Linda Landenberg Holst is a Swedish independent perfumer who runs her own business together with a partner in France who is the producer for her as well as her clients’ products.
— From my earliest memory, nature has been my comfort zone as well as home of inspiration, she tells. Life takes you on a journey and my professional life in the beauty industry begun in 1988 and took this path of becoming a perfumer in 2011.
A few weeks ago, she launched her own brand, SAVOUR, where each fragrance is a personality, not a gender, to define the user’s private brand.
— That’s why the collection contains expressions such as ”focused & confident” (the Patio fragrance), ”tempting & hard to catch” (Bee mine), or ”mysterious & fascinating” (November violet). In other words: dress for the occasion. What are your expectations of that specific meeting and how do you want to be preceived? Each reference has an desire to wrap your head in a state of mind that is beneficial for you. First impression lasts in 7 seconds why you have the power to define how those 7 seconds will have an impact of the future. With awareness and attitude you could move a mountain, Landenberg Holst, states. She continues:
— In terms of raw materials, every artist has her own palett of colors. Mine is a mix of naturals, synthetics, and natural identical molecules. The resonance in the olfactive melody has its origin in the tone of voice of the auther — me. Apart from my personality, every material has a personality and I catalogue them in colour, temperature, fabric, temperament, and environment to name some of their characters. If you ask me to divide the materials in general groups I would address naturals as dynamic materials with a soul, the synthetics are the fantasies, and the fairytale landscape and natural identicals is a pigment from the naturals.
The range includes Steel by Naim, a collab with fashion designer Naim Josefi, known for creating couture pieces using Swedish steel.
— It is a wearable, conceptual perfume. My starting point was to identify my idea of the material steel — what colour of ingredients should I work with, what type of energy should it express, and what is the fine line between daring and well dressed? It is also inspired by craftsmanship and fashion and it was of importance to capture some of Naim’s DNA into the fragrance. To sum it up, the accord — my own translation of steel — has a bit industrial concrete dust over it alongside a high pitch note that gives the accord a cold sharpness and even with the high pitch at one end, the other end is kind of mellow and low key.
You’ve been part of the industry for a long time. How has it changed over the years?
— Yes, as mentioned, I started in the beauty industry in 1988 and in the same way your haircut has changed, there is a great difference in how we present a product or how often there is a launch. You have to remember, at that time, internet didn’t exist, which is mindblowing for the new generation and also if we relate to the lifestyle and how companies attack the strategy around growth of today. In late 90s, Green Chemistry was defined by 12 principles, which, if you’re a leading producer or company, your organisation has incorperated today. This is an aspect that consumers do not understand or have insight about. Developing, adjusting, and living with principles takes time and is mostly driven by people and companies with a great passion for their industry and a strive in how to make earth a better place for the existing and future generations. In other words, the trendy name ”green” is not a statement from social media but an exciting ongoing work ”behind the scenes”. A constant work means a constant change, why materials disappears from the market due to the new standards and the new generation of products.
— Due to the pandemic, collaborations are much more common than before. Previously, companies were very protective about their brand and did not want to risk a crack in the facade or a less lucrative partnership. But today, brands are more willing to look at the benefits of a united force and to visit each others playground in terms of marketplaces. I would say it is the new way to explore and attract a new segment or a new generation. Collaborations will stick for the future and become the new normal. But first, collabs will most likely go a bit wild before the quality is balanced with a great strategy, Landenberg Holst concludes.
