Our dear friend Adil Mistry points us to the launch of a new fragrance labelled Avestan
Georgia Murray at Refinery 29 writes…
The upcoming launch, Avestan, is named for the sacred Eastern Iranian language known only from its use in Zoroastrian scripture, religious texts ascribed to one of the world’s oldest faiths. There will be five distinct lines within the brand — eau de parfum, parfum concentré, “lifestyle” (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, and bubble bath), and a literal “fragrance for paper” called Printer’s Ink — all available in the same range of scents. There’s Budapest, described as “a discovery of copper in Budapest architecture,” to Tibet, labeled as “a humble selflessness amongst the sands, rocks, and gusts of Tibet.” There are no descriptions of fragrance notes listed on the website, though you will find, in true Deciem form, a complete list of ingredients for each product.
Conceptual scents are having a moment right now — from Glossier You to Byredo’s new collaboration with cool-kid favorite fashion label Off-White, called Elevator Music — but Avestan’s offerings seem a bit more cryptic than most. (Roofs Of Beni Isguen, for example, is described only as “a walk through alleyways of the roofless North African town of Beni Isguen.” But how can it smell like the roofs if the town is roofless?)
Brandon Truaxe, Founder of Avestan writes…
It began in the presence of things decidedly unworthy of much admiration in the world of aromas: coated clay vats filled with argan oil, earthly walls of a typical village abode and the mud that had formed on my bare feet having crossed the river that bordered the township of Asni in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains. I had been aware of my inner fascination with aromas for years, but it was this moment that caused me to discover the intensity of my absorption.
I had often been told by masters of the field that aromas reconnect us with our past experiences. And that it is through this journey in the mind that we establish whether or not we find an aroma pleasant and to what depth. Standing in the almost aroma-neutral abode, I became aware of an aroma. An aroma so faint, yet so intense, that it abridged the argan oil, the clay walls, the mud, the village, the river, the place, the moment – and, most notably yet, an aroma that did not connect me to a distant memory and instead created an elucidation of something unfamiliar.
Avestan is the embodiment of this pleasing unfamiliarity. It is a deviation from familiar notes that move us through the past. It is an exploration of the untried. It is a journey to create new meaning through scents. It is a departure from lavender and rose to an unfulfilled journey of unfamiliar notes: clays, stems, saps, places and moments. Avestan is an avant-garde play on nature – one that disallows the mind to identify but creates instead a welcomed occasion to explore.
Welcome to Avestan.
More on Avestan’s website