Ryan Richmond of RICH MESS
Profile: I’m addicted to creating. It started with drawing, morphed into graphic design and has joined forces with photography. I spent my childhood in Kennebunk, Maine, a town-hybrid of ocean and forest. I can definitely appreciate the calm and nature more now.
Ryan Richmond of RICH MESS as a young child with his sister, Kayla
While living there I was hungry for the city life and spent most of my time imagining how I would break out. There are things I love about my hometown, but it severely lacked in diversity.
Ryan in his early New York City years
I’m half black and had a little afro so I stood out everywhere I went. Being gay didn’t help me blend in either. I spent a lot of time alone making art to find and express myself. It wasn’t until moving to New York that I came out of my shell and felt more comfortable being myself. I still relate to Maine’s serene hiding places just as the buzzing downtown party scene. Forever in love with the juxtaposition of everyday experiences.
Ryan with friends at the RICH MESS pride event at Naked Retail
My passion for the arts led me to attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. I loved drawing and painting…or maybe it was the green lawn? Or all the cats on campus? I decided on Pratt. It was sadly short-lived, forced to withdraw after 3 semesters from picking a school that was way too expensive! I overall enjoyed my experience though and still consider it the “Hogwarts of art schools.” Moving on to…my first internship, which was at a super cool/chic ad agency in lower Manhattan. Still my longest job to-date (2.5 years) I started gaining true experience in the field as an art director. I made friends with a photographer at one of their company parties who was a friend of Christophe Laudamiel, the perfumer behind RICH MESS. In 2012 we began working together on a range of projects. The more I learned about Christophe’s style, I realized our talents would make for a fabulous collaboration. In 2018 RICH MESS was born.
RICH MESS AD CAMPAIGN
The RICH MESS name was taken from my own [Ryan Richmond]. It’s unisex, hinting at the chaos one experiences upon opening the bottle. It excites and reveals desire, RICH MESS the name and scent are parallel. Overwhelming with personality that may seem a bit off-putting, but the unexpectedness makes you want to stick around to see what happens. After the thrill it matures into a sensual leather accord. There is more to the Mess than you think.
Ryan accepting the Golden Pear at The Art and Olfaction Awards 2019
On American Perfumery: In all honesty, my interest in perfumery is quite new. I had thought the only place you could buy fragrance was at Sephora or Macy’s. Department stores have some great options, but I still didn’t feel represented in that space. The commercial perfume market in the U.S. is massive, but I don’t relate to them the same way I do fashion brands. I’m inspired by fashion photography and perfume is a complex ensemble to wear with a lot of room for storytelling. 93% of what we say is nonverbal. I’m fascinated by both fashion and scent because you can say so much without words and communicate across all languages. Combining fashion and scent leaves us with an aura and an essence that doesn’t need words or explanation.
RICH MESS Ad Campaign
Not everyone seems comfortable with a unisex fragrance at first. I think the benefit of RICH MESS is that it’s so un-perfumey and non-cologne like that people don’t really know what to think–the mysteriousness pulls them in. The biggest challenge with direct-to-consumer online sales is that you can’t smell the fragrance. Yet being able to attach the fragrance to a memory of sorts and experience the brand for yourself is the most alluring aspect. It’s so much easier getting a feel for the scent by trying it on. However, the RICH MESS brand encourages you to allow the fragrance to take you out. Bringing new experiences which you wouldn’t be able to get from a tester at a department store anyways.
RICH MESS AD CAMPAIGN
My Favorite Artists: I didn’t leave the country until 2017 which was to shoot the first RICH MESS campaign in Paris. I’ve been inspired by pop culture since I was little. I love taking something that may seem pop or happy-go-lucky and giving it a dark twist. There was such a spotlight on early 2000’s culture. I loved following the lives of my favorite celebrities and living vicariously through their music videos. Music videos used to be better, I miss the drama!!
Elsa Peretti in Playboy Bunny Costume 1975 (Helmut Newton Estate)©
I remember seeing Helmut Newton’s work and feeling so inspired. Same with Cecil Beaton’s photographs, which have such power in their simplicity. I notice something different each time I consume their work. The nonchalant, effortlessly cool attitude is such a mood.
Fashion doesn’t have to make sense, and I love the spontaneity it can have. Bringing some fashion flavor to the fragrance industry is my first goal, because after all you wear and live in both.
Ryan Richmond, Founder and Creative Director of RICH MESS.
RICH MESS EDP
Thanks to Ryan Richmond we have a draw of for a registered reader in US / CANADA for a 50 ml bottle of RICH MESS. To enter the draw, you must be a registered reader. Please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about Ryan’s path to perfumery, and where you live. Draw closes 1/19/2021
Ryan Richmond is the 158th in our American perfumer series, which officially began in 2011 with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes.
Part of the RICH MESS fragrance and candle collection
Note: RICH MESS is a lifestyle brand that now has a line of candles and apparel
All photos belong to Ryan unless otherwise noted
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