Hey Fragrant Friend 👋 ,
It’s day 693 of me trying to change the perfume industry for the better. Here’s the weekly note from inside the engine room.
Before we dive into this issue, a quick favour: Move this email to your Primary tab so future issues land where you’ll actually see them.
Update
If I am completely honest, looking back at the last few days, I can safely say this has been by far the most successful week since I started this journey. So much has happened, which feels quite surreal considering I am still building New Niche alongside my regular work.
In the last newsletter, I mentioned that the products might be arriving soon. Well, they are here.
All 50ml bottles are fully packed in their primary packaging and safely wrapped in cellophane. The necessary safety assessments and Product Information Files are officially entered into the European register. This means absolutely nothing stands in the way of shipping anymore. After so much waiting, the thought of finally sending these bottles out next week fills me with an incredible amount of joy.
Dream Partners
Alongside the product arrival, something else is moving in a beautiful direction. I am currently deep in five serious conversations with my absolute dream retail partners.
The fact that these partners are taking so much time to get to know me, the project, and the people behind it is deeply humbling. It serves as a fantastic validation factor for me. It shows me that these are exactly the kind of environments where the narrative of New Niche can be properly told. We will actually begin supplying our first partners next week, and I cannot help but feel a quiet sense of pride about it.
For those who know me, you know I always live a bit in the future through images. I keep catching myself imagining a specific scenario: a friend tells me they are going on holiday to Barcelona or Copenhagen, and I can casually say, "Oh, you should pop into this specific store, my fragrance is sitting right there on the shelf." It is a small thought, but it completely grabs me in the gut (#daydreamer) 😀.
Meeting the Master
Beyond the operational milestones, a genuine lifelong dream came true this week. I had the unexpected chance to spend two hours in Berlin with my absolute idol in perfumery, Master Perfumer Christophe Laudamiel (who, funnily enough, is an eager reader of this newsletter 😉). So, thanks CL!
We sat in his lab discussing the status quo of independent perfumery. We talked about his work, his mindset, and the relentless energy he still channels into the intersection of art and chemistry. Years ago, before I fully understood how the fragrance industry worked, I simply sensed that something was off. It was stumbling upon Christophe's writings and his public critique of fashion-driven conglomerates that validated my gut feeling. Meeting him in person, feeling that same fire burning for what he believes is right, was a truly wonderful experience, especially coming from a slightly different generation.
Meeting with Christophe Laudamiel
I didn't say this to Christophe, but in my mind, the evolution of New Niche will never feel truly complete unless the person who influenced my view of the industry the most eventually has his face, his artistic touch, and his narrative on one of our packages. But all things in good time. For now, I am simply grateful for the direct connection.
A Lasting Impression
Speaking of masters, I genuinely thought I had smelled a lot in my life. But in his lab, I had the chance to smell meltmyheart by strangelove, a fragrance Christophe realised.
As I write this newsletter, thirty hours after our meeting, I am still picking up the blotter every few minutes. It has completely opened up a new dimension of perfumery art for me. I had never experienced an "adult gourmand" like this before. The way incredibly high-quality natural ingredients are carried by brilliant synthetic accords is simply in a completely different league to anything I have smelled before. It is, without a doubt, world-class.
Full Circle
To top off this defining week, Christophe actually smelled Chester’s work for New Niche (#1 ‘Before the World Moved Again’). A little fun fact: Chester was once mentored by Christophe, so the two know each other well.
Christophe told me he knows no other fragrance quite like it, and he praised the technical craftsmanship behind it. Having the full support of someone of his calibre, knowing he loves the first scent, appreciates the finished product, and believes New Niche is on the right path, is a massive milestone. It releases so much energy to finally bring our narrative into the world.
Heading into the weekend, I am almost a bit nervous because things are moving so fast. I know there will be harder weeks again. But I will draw energy from this specific week for a very, very long time.
Mood of the week: Ecstatic and completely electrified ⚡️
More soon.
Sebastian