Pekji Battaniye 50 ml Extrait, photo by Pekji
“There’s nothing wrong with comfort.
Nothing wrong with boundaries.
Watching the storm from afar, knowing you are safe inside.”
– Ömer İpekçi
Ömer İpekçi, photo by Pekji
Pekji is a new, indie brand that stemmed from Ömer İpekçi’s creations for friends and perfume lovers that discovered and supported him for a couple of years while he was „growing underground“, and made small batches of perfume for eager perfumistas.
Collection, photo by Pekji Collection, photo by Pekji
In 2018 he presented his brand and five fragrances (extraits) EauMar, Ruh, Odoon, Zeybek, and my favorite Battaniye. He stressed that all were created without concerns of cost of materials or mainstream market appeal.
Blanket, photo by Pekji
There’s nothing wrong with wrapping yourself in a cozy, soft blanket on a cold and stormy evening, feeling its fibers touch your nostrils, smelling its familiar scent that perishes for a while upon washing it but returns faster if you use it close to your skin often enough again and again, turning it into your protective bubble. Just like with perfume: however simple or complicated a perfume formula might be, a transparent shield a perfume can offer is sometimes a better armor than those made of steel.
This blanket we use transforms itself often into a semipermeable membrane that keeps away the chaos of the outer world but lets your inner glow shine through, becoming a beloved comfort object that you cling to even when it gets rugged, torn at its corners or thinned down from years of use. I really believe that there’s a little of Linus Van Pelt in all of us, come stormy days and colder days: bright, wise, serious people that reach for their favorite cuddly comfort blankets“ when the going gets tough.
Oh, there are all kinds of blankets too, patchwork double-faced ones, woolen prickly covers, knitted or crocheted, smooth and feather-light fine cotton throws, plush pastel-colored softies, bright-colored decorative plaids – and they are all saying „hold me tight, everything is going to be alright“. Comfort objects, meant to provide psychological strength and emotional support in times of need – just like perfumes.
Photo by Pekji
Pekji Battaniye, released in 2018, means blanket in Turkish, and the idea Ömer Ipekci of Pekji standing behind this creation is wrapped around the concept of a comfort blanket. Ömer, a self-taught perfumer, visual artist, illustrator and graphic designer from Istanbul moves his fragrant brush in bold and wide yet very controlled swipes, which remind me of the way calligraphy artists draw letters and form words in one take with a soft brush dipped in black ink moving over empty whiteness of paper, tilting from its thin tip to wide base, with lighter or heavier pressure on paper, creating poetry of movement and art.
Omer’s fragrant blanket, Pekji Battaniye, is double-sided: its cover side is designed of voluptuous patchouli, a storm of dark green earthiness which is not cloying at all– it possesses an airy quality, resembling dark rainy clouds shifting across the sky and above wet earth just moments before the storm begins. This patchouli is a separate storm-in-a-bottle for itself: bold, warm and soft with balsamic undertones, and for some reason as this interval of the fragrance composition developed further, I was reminded of the smell of linen oil on canvas – strangely soothing in a most unexpected way.
Leather Sofa Feeling, photo by Unsplash
After the grand, stormy entrance, this patchouli’s character enhanced by labdanum reminds me of scent of an old leather sofa covered with soft pillows and warm blankets. There’s a definite leathery feel to it, with a suede-like finish. Battaniye is thick, dark, potent at the beginning yet breathing warm air, touched by spices, crushed flowers, trails of smoke and flecks of ash. There’s a thin line between the outer storm and inner comfort, a layer of soft woods melted in musks that leads you to the reverse side, the soft, suave, and comfortable fabric of the blanket, so contrasting to the storm you’ve just witnessed through the window glass from the safety of your home. A flow of ambery-gold warmth takes over, carrying herbal-feeling spices closer to the surface, balancing and reducing the sweetness. The drydown is reminiscent of a relaxing cocoon of soft woolly fabric wrapped around you that reveals musky tones hidden in its folds, like parts of your soul interwoven in the threads of your favorite comfy blanket, be it real or imaginary.
Patchouli/Amber is a legendary pairing, so one might think there’s nothing new to add. There always is, and there are always different interpretations of patchouli and amber accord possible, let alone the combination of two. Pekji’s Battaniye is ancient and contemporary at the same time, an intense experience with pronounced dichotomies of light/dark, earthy/airy, fierce/gentle, a contrasted rhythm, and above all – it’s a well-knitted fragrant artisan blanket, invigorating and soothing at the same time, in a strangely odd yet so familiar way.
There’s nothing wrong with comfort, and there are times and seasons when we all need it, even when obtaining it means setting our own, invisible and fragrant boundaries.
Notes: Amber, honeysuckle, java vetiver, labdanum, musk, patchouli, soil, soot, wool.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank Stefano Saccani and Ömer İpekçi for the Discovery Set given to me at Pitti Fragranze 2019. My opinions and feelings are always of my own.
Elena Cvjetkovic, Senior Contributor
Photos: Elena Cvjetkovic, Pekji, Unsplash
Discovery Set, photo by Pekji
Thanks to the generosity of Pekji we have one Discovery Set with 5x 2ml sprayers of each perfume in the collection available for one registered reader worldwide. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Pekji Battaniye based on Elena’s review, and where you live. Draw closes 11/16/2019
Editor’s Note: In Editor Ermano Picco’s Pitti Fragranze 2019 report, he noted that Pekji Battaniye was one of his favorites of the brand and that the flacons were designed by Francesca Gotti. You can revisit his Best of Show here.
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