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RSS : osMoz.com, a new look at perfume > News & Trends > Sweet & Lowdown
The birth of American niche perfumery (part 2) : CB I Hate Perfume
by Karen Dubin, founder of Sniffapalooza
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Christopher Brosius, the founder of CB I Hate Perfume, has got to be one of the most joyfully creative and productive individuals I have ever met. Yes, he is an extremely talented perfumer, but he is also an entertaining writer, inventive cook, and he even makes his own beautifully-tailored clothing! There seems to be nothing that this artist of the senses can't do. When asked to sum up his work in three words or less, he immediately responded with ‘Scent is Life’. Christopher is one of those rare people who actually does 'live and breathe' fragrance. |
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After stints at Parsons*, Barneys New York, and Kiehl’s, he and a friend started his first company, Demeter. Demeter premiered at Henri Bendel, and became extremely well-known in a short period of time as the clever fragrance line whose scents smelled exactly like things we encounter every day in real life - such as sugar cookies, leather jackets, wet gardens, funeral homes, and tomatoes. Demeter developed an astonishing range of scents, possibly some of the most unusual in the world. The breakthrough scent was Dirt, which became one of their best sellers, and Christopher considers Snow to be the greatest achievement for the company. My personal favorite is Gingerale, a zesty, bubbly accord, with a citrus edge that is crisp yet sweet and makes me feel uplifted whenever I wear it. Demeter went on to win two Fragrance Foundation Awards and to be included in the Cooper Hewitt National design Museum's Triennial exhibition - which is the first time a major art museum recognized that scent is ‘designed’. |
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In 2004 Christopher opened CB I Hate Perfume Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Visiting this combination of atelier, lab, gallery & shop is an amazing experience, and there is so much to sniff that you can actually spend an entire day here and not sniff the same thing twice! There is an entire wall of accords with names like Doll Head and Roast Beef, that smell exactly like, well... plastic doll heads and cooked roast beef. When I took my young daughter there a few years ago she had great fun guessing the smells in all the little bottles (and Christopher had great fun playing the game with her!). |
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Russian Caravan Tea is described as 'smoked black Indian tea, bergamot, and the hint of shelves full of old books'. Patchouli Empire was an immediate purchase for me not only because I collect patchouli scents, but because this combines five patchoulis from across the Indian Sea and aromatic woods and black pepper! Other memorable scents are Memory of Kindness, Burning Leaves (it smells ‘exactly’ like burning leaves!), In the Library, Under the Arbor, To See a Flower, Winter 1972, Cedarwood Tea, At the Beach 1966, Just Breathe, Wild Pansy… And the exceptional Violet Empire, that blends CB Violet Empress*** accord, elemi, violet leaf absolute, rosewood, mahogany, and Russian leather. |
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For more information about CB I Hate Perfume : www.cbihateperfume.com
(*) famous Design & Art School in NYC |