Yesterday I already presented you the first part of my interview with Daniel Plettenberg, co-owner of the Hamburg niche label Atelier PMP (read here), and today follows the second and last episode of our little conversation, in which Daniel also tells us something about the latest creations Geschöpf and ŌN. Have fun browsing! 🙂
What inspired you to create Anti Anti?
Anti Anti was for us an absurd reflex to Trump and this whole fake news story. We wanted to express that being there for each other, being sincere, the empathic compassion is one of the most beautiful values that exist in this world. And that is why we are not the anti, but the Anti Anti. We ended up winning the most awards with this fragrance because it’s just so unusual. This mixture of vanilla, tonka bean and smoke, accompanied by a light and increasingly strong citrus note, until finally a rich orange emerges … ah, it’s just fun! 🙂
Then there are Empa and Topia …
Exactly. Empa and Topia are from the Combinism series, which includes fragrances that can be layered – if you want. In my view, Empa is the most transparent in our series, the one that comes closest to molecular scent. A very clearly defined rose and sandalwood scent that is a great daily companion. Topia is our green rebel with absinthe, mate and cannabis, plus rhubarb. Loud green smells – almost like breaking open fresh leafy greens. It was a real aha experience for us that you can create two such different fragrance compositions just so that they are suitable for layering.
The last ones that were launched were Geschöpf and ŌN …
Right, Geschöpf came first. With this fragrance we associate a very beautiful story of its creation. We were in contact with the Berlin-based photographer Florian Hetz and had the idea to make a fragrance on the theme of body positivity. So, no matter what your body looks like, you may love it. No matter what gender you identify with, how you want to live your sexuality, how you want to exist in this world … you are allowed to be your own Geschöpf (in English: creature) and no human being is allowed to interfere with you. Florian Hetz, who is a super photographer, thought it was so great that he immediately wanted to support us with photos. We thought of this children’s game with different squares that you have to move back and forth until you have a complete and finished picture.
And then, of course, we took such parts of the body, which somehow never get right. Yes, there was this idea, you are allowed to design your body and at the same time also a – well, I’m not a religious person at all – a bit of a spiritual thing, such a love for the creature and to say we are all creatures, any kind of discrimination is just so dumb. No one needs that.
For us, it was always clear from the first scent that we always wanted to include a philosophical theme or a political stance. And I always find it exciting that this world of fragrances is so infinitely large and sensational creations are made. But the naming to fragrances is tiny. This is staggering. From I am the biggest and greatest, like Invictus to Millionaire or whatever. About sexiness, which is really boring, or perfumes are just called Christina Aguilera or Beyoncé or something like that. And the third thing that’s still possible is then daisy or lemon verbena or whatever, so that it then correlates to the fragrance note. And you think, wow, actually this creation, to originate something out of nature, this insane distillation process, and the process of it all. This is so lyrical that even the names should be much more lyrical. That is why we do not give common names. We just have fun with it.
And still ŌN …
The last fragrance we launched is ŌN. This is our most philosophical fragrance, also in terms of composition. It has by far the most ingredients and is incredibly finely wrought. A very understated, somewhat Japanese-inspired creation that always reminds me of a spring forest after the rain. With mossy and green parts, something slightly pointed after petrichor. The name ŌN is extracted from the term ontology. The Greek prefix for all that is.
The fragrance is also from Mark Buxton?
Exactly. The delightful Mark Buxton has used ingredients from all over the world for this, so everyone can find themselves in the creation. Everything that is, is in some way contained in this fragrance. He took ingredients that people take to calm down. Incense from church, marijuana, a forest scent, all the things that people all over the world use to somehow come down, to find their own center. In addition, a Japanese wood, Hinoki, which is used in meditations in Asia. So these are now the 7 fragrances that are currently on the market, and we still work on the fragrances number 8 and 9, but I can not reveal anything yet. 🙂
Dear Daniel, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
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