Niches
Back. Hello world.
So we talked about Niche Perfumery. I was a nice chat, in one of those very few perfumeries that I tend to visit. Chatting with Mr Abt from Osswald perfumerie down town Zurich, very down town Zurich indeed. 20 meters from Paradeplatz, in closest proximity to UBS and CS, Channel’s boutique and some other super powers, this shop thrives. They do (because they are charming and very knowledged….and….) because when you look for the exquisite and special with a high quality factor, chances are good you might find what you are looking for. A nice ambience, but far away from those clean antiseptic, minimalistic, expensive by design places, where your biggest fear is to leave finger prints on a shelf or your sneakers leaving traces of cow droppings from your latest hike. The perfumery house Osswald you might visit in your not so clean sneakers, they will take good care on you and I appreciate this approach very much.
So niche perfumery?
We (yes, I was there with Vero) learned a little bit about what is selling and what not. So one approach to niche might simply be market size, a figure based definition.
Somewhat closer to where the term niche is used ( Bio-ecology): Niche might mean a suited fit between products and client groups, or client groups and products. Now, you might start wondering how this is done….
Niche also means a perfectly fitting marketing and approach to special groups by niche marketing.
Then: Niche could also mean, but quite often does not!, a brave approach to do what others can’t. Go where no perfumer has gone before. Make a small step for a perfumer, but a large step for perfume lovers….. In this context: Check out the newest folio article by Luca Turin….nitriles!
So, we talked about Niche Perfumery, and agreed that there are less niches served then we might think. And that being niche per se is no quality sign. Being niche might just mean: You have to do better than the others.
Tomorrow, we will have a look at a vetiver in general again, and a look at it from a “semi-niche” perfume house’ perspective….until then: Sweating at 30°C…..
What is niche perfumery?
August 6th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Wouldn’t I have loved to have been a fly on the wall, for that visit !
[It sounds like I would enjoy that little place]
My thoughts here tend to mirror yours.
I have a good friend here, a ‘local’, who is talented, but reticent about releasing a fragrance we worked on together; the irony is, from my sending samples of this all over the place-it would not only sell, but sell WELL, and make him a big name.
Quality in every way, and very unusual.
I can understand how difficult it can be to make a ‘go’ of it.
It’s good to smell what’s out there.
Sometimes, though, one has to take a risk !
Kisses to you, W, and Mme. V !
August 6th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Dear Andy, I with delight looked assortment Osswald perfumerie. There there are many items which I wish to have. What is niche perfumery?-it is difficult for describing briefly. Positioning is very frequent as niche perfumery actually it is not. Yes you to be right it is necessary to the best and to achieve greater success than others. You Sweating at 30°C - at us tropical rains.I am better do not know:)
August 6th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Hiya Andy…
I’m with Chaya, would have loved to be a fly-on-the-wall…missed your posts these last few days…
August 6th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Dear Chayaruchama
I wonder what you would have said to some of the fragrances we sniffed while exploring the world of niche and not-quite-niche fragrances. I am sure, you would have enjoyed yourself! And I so agree with you: From time to time is important to open the window and look what is going on out there in the sun. But,… to come up with good ideas it is also important to lock the doors and windows and hide in the castle and come up with what you find good. And then go out with it. Taking all the risk and being brave! Thus, tell your friend in his castle to hop on his horse, and conquer the world! Hugs to you
Dear Vladimir
You had a look at what the have? Isn’t it amazing! Maybe you fill find time and money to fly here, to have a diner with a perfumer and a visit at Osswald’s. But be careful: Osswald can be an expensive trip! I wish you a dry evening in your tropical environment these day.
Dear Arhianrad
I am glad to be back, and, in a sense, I missed my regular posting. It is sort of helping to focus one’s mind. Fragrant greetings from Zurich
August 6th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Hello, Andy, welcome back! I’ve missed you.
I find the term “niche” very confusing because of its implication that the products fit only a narrow clientele with very specific traits, as opposed to “people who enjoy fragrances,” too large a group to be “niche.” I think whoever first applied the term wasn’t thinking clearly. Maybe he looked over to the recess in his wall where he kept his new-styled fragrances and said, “Niche! I’ll call them niche.” :-) Now there are far too many to fit into a wall niche.
August 7th, 2007 at 3:30 am
Nice to have you back again, Andy. Hope you had a wonderful time.
Oh what a nice place die Osswald Parfumerie must be, and how lovely it would be to talk with knowledgable Herrn Abt. I almost feel like sending my greetings to him. His shop sounds like a place after my own heart.
Now, about niche, here are my thoughts on this: I envision someone with ideas and knowledge on how to create scents creating what he or she likes, and then looking to distribute the products knowing there are people out there who will love their stuff (is that what ’suited fit’ means?). Market based and figure decision sounds so much like what the mass producers are doing, when you have to conform what you’re doing so the figures match in the end, but that sounds to me like the end of doing what you love?
Well, just my thoughts on this, I’m not really knowledgable on this subject. The more it think about this the more I wish I could’ve been there to hear all sides in this discussion.
P.S. That was a beautiful rose in the previous post.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:35 am
Dear Sabina, hello and greetings! Thank you for the rose compliments! It is still alive on my living room table. And it still smells wonderful! And I think you are very, very right: The very moment you become conform to some sort of idea just to make sure that at the end of the day the figures will match, well….then you end doing what you love! Maybe love and passion behind a business might be one factor determining whether we can talk niche or not?
Dear Maria B.
I find the term the longer the more confusing too! And this was one of the reasons for my post about it. People ask me what I am doing and I used to say Niche Perfumes. But then, I suddenly got questions back and comments, that made me think. Thus, I myself use this term niche perfumery, although there might be better terms. Like passion perfumery!