Scents of Success: Inside the Meteoric Rise of L'Atelier Parfum
As L'Atelier Parfum celebrates its fifth anniversary, the dynamic duo sat down to share the inspiring story behind their brand, their innovative approach to fragrance creation, and their ambitious plans for global expansion.
AM: Can you tell us about the story behind how you two met and decided to start L'Atelier Parfum brand together?
Masha: It's really a story of love between us and the world of perfumery. Mikolaj and I had actually met over 10 years ago when we were working together at another big fragrance company. We really connected over our shared passion for perfumes, cosmetics, and the industry. We kind of lost touch for a bit, but then in 2018, it was completely by chance that we ended up running into each other one evening in Paris. We started talking and realized that we both had entrepreneurial ambitions and a vision for creating our own fragrance brand.
AM: So what were your backgrounds prior to starting the brand?
Mikolaj: I had more of a marketing and business background. I worked for a home decor retail company, handling product marketing and development. And then I moved to a big tech company, managing different markets across Europe.
Masha: And I came more from the product side. I worked in product marketing for a large cosmetics company, choosing and developing products for their stores. So we each brought complementary skills and experiences to the table.
AM: And how did you approach the creative process for developing your
fragrances? We understand you work with Maison Robertet, a renowned
perfume house.
Masha: Absolutely, we chose to partner with Maison Robertet because of their exceptional expertise in perfumery and their leadership in sourcing and producing natural ingredients. For us, it was crucial to build a brand that is highly focused on nature.
Mikolaj: Concerning the creative process, we give our perfumers a very light, open-ended brief. We don't want to constrain their creativity. We see them as true artists, so we let them create in total freedom. That's very different from the approach of many commercial fragrance brands, where the briefs are extremely detailed. We prefer to let the perfumers' inspirations and emotions guide the process.
AM: So you don't even know which perfumer worked on a given fragrance?
Mikolaj: Exactly, we do a blind testing process. We receive multiple submissions for each brief, without knowing which perfumer created which one. It's all about the personal, emotional connection to the fragrance for us.
Masha: Sometimes Mikolaj and I are on the same page in terms of our favorites, but other times we have different preferences. It's a very intuitive, subjective process.
AM: And in terms of the fragrance notes and inspirations, how do you guide the perfumers?
Masha:
It really varies. Sometimes it's based on memories or places, other
times it might be a specific ingredient or a blend, like a citrus
cocktail. But the direction is always quite light and open-ended,
focused more on the emotional side.
Mikolaj: Colors are also a
big inspiration for us. We find that people really connect with the
colors and packaging of our fragrances.
AM: You mentioned
earlier that you've had great success, even ranking number 1 with
Sephora in Asia. What do you attribute that to?
Masha: I think it
really comes down to our unique approach and storytelling. We're not
constrained by the traditional masculine/feminine divide in perfumes.
Our fragrances are meant to be experienced and explored freely.
Mikolaj:
We invite our customers to play with the colors, the perfumes, the
emotions. It's not about loyalty to one signature scent, but about
having a wardrobe of fragrances to suit different moods and occasions.
AM: Do you think the market is becoming oversaturated with all the new indie brands popping up?
Masha:
No, I don't believe it's saturated at all. While there are a lot of new
brands launching, many of them don't end up succeeding long-term. I see
the landscape becoming richer and more diverse, which is great for
consumers.
Mikolaj: And we have an advantage as a more nimble,
flexible brand. We can experiment and make mistakes in a way that the
big legacy houses can't afford to. That allows us to constantly innovate
and connect with customers in new ways.
AM: What are some of your key priorities for the next few years?
Masha:
The UK market is definitely a big focus for us. We're looking to open
standalone stores there, as well as build out our online presence. And
of course, continuing to grow our presence in France, which is still our
core market. But we also have our sights set on Shanghai - we just
entered the Chinese market this year, and we see huge potential there.
Mikolaj:
Dubai is also a key market that we're excited about. We already have a
nice foothold there, and we think our concept and storytelling will
really resonate.
AM: And beyond fragrances, I understand you're also launching some new product categories.
Masha:
We're working on premium body care products, with a focus on
sustainable, glass packaging. Plus, we're exploring the idea of
artisanal home scents like candles and diffusers.
Mikolaj: And
we're also really excited about our upcoming mist collection. It's a
more affordable, playful way for people to experience our fragrances.
The packaging is just gorgeous - very earthy and matte.