A week ago, I was out and about on Hamburg’s Reeperbahn under the banner of BORNTOSTANDOUT x Fugazzi at a very special fragrance event at Bahnhof Pauli. As part of a collaboration, the two labels have launched not one, but two fragrances, each with the characteristic design of one brand, but bearing the name of the other. Sounds confusing? That’s great, because that’s exactly what the two label founders Jun Lim from BORNTOSTANDOUT and Bram Niessink from Fugazzi wanted.
Initially, I assumed that only one fragrance would be launched on the market, but even before the event I found out that BORNTOSTANDOUT’s Fugazzi has another sibling: BORNTOSTANDOUT by Fugazzi. I liken the two fragrances to fraternal twins, although this doesn’t really unravel the confusion of names. But I promise you, by the end of this and the next article, you will know exactly what I mean and I can tell you, it’s worth it! Both creations are really, really great!
Hamburg calling – BORNTOSTANDOUT x Fugazzi
But before I go into more detail about the two fragrances in my next post, I would of course like to tell you about the event. As I said, my little trip to Hamburg took me straight to the Reeperbahn. A little surprised by Hamburg Cathedral and the Christmas market, which was already open – word hadn’t gotten around to us at the Baltic Sea yet – the search for a parking space turned out to be a small to medium challenge, aka a catastrophe. But I didn’t let that put me off and finally found a place to park my car in the third parking garage I came across. A short walk to the location, past what was probably the coolest Christmas market in the world, and there I was at Pauli station. Fortunately, my name was on the guest list and I was right in the middle of the action.
At the launch party, I not only enjoyed a cold drink or two, but also sniffed my way through the brands’ fragrances, most or almost all of which I already knew, to be honest. I got to know three new creations from BORNTOSTANDOUT, which I would like to introduce to you here on the fragrance blog soon. But of course the two twin fragrances of the BORNTOSTANDOUT x Fugazzi collaboration were the focus of the evening.
What the founders say …
As a highlight, the two brand founders Jun Lim from BORNTOSTANDOUT and Bram Niessink from Fugazzi took to the stage, interviewed by Fabien, known on Instagram as misterwishes. Not only did we learn exciting things about the collaboration between the two brands, how it all began and what their intentions were, but we also got a lot of information about the other creations from BTSO and Fugazzi.
The collaboration between the Dutch and South Korean fragrance house got off to an unusual start. As Bram explains, it all started with the Fugazzi store in Amsterdam. At the party for the new opening, an acquaintance advised him to get in touch with Jun from BORNTOSTANDOUT and launch a joint fragrance. The very next morning, Bram got down to business. Pretty hungover, he called Jun via Facetime and asked him if they would like to do a collaboration. Jun agreed immediately and fate took its course.
Bram thought – as we all probably did – that the two of them were launching a joint creation on the market, but Jun quickly made it clear to him that there had to be two. To Bram’s justified question “Why two fragrances?”, Jun simply replied “To confuse people”. Well, the two certainly succeeded and under the motto “WHY SETTLE FOR ONE, WHEN YOU CAN DOUBLE THE FUN” the two creations BORNTOSTANDOUT by Fugazzi and Fugazzi by BORNTOSTANDOUT were born.
The two see their fragrances as a kind of love story, which can of course be worn individually, but can also be wonderfully layered. It is supposed to be wild, scandalous and romantic, a second love, forbidden passion and daring intensity. Fittingly, the entire location was bathed in bright red, which of course matched St. Pauli like a glove.
It’s not a collaboration, it’s a love affair. Why settle for one when you can double the fun? Cheat on your scent with us – it’s not infidelity, it’s a second love.
But Jun and Bram told us even more. The founder of BORNTOSTANDOUT told us that Nanatopia, the label’s banana bread fragrance (which I reviewed here, by the way), sells poorly internationally, but is a huge hit in Germany. This is the brand’s best-selling fragrance in Germany. Bram speculated that this might have something to do with the fact that so much banana bread was baked in Germany during the coronavirus pandemic and people here acquired a taste for it. Absolutely conceivable! 😃🍌
Bram, on the other hand, told us that Angel Dust is his brand’s absolute favorite fragrance, as he loves molecular-synthetic scents. Whether as a fragrance enhancer or enjoyed on its own, he particularly enjoys wearing the eau de parfum, which is certainly one of the reasons why Angel Dust is now available as an EdP, an extrait, a hair mist and a body wash.
After the interview, the party went on, of course, and certainly for a very long time. I had one of the two fragrances in my goodie bag, which was given to me as a parting gift. Of course, I will unbox this creation for you on Instagram and there will also be a review of both fragrances here on our fragrance blog soon! Stay tuned! ❤️🤍
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