Smells like 2021 spirit: The Black Forest not only sets a scent mark with star cuisine and constant soccer coaches, but also with high-quality perfumes. They come from the fragrance studio L’Ateliero of the couple Rudi and Aurelia Bedy and envelop both gentlemen and gentlewomen in a multifaceted way. I have two men’s fragrances times applied and the two fragrance DJs may ask a few questions.
In Baiersbronn, star cuisine beckons, in Freiburg, one of the longest-tenured soccer coaches – around the Black Forest and in Breisgau, charming quality is in the air. This also applies to the town of Gundelfingen. There, the couple Rudi and Aurelia Bedy have fulfilled a dream with L’Ateliero: After collecting and getting to know different cultures and impressions on quite a few trips around the world, they put all their eggs in one basket and launched their own fragrance studio Olfativ in 2020. Under the motto “Craving for it.” they compose exclusive extrait de parfums with which you can express your own style to the outside world. The selection of men’s fragrances currently includes the variants “Irresistible Man”, “Victorious”, “Le Provocateur”, “The One” and “Urban Leather”.
How they are created and what makes the fascination of the profession, founder Rudi has revealed to me in the interview. And how the two creations L’Ateliero “Irresistible Men” and L’Ateliero “Victorious” smell, I reveal myself.
Where did the enthusiasm for perfume come from?
The starting point was our travels – the many different personalities and cultures we were allowed to get to know. My wife and I are both simply very fascinated by diversity. One evening we sat together over a wonderfully strong and aromatic red wine. The wine told us the story of its origin and composition primarily through its aroma. This prompted us to talk about how we can tell stories through scents that are not only perceptible in the evening over a glass of wine. Because fragrances are not like pictures, videos, events or anything like that. You only see them once, and then they’re gone. A fragrance, on the other hand, you wear over and over again, it brings you into this wonderful world that you can feel without being there directly. A fragrance awakens your imagination.
What is the philosophy behind your fragrances?
We put a lot of time, work and heart and soul into our fragrances, also because as a niche brand you want to be different or especially good. Admittedly, we are a little different. But unlike other comparable brands, we don’t want to polarize with fragrances that are too eccentric. A fragrance that smells like fresh concrete or like baby powder is not what we are aiming for. We want to create fragrances that please with the first spray. Fragrances that have a direct impact on how the wearer is perceived.
Same outfit , different characters: L’Ateliero “Irresistible Men” and L’Ateliero “Victorious”.
How much time goes into developing a fragrance?
This can be six months, one to two years, but also more. It always depends on when you are satisfied with the result. Creating perfumes is an art – and also a bit of a science. In our case, the fragrances were developed in about a year and a half. But I have to say that it was a very intense process. We dealt with the respective fragrance notes and the proportions of the corresponding fragrance oils and especially the proportion of perfume oil on a daily basis. Because just like other perfume lovers, we are always happy when you can perceive dear fragrances several times a day. And this joy is not long enough with Eau de Cologne, Eau de Toilette and also with Eau de Parfum. That’s why we opted for Extrait de Parfum – and thus for high perfume oil concentrations that best suit our various fragrances. And the result has confirmed us in this decision: We have about 25% perfume oil content in our Extraits de Parfum and the L’ATELIERO perfumes are therefore long-lasting, radiant, vibrant and intense.
Do people approach fragrances for women differently?
Fragrances can be unisex, male or female. For the female or male fragrances, you consider which notes are attractive to the opposite sex. Did you know that the scent of lily of the valley is particularly attractive to men? Lily of the valley embodies spring, which people long for after the long and dark winter -this fragrance represents newly emerging joy and sexuality. A woman’s body also radiates attraction through a molecule that resembles lilies of the valley. But we’d better leave it at lily of the valley, otherwise we’d be spilling all the secrets of the perfume world.
Prime examples of individual fragrance characters: the creations from the Black Forest aroma forge L’Ateliero.
What is the fascination of your profession about?
In this job, you are never only concerned with your own creations, but also with those of others. Around the world there are different perfume brands, and they have different backgrounds, lifestyles and ideas. It’s always very exciting to discover and interpret new compositions. What did the perfumer want to achieve here, how do the fragrances develop over time, is there something hidden in the fragrance that the perfumer has left us as a hidden clue? It is the love of fragrance, perhaps an addiction, that very many share. What comes next? What is yet to be discovered? There’s a lot of curiosity involved. Moreover, the sense of smell is one of our most important senses. And just like music, thoughts or images, scents are able to transform a gray day into a colorful spectacle. It is this power of scents that fascinates us anew every day. That is why we strive to develop fragrance compositions that awaken moving emotions, prolong beautiful moments and recall happy memories. We want to awaken these emotions in the people who wear our fragrances, to show the world behind them and to stimulate the imagination. Smell, as I said, is one of the most important and primal senses. You just have to rediscover the sense of smell and learn to enjoy it again.
Mixes unconventionally charming oakmoss and birch with pineapple and currant: L’Ateliero “Victorious”.
Type question: what clothes would be their men’s scents?
It is always important that a fragrance matches the look. But our fragrances can definitely be worn with any outfit and any matter. Not because they are boring or have no personality, but because they underline the character of the wearer.
“Irresistible Man” is a fragrance for cosmopolitan, positive and inspiring men. It is fresh, spicy and invigorating. A classic fragrance that fits any situation, it subtly highlights one’s style, but strong enough to make a good impression. I see this scent as a turtleneck or a shirt-sweater combo. One can imagine a Steve Jobs, but also the German style icon Johannes Huebl. He stands for style and innovation.
