oswald Paré of Motif Olfactif as toddler child with his mother Ann in Burkinafaso
As a child I was thirsty for creative expression: I would design my own clothes, buy the fabric I needed, and bring it to the seamstress in town to sew; I’d take apart my dad’s computers to study what made them work (got in trouble for that more than once); I’d collect items that others saw as trash so that I could try and build something new.
Eli and Anne- Oswald’s parents in Ouagadougou, the capitol city
Creativity and curiosity are the two traits that make me a perfumer- and both come from my parents who never batted an eye and always, always let me explore. Also from them (my mom, in particular), I have my earliest fragrance memories: New Year’s gatherings, dancing, hugging, waking up the next morning smelling of perfume. (To this day, it’s often a basic, intimate, and integral memory like this that triggers my inspiration and gets me going on a new scent. It’s like looking in(side).) At the opposite, outward-bound end of forming my aesthetic, I remember my mom had to travel abroad for work; she came back from Senegal with an attar, and that little gift literally opened my brain to the richness of olfaction; it’s a lot to put on a simple oil, but it truly represents the one thing that began to build my perspective on the broad world we live in.
Fast-forward to college: Minnesota, cold, foreign to me, and far from my warm, sunny Burkina Faso; had to adjust my olfactive palette to work with the weather, with the age, with the surroundings–and so started my road, through self-discovery, signature-seeking, scent explorations, collecting, and researching so many perfumery aspects and so broadly spread that, at some point, I started taking notes. And today I’m a Data Scientist, ok? I take serious notes! Plus, I see scents in color, tone, and texture so I always scrutinize highly abstract notions, too–for example, the grade to which there’s reconciliation between the feeling I get from the concept, the execution technique, and the actual smell. Well, my note-taking didn’t go unnoticed– so I started sharing my thoughts publicly, on the MrOz channel. As I analysed fragrances, I studied perfumery; the more I knew, the more recognition I gathered; the more recognition I gathered, so grew my courage to take the leap from deconstructing into constructing. My fragrances are, and probably will remain, generally inspired by either a trip I’ve taken, a close memory, or a new material that fascinates me. Once I have a concept, my process to create the fragrance varies depending on my familiarity with the needed materials. Most of the time, though, my creation process goes through the same few stages: rough brief, researching and evaluating the materials, templating, refining and collecting feedback.
When working on an idea, I first research and study ingredients that can help capture that scent profile and, separately, I check in with other noses. I never assume I hold the truth, and so I like to feel what others think– like I said in the beginning, a fragrance has many angles and I like to look at a scent from all the perspectives that I can. And so I read about other launches, ask my questions on forums, and prospect with other perfumers. I truly believe that collaboration is one of the potential strengths of the fragrance community.
The Motif Olfactif collection
From there on, once the draft is ready, I like to order small samples of the materials I need to use. When they come, I spend anywhere from a few days to a few weeks testing them, learning their particularities, slowly interacting with them, and taking copious notes. This always adds new info to my mental library; and I can always refer back to it when working on future projects. It may seem like a slow process—and it is—but it definitely helps speed up things in the long run. Once I have the blueprint, sometimes it takes weeks, otherwise it still takes months of countless iterations until I’m happy with the outcome. When the scent merges with the mental picture and emotion I set out to achieve, I know a composition is complete. De Toma à Zouma, for example, was created based on nostalgia–as a child, my parents would take me to visit the villages they grew up in; they knew that only leaving the city I’d understand the true meaning of hardship, and see the true power of hope–this fragrance highlights that contrast, and that sinking moment you realize, how different life is for others. When I felt like I felt back then, I knew this fragrance was done.
Mon Oasis by Oswald Paré of Motif Olfactif
Sometimes it’s simpler. Mon Oasis, which was made for my wife, who likes lavender; she wanted a fragrance that was relaxing but had presence, so we kept reiterating until she didn’t reach for any other version but one. She had made her choice, and I knew I was done searching. She even named it, unknowingly: because she kept saying that it takes her to a quiet place, this became Mon Oasis, “my oasis”.
Motif Olfactif’s newest perfume is Vetu de Vert which centers around the many facets of vetiver
I am a data architect, a married man, and a father of two beautiful children-that means my life is busy, and that means I need to be organized; planned; measured; intentional. Opposite of that, I have perfumery- my chaos, my curiousness; my creative outlet. I know these two don’t usually go together, but I can definitely vouch for how certain skills are transferable and can assist in perfume making: know your tools; take detailed notes; be iterative; measure; course-correct.
Motif Olfactif Fragrances, hand crafted in small batches
Moreover, as a self-taught perfumer, I like to see the entire process through. I formulate, I execute, I package, I service, I market. I even design the packaging–each fragrance has a unique sleeve, with a visual representation of the fragrance, as I see it. I didn’t have to do it this way, but I believe that perfumery tends to lean expressive, and as such it’s an extension of one’s personality, both on the maker and the wearer’s side. As a wearer, I always thought it is important to own the fragrances I resonated with; as a collector, I like to explore different scents and try to determine what the creator was trying to accomplish; and as a maker, I try to assemble a point of view that is coherent enough for people to resonate with themselves. Back to the point of blending perspectives, I guess.
Oswald Paré of Motif Olfactif at his perfume organ
On American Perfumery: it’s the most chaotic, and thus the most fertile. It’s the only artistic space I know that’s ever-expanding, because it allows any young perfumer to carve their own place within the olfactive landscape; here you have the freedom to start wherever you are, and go wherever you want to go. Where do I want to go? The truth is I don’t know yet. All I can hope for is that I can contribute bits of my culture and background into the American perfumery landscape through my aesthetic, but also through my practice and my conviction that this is a collaborative art. It is from others that we can learn the most. We all have our own unique stories that influence and shape our life; it is my goal that my fragrances are equipped to help people resonate with them—and, by doing so, to bring joy.
Jean-Michel Basquiat Hollywood Afrikans courtesy of JeanMichelBasquiet.org
Favorite American Artist: I have to say Basquiat. The vibrant colors, the elusive symbols, the childish easiness with which he was able to visually capture a grave message… all of it makes his work very expressive, and very personal–and that is something I resonate with. His art maintains distilled cultural notions inherited from his father (who was Haitian) and his mother (Puerto Rican)—but it was also sincere to his surroundings, full of perspectives, timely… quintessentially New York.
– Oswald Paré of Motif Olfactif, perfumer,founder and owner
Thanks to Oswald Paré of Motif Olfactif we have a discovery set of all six Perfumes (including De Toma à Zouma and Murmure Chypré which are sold out) available for one worldwide reader or a 50 ml of Vetu de Vert. To enter the draw, you must be a registered reader. To be eligible please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about Oswald Paré’s path to perfumery, where you live and your choice of set or Ventu de Vert should you win. Are you familiar with his fragrances Draw closes 6/14/2020.
Oswald Paré is our 151st American perfumer in our series, which officially began in 2011 with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes.
All photos belong to Oswald Paré unless otherwise noted. As Oswald Paré creates in small batches his fragrances often sell out. Special thanks to editor dana sandu for bringing Oswald Paré to our attention. We are so thrilled she did.
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