HOOHAA x Nancy Meiland Meet Your Maker Questions with Nancy
We’re so excited to be sharing Sous Bois with our subscribers this month. Can you take us right back to the beginning of your fragrance journey? When did your love for fragrance first start?
I fell into Perfumery almost by accident in my early 20s. I became an apprentice to Anastasia Brozler, who ran Creative Perfumers, and we later set up The School of Perfumery together, based in St James, London. Being a part of profiling high-profile clients to create their own bespoke perfume sparked my interest daily. In terms of my process, it was the start of learning how to ‘pull through a metaphor’ in scent. It’s been a very benevolent journey.
Did you ever encounter any fragrances that changed the way you thought about scent as a vehicle for self-expression, and if so, what were they?
L’Eau d’Hiver by Jean Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle was a turning point for me. I first smelt it in Paris, and it seemed to convey a delicate, human fragility in a fragrance - its crisp bergamot and hedione with tender, skin-like notes of white heliotrope, hawthorn, iris and honey were like nothing I had ever encountered as a perfume before and it moved me to tears.
How would you describe Nancy Meiland Parfums to your friends and family?
A collection of botanically charged perfumes that inspire and elevate the senses.
Do you have a favourite from your collection?
I rotate through phases of wearing each of the perfumes, depending on where I’m at in my life - I like to think of them as the spirit’s travel companion. AQUILARIA is very close to my heart as it was the first perfume in the PAPER LEAF collection - it's a warm and smouldering return to the liquid-gold of the essence of Oud and the precious tree of its origin. I’ve so enjoyed seeing people be captivated by it in the shop and express the same ‘falling in love’ moment that I experienced when I first imbibed genuine Oud.
What do you feel sets Nancy Meiland Parfums apart from other niche perfume brands? What do you hope your customers get from your work?
Art + alchemy is central to NMP and how this connects back to nature is key - there is a high proportion of naturals in the collection, acting as the soul of a scent. The sourcing of rarefied raw materials and a nuanced telling of nature’s wild landscapes is at the core of what we create.
What does the future look like for Nancy Meiland Parfums?
The AWAKEN collection is spreading its wings with the October launch of perfume attar, SOFIA. SOFIA joins GAIA as a healing balm made from 100% natural plant and flower essences. There is a new perfume to join the PAPER LEAF collection and a limited edition Jasmine soliflore. Plus, a diffusion line of apothecary products that connect to GAIA perfume attar.