“Victorious” is a winning fragrance for men. The perfume tells stories of adventurous journeys around the world, embattled conquests and new achievements. But it is not only about traveling, but also about the character of the man who wears this fragrance. He can’t stand stagnation, he’s a doer. As a piece of clothing, I see Aviator sunglasses, they go with different outfits, however, the origin of this design is aviation. Does not that already say a lot?
“Urban Leather” is a fragrance for real men with strength of character, willpower and determination. Men who do not chase trends and think nothing of boundaries and rules. The fragrance is characterized by a strong leather base and yet it looks elegant due to the various woods, floral and wild berry aromas. When you hear the name “Urban Leather”, you certainly think of a leather jacket first. But it could also be a leather travel bag. Break in style can already happen with these guys, but nevertheless it always looks authentic and right. He could be a biker, cowboy in a suit, Indiana Jones in blue jeans, David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider but also an impressive business man. His motto is “Today. Tomorrow. Forever” and he is strong in character and style.
“Le Provocateur” is a seductive and charismatic fragrance that exudes a perfect symbiosis of fresh/bright and warm/sweet notes. He is James Bond, he drives classic luxury sports cars and manages to seduce every woman with his charisma. He takes exactly what he wants. When we mention James Bond, bow tie or tie immediately come to mind. But who says we can’t seduce without this accessory? Le Provocateur takes care of that.
“The One” is a maritime summer fragrance for selfish men, it is simply to fall in love. It reminds of vacation, of sea, of an island. Just imagine the white-blue and stunning island of Santorini. Beach outfit out and spray on “The One”, then you are really there – with all senses. This fragrance is definitely a linen shirt, airy, maritime, summery. If you don’t miss this feeling, you probably can’t be helped.
Is there an ingredient that you would definitely like to use to compose a men’s fragrance someday?
Yes: Oud. Oud is known in the Middle East as black gold, it comes from one of the rarest and most expensive woods in the world. However, the origin of this particular wood is Southeast Asia. The Chinese mentioned in the third century AD that it was extracted for incense in central Vietnam. Vietnamese traders brought it to China and Japan, where it was used as incense. In the Islamic world, however, it was highly prized as a personal perfume. This is still the case today. Oud is an ingredient that is very expensive, but always people in Europe appreciate this fragrance. Oud can be very different, depending on its origin. The woody scent is very rich in nuances, ranging from sweet to earthy, with some notes of leather and spices. With each new experience that my wife and I have, there is always a new nuance that we want to delight our customers.
Because you can talk nicely about fragrance, but I like to pull everything out of my nose myself, I have times two of the fragrant dress codes of the perfume studio invited to the sniffing course and applied.
L’Ateliero Victorious
With “Victorious”, I somehow saw myself taking a seat in the Orient Express, on the legendary route from Istanbul to Paris. Only that the aroma locomotive here drives through to the foggy Scottish highlands. “Victorious” is fruity and spicy, feeling like dropping into a heavy leather sofa in a fine but casual linen suit, but served with an innovative drink from the here and now. Pineapple meets pithy musk, oakmoss has a liaison with lemon, bergamot and birch, joined by ambergris, apple and currant.
Orient Express meets Scotland: Victorious is a sensory experience journey between musk, pineapple and birch.
A charming, multi-layered fragrance accompaniment that I find super-pleasant especially for the slightly cooler months, heavy impressive without being too heavy. Nevertheless, of course, in any case a category fragrance that already turns out a bit more bulky, which you have to give a little time until you understand the message, but then appreciate.
L’Ateliero “Victorious”, Price: 89 Euro, via www.lateliero.de/shop
L’Ateliero Irrisistible Man
My first thought when I spray on “Irresistible Man”: swap a suit for a casual short-sleeved shirt, and head off to a white wine tasting on a sunny river or lake shore.
Irresistible Man – Extrait de Parfum welcomes with an elegant welcome kiss of mint and lavender.
The creation is like a gentle breeze that comes back in waves, rounding fresh, very straight notes of mint, bergamot and herbs with velvety soft vanilla and cedar notes. In between, coconut, cardomom and tonka bean sneak onto the soundtrack, which genuinely manages to mix unconventional beats with elegant freshness. It’s as if Riesling, Lugana or Sauvignon Blanc were accompanied by a dignified shisha and the evening under the open sky couldn’t end long enough. The variant is also not a fragrance type that shyly stays in the background, but always knows how to behave stylishly. If I had to choose, this would be my slight favorite.
I like how a wide variety of aromas – from coconut to bergamot – create a cohesive look.
L’Ateliero “Irresistible Man”, Price: 89 Euro, via www.lateliero.de/shop
L’Ateliero: Conclusion
Sure: the perfumes from the L’Ateliero Atelier are more in the Champions League on the road and definitely a small investment. But here it’s like cooking or a good suit: you want to know where the product comes from, who made it and, above all, you appreciate the influence of high-quality ingredients when it comes to the end result. For me, the price/performance ratio is definitely very balanced. The corresponding quality is also evident in the condition of both fragrances. Where cheaper fragrances run out of breath quite quickly, you can feel the high-quality production in the L’Ateliero variants, even after more than six or seven hours I had perceived the aromas still balanced. Both “Irresistible Man” and “Victorious” are not off-the-peg fashions, are at one point or another quite unique and boldly cut, but that’s exactly why they are particularly fun. If you get to know them, you will find two companions with which you are stylishly prepared for many performance situations.
