Music in a bottle: interview with the creator of the perfume Feather Supreme

To have a scent that reminds me about U2 Berlin concerts, to smell a perfume whose notes trigger happy memories of a summer, on a beach, when listening Bob Dylan, to have a fragrance that drives me back in teenager years, when listening to Kurt Cobain… that is something worth to be closely explored. JusBox is not just another perfume house. Each of the fragrances (14 Hours Dream, Black Powder, Use Abuse, Beat Cafe) has a cool history. And an musical icon to go with them. I talked to Chiara Valdo, the co-founder of the JUSBOX, about the latest creation of the house, Feather Supreme, inspired by the one and only Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul Music.

“We do not address our fragrances to a gender. You wear what you like, what you feel. The perfume is like the music, it allows you to express your emotions. The same, it doesn’t matter if the singer is a man or a female; you like the music or not”, said Chiara Valdo.

Feather Supreme is part of JUSBOX line and could be find in Beautik Haute Parfumerie stores and on www.beautik.ro. 

More about JUSBOX brand on http://www.jusboxperfumes.com. 

Why Aretha Franklin? Why she’s the muse of this perfume?

I love her. The thing I like her most is this kind of softness and power at the same time. I really love that she used her success to fight for women rights. Nowadays is more usual to express these opinions, to fight for these rights, but we are talking about the 50s. She was a pioneer. And she was a woman proud to be a woman.

This is the first perfume from the JusBox line that is inspired by a woman…

Yes, but it happened by chance. Nothing premeditated here. The perfumer Dominique Ropion put the citrus notes on top (mandarin, bergamot), that keep the freshness, then the heart is more floral (with rose and jasmine and tuberose, and ylang-ylang),while at the end you have the the musk and the patchouli. We called the perfume Feather because you suddenly think about something feminine – strong and soft – and feather is also about sensuality. But yet, feather is a symbol of freedom. We add Supreme to the name because, after all, Aretha was the supreme singer.

When did you listen for the first time an Aretha Franklin song?

I think I was like five years olde – my parents were in love with music and my brother and I always have listened a lot of music, especially jazz. I think nobody can live without music.

How long is the process of creating a perfume? From the idea to the stores? 

It depends. It took us like four years and a half to create the whole concept. We had, at the beginning, four different perfumes on the market (now there are seven). It is a long process, from choosing the essence to packaging, to the PR and commercial part…

What is your favourite part? And what is the part you dislike, during the process?

I worked for the PR department, then to the marketing, then product development, so that is my field of expertise, and I love it. I do not enjoy so much the commercial side (the sale figures, channels and stuff) but I really love talking to the costumers, in the stores.

Name the three key points in the evolution of the brand…

For me and my brother, as well, the first key point was to find the name and to define the concept of the brand so we could concentrate under one name all we had to say (it was funny, we found the perfect name, JUSBOX, on a flight). Another key point was the design of the bottle – we have decided from the start that we will have the vinyl cap on the bottle (of course, we had to figure out wether we will have a square bottle, a round one…). And the third point was the reaction of the perfumers when we asked them to work with us. They were big names and when we asked them to work for our brand, they accepted immediately. We were very lucky and we are so proud to work with so many talented people.

You paid tribute to Kurt Cobain, Freddy Mercury, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan. What’s next? 

Next year we are going to explore another way to explore and celebrate music. And we will do it by opening another line.

Why do we need a special fragrance in our lives? 

First of all, we have to love ourselves and we have to care about ourself. And perfume, as music, is a very important way to express our feelings and emotions. And, as music, a perfume could keep traces of memories and it could remind us of happy moments.

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