collage by Elena©
I first encountered Gallivant, an independent perfume brand from London, founded by Nick Steward, (the former Creative Director of L’Artisan Parfumeur) while I was gallivanting around Pitti Fragrance 2018 in Florence. The brand had just launched in 2017, and London, one of the first fragrances in the brand’s portfolio, was already finalist of the Art & Olfaction Awards 2018.
Nick Steward of Gallivant
Actually, I first met Nick at a spontaneously organized dinner gathering perfumers and perfume lovers from all over the world, where we talked about everything else – except his own fragrances. The conversation flow was smooth, from one speaker to next, from one perfume-related topic to another, honestly and simply, leaving us all inspired and happy at the end of that beautiful day. A fulfilling chance encounter, inspiring sharing, and listening, what a happy memory! People of perfumes matter.
A couple of months later, when I sampled the Gallivant Perfumes collection, it struck me immediately that the values Nick himself embodies are indeed reflected in his perfume collection: subtle packaging, the deceptive simplicity of fragrances, and very refined expression. You’ll immediately notice that these are high quality, non-pretentious fragrances, elegant and playful at the same time: they simply make me smile and feel good, and I’ve been following all the later releases in years that followed – a total of 8 #slowperfume creations because Nick takes his time in the development of new fragrances. There’s no rush in translating the experiences into fragrances here, the brand is growing at a steady buy not overwhelming pace; Nick is carefully choosing the perfumers, and working with a renowned lab – Art et Parfum located in Cabris, France (founded by Edmond Roudnitska), and finishing small batches of perfume by hand in England.
I’ve been Gallivanting ever since, and from the eight perfumes that are currently in the collection, there are at least three you should be wearing this summer or all year round. Here are three olfactory impressions of cities that are not meant to be postcards, but rather interesting hidden corners of a city, sometimes brief and unexpected moments in time captured and translated into perfume. And even if you’ve never visited any of those cities yet or if you’re living right there, I’m sure you’ll enjoy these fragrances just as they are, anywhere you go, and create your own memories.
Brooklyn@ Gallivant Perfumes
Brooklyn / Giorgia Navarra 2017: Brooklyn is a bright, fizzy, sparky, highly energizing wake-up call. One of my favorites, because all that initial brightness and sharpness reminds me of shades suddenly pulled up early in the morning, to let the sunshine in! It soon becomes more powdery – in a good, relaxed way. I love it also because it shifts shapes in very smooth and liquid-feeling transitions. The heart of Brooklyn feels like the comfort of familiar places you pass by every day, perhaps early in the morning on your way to work. With almost metallic tinges of fresh air, the scent of your own skin warming up on a sunny morning, it’s also very subtle and smooth at the same time. Further down the road, the atmosphere changes again: very exquisite layers of orris and magnolia float above the warm, amber base and everything feels finely balanced: contrasts of citruses vs creaminess subdue into a relaxed creaminess that feels so good. I would say it’s an easy-going, interesting, and fun summer-appropriate fragrance. And that dry-down! It’s bound to make you smile. Notes: bergamot, squeezed lemon and orange juice, incense, cardamom, fresh air and ozonic notes, magnolia, orris root, transparent flowers, musks, white woods, benzoin, amber.
Istanbul, Gallivant Perfumes
Istanbul /Karine Chevallier 2017: Istanbul was the first fragrance in Gallivant’s collection that I was drawn to, maybe simply because of my own intense memories of the city, and/or my curiosity to see to which corner of the city will Gallivant take me to. And Istanbul is full of contrasts, with lovely small hidden spots, historical beauties and tourist-crowded streets and squares, clashes of different styles, and the ongoing, boiling fusion of old and new, traditional and modern. If you were expecting an Istanbul spice-bazaar scent, this is not it. What it is – is ambery comforting, easy-going comfortable, and it feels like hugging a close friend you haven’t seen for a long time. Its opening is fresh and mildly spicy. After the spices settle down, it becomes slightly powdery, but there’s an undercurrent of creaminess flowing deep beneath. It smells to me at some point like quiet moments I had here, sitting in a street cafe and enjoying freshly brewed coffee with cardamom, marzipan sweets on the side, with the scent of unidentifiable flowers gently rolling in with an early evening breeze that’s coming from Bosphorus. The dry-down features very delicious vanilla and tonka, never too sweet, never too loud – it’s just a seamless, well-rounded blend of goodies that are just slightly gourmand. Wear it in summer evenings, or rainy summer days when you need a hug of comfort or that sweet all-is-well relaxed feeling at the end of the day. Notes: bergamot, cardamom, red thyme, lavender absolute, Egyptian geranium essence, patchouli heart, sweet myrrh (opoponax) essence, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, amber, musks.
Tokyo, Gallivant Perfumes
Tokyo / Nicolas Bonneville, 2018: Peace and quiet of body and mind. Tranquility. That’s my first association whenever I spray Tokyo on: I find it very relaxing and mind-tingling at the same time, because of its duality. At moments it feels so utterly natural, and yet it there’s a feeling of complexity and sophistication beneath that seeming simplicity at the surface. Misty, wasabi-peppery yuzu that tingles your nose at the beginning, with streaks of soft spices is quite fascinating. In time, Tokyo on my skin becomes more and more ephemeral, misty with soft woods and a dry and gentle incense that eases your mind. It’s an atmospheric fragrance and a very different fragrant image of Tokyo than neon-lights or imaginary cherry-tree blossoms: it keeps steering you away from the pulse of hectic-but-clinically-clean city streets and leads you in a direction of a dreamy suburbia, tradition-infused calmness and refinement. I love how calm Tokyo makes me feel. Strong, but calm and elegant, focused. Wear it anytime you need a touch of refined sophistication, it’s wearable all year round, and with this kind of summer we are having right now – it fits perfectly.
Gallivant Tokyo is a Woman’s Health Beauty Awards 2019 Winner – Best Newcomer.
Notes: yuzu, bergamot, black pepper, cardamom, wasabi, hinoki, cedarwood, orris root, nutmeg, rose, incense, amber, sandalwood, patchouli, and vetiver.
Gallivant continues its travels: with Nick’s permission, I have a little secret to share with you! A new fragrance launch is planned soon, and the 9th fragrance in the collection will feature a not so well-know city, and one of the key players is…orris!
Elena Cvjetkovic, Editor and Author of The Plum Girl
Disclaimer: Gallivant samples were kindly provided by Nick Steward for my consideration. Opinions are – as always – my own.
Photo by Nir Guy of Perfumology
Thanks to the generosity of Gallivant Perfumes and in the USA Perfumology we have a 30 ml bottle draw for one registered reader in the U.S. or UK & EU only. You must be registered or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment on Elena’s review of Gallivant’s Three You Should Be Wearing, where you live, and which fragrance featured is the one you would love to wear. * OR* If you would prefer to win 2 10 ml perfume oils of Istanbul and Tokyo…. please leave that in your comment. Which city do you think Nick is taking us to next. Draw closes 6/27/2020
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Art and images: Gallivant and Perfumology