The niche-fragrance industry is flourishing with some world-class perfume houses on South African soil. We explore the journey of two women who have the nose for the industry

Leigh-Anne Drakes: Apartment

Leigh-Anne is the lady behind the *Apartment perfume brand. ‘I initially studied photography and worked in the industry for much of my career, moved over to scent in my mid-30s, and have now kind of combined the two and haven’t looked back,’ she shares. She has never taken an interest in the commercial fragrance industry at large. But what always intrigued her enough to eventually take the plunge to start her own perfume brand was just smell for what it is. ‘I come from a visual background and have always loved photography. But in my 30s,
I became more curious about scent – I wondered if one could construct a scent based on an image. Perhaps a process of breaking down an image into what I perceive its elements to be and what they evoke, then reconstructing that into a cohesive and wearable scent,’ Leigh-Anne explains. Leigh-Anne shares that there’s a growing misconception that naturals are somehow safer or more sustainable than synthetics.‘It’s a dramatically oversimplified false dichotomy that isn’t based on much other than fear-mongering marketing. When it comes to the safety and sustainability of perfume materials, it’s a case-by-case basis every time whether derived from plant matter or synthetically created.’

Quick questions with Leigh-Anne

What do you love most about the industry?
Seeing how people experience scent — it never ceases to amaze and delight me with how different people experience the same scent.

Do you have any goals for your (and your brand’s) future?
I like to think of *Apartment as my alter ego, and I’m just along for the ride. Perhaps a collab or two? And there is a new scent in the wings. It will be released, in all its glory,sometime this year.

What advice to you have for other women who wish to start their own perfume brand?
Study at least some basic chemistry, keep your eye on the field at large but don’t get sucked into marketing trends, be unapologetic about your approach, care not what others think, and try not to take yourself, or this industry, too seriously.

Marie Aoun: Saint d’Ici

Marie worked in fashion up until she was in her 30s. ‘I found myself far more vested in the success of the sweet peas in my garden than the clothing ranges I was working on, and decided it was time to look elsewhere,’ she says. That’s when she enrolled in a Masters of Commerce, and while she was completing it, she chanced upon the concept of botanical perfumery. ‘It seemed a perfect marriage of my background in fashion and my love of gardening, so I threw myself into it head first (or possibly nose first). I did not anticipate how tricky realising my visions in scent would be, so a long process of learning ensued.’

The result was Saint d’Ici – perfumes that are a blend of Marie’s European heritage with ingredients found on the African continent. ‘We have a refillable system, where we’ve essentially separated the aesthetic from the functional. The refills are housed in a beautiful ceramic flacon, to be treasured and reused for your next blend. Our packaging is minimal, which is unusual in this industry.’ But that’s not all that makes the Saint d’Ici brand stand out. Marie explains that her perfumes are a concentration of 25–30%, which means they are strong and last relatively long for perfumes that only use botanicals.

Despite the peaks and troughs that come with owning a business, Marie is inspired and passionate about the industry, and is excited to see Saint d’Ici grow. ‘Perfume affects us instantaneously and on such a deep level that I sometimes feel as if I’m dabbling in the dark arts! My hope is simply to reconnect people to nature through perfume, reminding us that we are nature.’

Quick questions with Marie

What do you love about the industry? 
I love that botanical perfumers are reinventing this lost art and, in the process, we are discovering a plethora of ingredients that weren’t available to natural perfumers a century ago.

Do you have any goals for your (and your brand’s) future?
I would like to grow the number of stores that stock our product.

What advice do you have for other women who wish to start their own perfume brand? 
I’m afraid I have very little to add to the following oldie: Heads up, you will spend most of your time running your business and very little of it blending perfumes! Other than that, I highly recommend that botanical perfumers start by doing custom blends for friends and family. Once you know you can delight them, you’ll be ready to move on to bigger things. 

Words by Bianca Muller
Photography: fragroom.com, TimesLIVE