Today’s picture: labels for the new boxes.

Right now, I am finishing an interview about “niche” for Harper’s. A few questions, a few answers and a lot of question marks from my side. Question marks that go like “hmmm… actually … hmmm: good question”, or “well, somebody should say this, but do you really want to say this?” or “will anybody care, actually….?”

The entire interview is about niche, basically, starting with a question what the idea of niche is for me. My answer is something like: “In the past, up to a few years ago, niche perfumery used to be a term that defined a market segment and an artistic segment beyond the “mass market” and aside the “luxury perfume market”. Niche perfumery used to be low volume perfumery, with highest standards for ingredients and the formulas of perfumes, being sold outside of the main distribution channels, by selective perfumeries. Niche was characterized by highest quality standards for ingredients and creativity, and lowest marketing expenses and the abstinence from marketing blurs.

Nowadays, niche is dead and as a term, niche has become meaningless, as multimillion dollar brands try to define themselves as niche and marketing has absorbed what used to be invested into raw materials and creativity.

For consumers, it has become very confusing. Hence, I try not to use the term niche for my perfume house anymore. I use the term artisanal or haute perfumery for my perfume house, fitting much better. ”

When asked what the “modern niche” is now, I come up for the interviewer with:  “Modern niche”, if you so want, is an industry approach to money making, by offering mediocre perfumes, with a marketing concept, and an exuberant price tag.

I wonder whether I will get printed. But now, I have to hurry to the factory. Packing niche. ah. no: packing …whatever!