The creator of the cult niche brand Baruti talks to CODE Magazine about how a self-taught amateur managed to become one of the most recognized and recognizable creators in the demanding field of ‘haute parfumerie’.
- How did you start creating perfumes?
All of a sudden. I am a psychologist with a PhD in memory function. At 33, I was doing my post-doc and was already teaching at a Dutch university. At some point, I attended a perfume workshop, out of curiosity mostly. Until then, I liked perfumes, but I was far from being considered a perfume addict or even a fan. The workshop was a revealing experience. I already had a career, but when I asked myself what I want to do with my life, I realized that I have more years ahead of me than behind me. I wanted to do something that expresses me perfectly. So, within a few days, I made this life-altering decision, which I also announced to my family.
- Why did you decide to create your own brand?
When I started, I had no background in the field. I am a self-taught perfumer, and my studies had nothing to do with perfumes. To do what I love and show all those things I had learned, investing hard personal work and perseverance, I had to create my brand. Otherwise, perfume-making would remain a hobby forever. Having my own brand gave me prestige as a perfumer. Currently, Baruti employs three people and has 2-3 associates. I could never afford to pay these people if the company did not exist as an entity if there was no brand.
- You have chosen the Netherlands as your base. Why? Would you consider returning to Greece?
My mother is Dutch, I have dual citizenship and Dutch is my second language, so studying in the Netherlands was a choice that came naturally. With the exception of five years in Germany, where I did my PhD, I have studied and worked here all my adult life. I come to Greece very often. There is always the thought of settling down professionally in Greece at some point. I would do it now, if someone would take over all the paperwork and tell me “you just load the lab into the back of a truck, and come over to start working.” But at this given moment, this is not an option…
- You call your creations “kaleidoscopic perfumes”. What does this mean?
Kaleidoscope is a concept which is very close to the meaning of the word ‘baruti’ (gunpowder in Greek). I didn’t want a connection with death and blood, but I did have in mind the concept of visual “explosion”. Kaleidoscopes play with the concept of the mirror, it is some kind of magical realism. For me, a perfume that evokes images and sensations gives the same impression.
- What does niche perfumery mean to you? What is the difference between a perfume that falls into this category, and a mainstream perfume?
The first difference is the audience: niche aims at an essentially small group of consumers, while mass perfumes aim at the widest audience possible. In essence, they differ in the complexity and quality of the raw material. A perfume, to justify its price and inclusion in the niche category, should have a large sillage, change over time (only high quality raw materials and molecules are this complex), and be detected on the skin for at least 12 hours. Baruti perfumes, considered particularly dense even within the niche category, stay on the skin for up to 24 hours, and offer a different olfactory experience every 3-4 hours after application. This, in my opinion, is niche.
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CREDITS:
Interview:
Charitomeni Vonta
Photos:
Courtesy of Baruti