A front-row seat to the ideas shaping fine perfumery.
Tarot cards, damp skin and white chocolate: three details that sum up a remarkable day at Quoin Rock Wine Estate, where Skins brought together the creators behind ten fragrance houses.
A bottle gives you a name, a price and a list of notes. It rarely gives you the grandmother, the game of chess or the flower fields in Grasse. That is what Meet the Creators put on the table, and it made the day feel less like a launch than a masterclass in how an idea becomes something you can wear.
In niche perfumery, luxury is measured by story, rarity and a founder’s refusal to compromise—a philosophy championed by Skins, the Amsterdam-born retailer with seven boutiques across South Africa. Bringing these ten founders under one roof proved exactly why narrative matters in modern fragrances.
Here is what I took from each creator.
MEET THE CREATORS
Thameen
Thameen—Arabic for “precious”—was founded in 2013 by Basel Binjabr on the belief that fine fragrance deserves the reverence of haute joaillerie. The craftsmanship, solid glass bottles, and extraordinary longevity make these creations feel like items to be collected rather than simply worn. Behind the artistry sits a deeply personal tribute: Binjabr dedicated his very first creation to his late father. With Opaline Extrait de Parfum as their latest release, Thameen stands firmly as one of my personal favourites in niche perfumery.
Nishane
Few cities bridge East and West like Istanbul, and Nishane translates that cultural dialogue directly into scent. Founded in 2012 by Mert Güzel and Murat Katran, the High Perfumery House takes its name from the Turkish word for "symbol"—an ambition to turn perfume into an enduring mark of identity. Drawing raw material from literature, art, and emotion, Nishane crafts fragrances that feel less like quiet accessories and more like bold cultural manifestos.
Mind Games
Chess and perfumery might seem unlikely partners, but for New York-based founders Alex and Mariana Shalbaf, they share a common language. Launched in 2022, Mind Games was built on the premise that the strategy of grandmaster chess and the artistry of fine perfumery belong together. Every scent mirrors the weight of a move on the board, resulting in a collection of bold, extreme signatures where nothing is left to chance—each note chosen for its precise role in the larger opening. With striking presentation and an uncompromised vision, it is as intellectually engaging as it is memorable.
Goldfield & Banks
Widely regarded as Australia’s first true luxury fragrance house, Goldfield & Banks was founded in Sydney in 2016 by Dimitri Weber. The brand places eucalyptus, sea spray, and sun-warmed earth at the centre of luxury fragrance—celebrating indigenous botanicals on their own terms rather than through a traditional European lens. Native ingredients and unconventional extraction techniques give the scents a bright, exquisite mineral character. Weber also shared one of the day’s most practical tips: apply fragrance straight out of the shower onto damp skin to lock in the oils and maximise longevity.
27 87
Romy Kowalewski, creative director of the Barcelona-founded house 27 87, believes in restraint: perfumery as editing, not invention. Each fragrance rests on a small number of exceptional materials, given room to breathe rather than being buried in layers. Working closely with Europe’s top ateliers, Kowalewski treats every release as a singular creative statement rather than just another flanker in a mass collection—giving 27 87 the feel of a true modern art practice. The designs are minimalist, but the formulas pack a punch. She is constantly hunting for unexpected notes, revealing two that genuinely caught me off guard: white chocolate, layered over her signature Genetic Bliss base, and green jelly in Waldmeister.
BDK Parfums
Parisian perfumery is deeply personal for David Benedek, whose family introduced him to the world of fragrance long before he created BDK Parfums in 2016. Guided by a commitment to skin-level connection and classical French technique, the house crafts compositions like their latest release, Velvet Tonka Extrait de Parfum, and the South African best seller, Impadia Eau de Parfum, to read as intimate, wearable portraits rather than abstract concepts. But it was his opening story at Quoin Rock that revealed the true heart of the brand: Benedek dedicated his very first fragrance to his grandmother, who was also his best friend—a personal tribute that grounds BDK's precise craftsmanship in pure emotion and memory.
Ex Nihilo
Ex Nihilo is Latin for “out of nothing”, an apt name for the Parisian house founded in 2013 by Sylvie Loday, Olivier Royère and Benoît Verdier. Its founding vision was to challenge the conventions of traditional luxury fragrance, favouring exceptional raw materials and an uncompromising approach to composition. The result is a collection that prizes individuality over familiarity, with each creation pushing beyond conventional olfactory territory. Blue Talisman Extrait de Parfum is a best seller at Skins South Africa, while Demon Dancer Eau de Parfum is its latest release. What distinguishes Ex Nihilo is its willingness to approach fragrance as an exercise in creative freedom, rather than a formula to be repeated.
Layer +
Why settle for one interpretation of a fragrance when you can rewrite its character entirely? Skins explores that idea with Layer+, its own range of scent enhancers. Developed in collaboration with some of the industry’s leading fragrance laboratories, including Givaudan, IFF, Symrise and MANE, the collection draws on innovative captive ingredients to bring a different dimension to the scents already in your wardrobe. This is not about replacing a signature fragrance, but challenging what it can become. A little more depth, a different texture, an unexpected contrast: layering turns wearing perfume into an exercise in personal expression. Matcha, the latest addition, takes its cue from a name already familiar to the modern palate, bringing a fresh twist to the art of wearing scent.
Liquides Imaginaires
For designer Philippe Di Méo, fragrance begins with a story rather than an ingredient. Founded in 2011 alongside David Frossard, Liquides Imaginaires — French for “imaginary liquids” — treats perfume as a work of fiction. Each creation starts with a character or narrative brought to life through rare raw materials. Sitting with Di Méo was pure magic: he invited me to select fragrance Tarot cards, then interpreted my choices through a bespoke scent, revealing the ingredients and stories behind each olfactory connection. It was one of the undisputed highlights of my day, perfectly captured in the house’s latest release, Morning Star Eau de Parfum.
Matière Première
At the heart of Matière Première is Aurélien Guichard’s obsession with raw materials—a commitment that began in 2016 when he planted his own organic flower fields in Grasse before launching the house in 2019. The philosophy is strikingly minimalist: isolate one exceptional ingredient, frame it in its purest, highest concentration, and let it lead. From their South African best seller, Vanilla Powder Eau de Parfum, to their latest release, Metal Lavender, it proves that true luxury lies in unvarnished quality rather than complex embellishment. Beautifully presented, these are pure masterpieces for serious fragrance lovers.
Fragrances available at Skins South Africa .
