Jorum Studio Fantosmia by Brooke©
The story of Jorum Studio Fantosmia is one that would not feel out of place in a Wilke Collins novel. A perfumer haunted by a smell that he couldn’t place and an escalating obsession as he tries to find it. “I was trying to capture an aroma that literally didn’t exist, but my brain was telling me it did. And on top of that, developing this with Chloe when I was the only one with the original reference point was frustrating at times.” (Chloe Mullen is perfumer Euan McCall’s partner. Together they run Jorum Studio and Jorum Laboratories. Chloe also has a range of candles called Her Own.)
Jorum Studio Fantosmia by Brooke©
“The initial sketches of what is now Fantosmia were very quick, short and intuitive formulas comprising around 10-15 materials as a means to capture the ‘phantom’ odour – almost like a photograph. The point of doing this was to give Chloe an ‘indicator’ of what I was smelling so we could try to find it in our apartment. Of course, we couldn’t find the source of the odour as it didn’t exist. Only I was smelling this odour. Over the course of a week or so the phantom odour started to appear outside of our apartment; on the street, in shops, cafes etc.”-says Euan McCall
Jorum Studio Fantosmia by Brooke©
Fantosmia does have a theatricality about it. Even the initial flash of piquant pepper has the feel of a magician making a dramatic appearance on stage. Like all Jorum Studio perfumes, Fantosmia rewards you for time spent with it. All of the Jorum Studio perfumes have a kaleidoscopic quality. Initial impressions shift slowly and spin into one another. As Fantosmia develops, it moves through smoky veils and transparent hazes of texture in a game of olfactory hide and seek. Euan goes on to say, “That’s the thing with ‘elusive’ aromas or when you are working on trying to create a new perfume, often you are smelling the end result in your head and then finding pathways to obtaining and conveying this idea. Many if not all are based on some level of experience with odour (that’s how our brain likes to work), however, trying to create something new requires pushing the sensation into new territory. Like a musician hears a melody or harmony and then brings it to reality through instrumentation.”
Jorum Studio Fantosmia by Brooke©
Often when we talk about perfume, we draw on descriptors from other sensory realms to convey what the fragrance is like due to our language of words to describe smells being so limited. Euan calls this “olfacticality”. “We spend so much time talking about and describing odours and often give them physical properties and the like. In terms of Fantosmia, the odour I kept smelling seemed very physical. It was such a visceral experience it seemed to exist in reality. We could not find a word that best described applying physicality to aromas, so we devised one.”
Jorum Studio Fantosmia by Brooke©
Many of us have always thought of perfume in this way; however, it’s refreshing to have a term to springboard that sort of conversation about perfume off of. Personally, I feel that there can be a fetishism around “notes”. Perfumes are more than the sums of their parts, but often notes are all that we have to begin a conversation about fragrance with.
I think sometimes referencing notes can be debilitating, akin to giving someone an instruction manual on how to appreciate a painting. Sometimes approaching a fragrance without too much technical reference allows for a greater instinctual response… “What we often lose sight of is that perfume’s true magic lies in its space for response. It’s a blank canvas. Perfume never dictates. It never tells you that you’re wrong or right. It just allows you to feel what you want to feel and fill the lines – or even outside the lines – with whatever story you’d like. Its power is its malleability. It can be anything we need it to be – a lockbox for memories, a talismanic portal to emotional depths or a kick in the ass when we need a lift. My attachment to fragrance is based on it allowing itself to be whatever I need at the time and its willingness to allow my imagination run rampant across its invisible canvas”.
Fantosmia is the first installment in Jorum Studio’s Selective Memory collection. Here’s a sneak peak of coming attractions:
“The next installment of Selective Memory is one I hope we can all relate to. We wanted to try and capture a sense of shared history I.e. the ambient aroma experienced in places of knowledge and historical records. There is a distinctive polished wood element and a sweetness akin to the degradation of paper. The next Selective Memory perfume is a celebration of education and learning. How history and what has come before is the catalyst for the future and innovation… should we choose to learn from the past.”
–Brooke Belldon, Guest Contributor
From my own collection
Impression: Black Pepper, Annatto, Cardamom, Pimento, Fennel & Sisho Leaf.
Fade: Mate, Cascarilla, Nutmeg, Aetoxylon, Castoreum*, Saffron & Tobacco.
Editor’s Note: Eaun McCall was Michelyn’s CaFleureBon Rising Star of 2019
Jorum Studio Fantosmia by Brooke©
Thanks to the generosity of Jorum Studio, we have a 30ml bottle (£75 GBP) Fantosmia EDP for one registered reader in the US, EU and UK (you must register on our site or your comment will not count). To be eligible please let us know what appeals to you about Jorum Studio Fantosmia and where you live. Have you tried a Jorum Studio Perfume before? Draw closes 8/13/2020
In the USA, Indigo Perfumery has Fantosmia in stock here.
Luckyscent.com has a great selection of Jorum Studio Perfumes here
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