Geurenland

zaterdag 22 september 2012

Meet with Creed at Skins Cosmetics Amsterdam

Last week I received an invitation from Skin Cosmetics in Amsterdam for a meeting with Erwin Creed. Since I'm a big fan of English colognes and Creed perfumes I was delighted. I reviewed Creed perfumes on Youtube Geurenland Channel. While reviewing you start questioning. With the opportunity to meet Erwin and asking him questions personally is the best one can get. But let me first give you a very short introduction to the House of Creed.

Erwin Creed, Femke & me at Skins Cosmetics Amsterdam

CREED is a perfume house with its origin in London, and for two generations now also based in Paris, France. Creed makes English 'colognes' and is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world.

James Henry Creed founded the House of Creed in London in 1760. Yhe House became famous in the mid 19th century under Henry Creed, for he delivered to Count d'Orsay, Queen Victoria, and Empress Eugénie, who then rewarded the firm Creed & Cumberland a Royal Warrant for tailoring articles. Nowadays the House is a pure perfume house with two perfumers: father and son. They create beautiful perfumes.

Olivier Creed (who is credited for Green Irish Tweed, Millesime Imperial, Silver Mountain Water and Aventus among others) and his son Erwin Creed who created Original Vetiver with his father. One can call Erwin Creed the 'Crown prince' of the company.

An impression about Erwin Creed as a person. Erwin Creed at 31 is of the seventh generation in a famous perfume family and one is aware of that.

When you approach Erwin he gives you that feeling of a prince from a royal family. Somewhat like walking into 'The family of Charles V' the Goya painting at the Prado museum in Madrid (portrait of the family of King Charles IV). You are feeling culture and history here. A bit reserved at first, he becomes curious, open minded and enthusiastic as soon as he decides that you are really interested in perfumes. He immediately noticed my Songe D'un Bois D'ete / Arsene that I was wearing. So he must have a great nose.

My questions to Erwin Creed

Do you consider Creed perfumes French or English?

Erwin

The Creed fragrances are made from English tradition. I think English colognes are better than France. They have that freshness. And we want to keep it like that. If you smell Oud for instance, it's not pure oriental. It's still English and fresh. And yes, I'm French, I'm born in France, Paris. My father was born in Nice. I live in Geneva. But we have strong connection with the UK since our family is from there.

Do you use natural, raw materials in the fragrances like real Ambergris in Original Vetiver, that you have designed with your father?

Erwin

We use raw materials where possible in all our fragrances. But we are aware of environmental aspects. For Ambergris, we don't want wales to be killed (what actually happens) so we use a material that is almost the same. You will not smell any difference.

What fragrances you wear yourself beside Creed and what is a nice Creed for me for fall you think?

Erwin

You develop your senses by trying different scents. I wear and use every different perfume, male and female. I'm interested to try almost every perfume. While smelling perfume I'm wearing, Erwin reaches out for Original Santal. Santal would be nice. It's warm and fits to the atmosphere. Than we smell Oud and finally he reaches out for Spice & Wood. We smell all of them. I feel comfortable with his advices and so is he.

I thought Creeds were more for summer fragrances, but they have scents that fit great to the fall and to winter too.

Meanwhile, he talks with my daughter Femke and they both agree that Spring Flower will be her first Creed perfume. Young girls like this fragrance with its pink bottle. It's nice your daughter is interested in perfumes. 5 year old Femke telling Erwin Creed that Rose is here favorite scent. When I have a daughter she will be interested in perfumes too I'm sure, he says with a grin on his face.

My last question is, how do you see the future of the Creed house? Can you give us some idea about your future plans?

Erwin

I will continue in the way we are going for generations. I point to the fact that some fragrances have note names such as Vetiver or Oud, but some wear fantasy names like Green Irish Tweed, or Aventus. Yes, we change some things some times. In the future, we will make new fragrances of course (a new fresh floral perfume will be introduced soon). I'm also thinking about making bigger sized bottles. People like that nowadays. So maybe we will do other sizes for our bottles in future.

I tell Erwin about my addiction to Aventus, Green Irish Tweed and Silver Mountain Water. And that I think Silver Mountain Water really smells like wind over a glacier. And like crispy snow in the air.... I see a twinkling in Erwin's eyes. Yes, I agree he says, it's that dry air and that what you described. (Meanwhile we start to speak French). I tell him that I went skiing with Femke. Oh yes, I LOVE skiing, he says. And start to talk passionately about skiing.

My first Creed fragrances

I could talk for hours with Erwin. I thank him for this nice conversation and wish him a safe trip home by TGV back to Paris. I also thank Skins Cosmetics’ owner Philip Hillige and marketing manager Suzanne Klokke - van Dijk for making this intervieuw possible. I tell them that I have to bring Femke to her swimming lessons. Yes, Femke says, I have to learn this 'fish tale', so I can swim with daddy. Some things are just more important than perfumes. Than we run back to the car and head for the swimming pool where Femke shows me her fish tale position. While Femke is practicing, I think back about this pleasant meeting with Creed.

My latest Creed classics

Fragrances from the House of CREED

2000 Fleurs

Acier Aluminium

Acqua Fiorentina

Ambre Cannelle

Aventus

Baie De Genievre

Bois De Cedrat

Bois Du Portugal

Chevrefeuille

Citrus Bigarrade

Epicea

Erolfa

Fantasia De Fleurs

Fleur De Thé Rose Bulgare

Fleurissimo

Fleurs De Bulgarie

Green Irish Tweed

Green Valley

Himalaya

Imperial Millesime

Irisia

Jardin D'Amalfi

Jasmal

Jasmin Imperatrice Eugenie

Les Floralies

Love In Black

Love In White

Neroli Sauvage

Orange Spice

Original Santal

Original Vetiver

Private Collection Tabarome

Royal Delight

Royal English Leather

Royal-Oud

Royal Scottish Lavender

Royal Water

Santal Imperial

Selection Verte

Silver Mountain Water

Spring Flower

Sublime Vanille

Tabarome Millesime

Tubereuse Indiana

Vanisia

Vetiver

Virgin Island Water

Windsor

Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse

zondag 2 september 2012

At Skins Cosmetics Amsterdam - the 'mother' of all Skins perfume stores in the Netherlands (& Las Vegas-USA)

Geurenland

maandag 27 augustus 2012

Celeste Parfums in The Hague

The Hague has one of the nicest niche perfume stores in the Netherlands called Celeste Parfums. It’s located a bit outside the City Centre, (but on foot only just 15 minutes from the Royal Palace) in the beautiful Frederikstraat. An area surrounded by ambassies and nice stores with an international atmosphere.

When you approach the store and see it from the outside, you already know it’s going to be nice inside as well. And it is. Last week I visited them and I had an interview with the owners.

The store

When entering the store a (sophisticated woman with) classy lady will immediately greet you politely, but she will not bother you until you want her to approach you. Her name is Antoinette Borsboom. She and her daughter Virginia know everything about perfumes and run the store jointly. It’s that traditional little family store that has everything. Everywhere you look, from the ground to the top of the ceiling, you notice the most exiting perfumes. You would like to spend the night to try them all out.

The List of Brands they carry for such a little store is enormous.*

Virginia and Antoinette characterize Celeste as follows:

A good service is central to the shop. Customers always want to be treated kindly, with professional advice and in a friendly and intimate atmosphere. Celeste has a beautiful and extensive collection, which is unique in the Netherlands.

Inside the store

They have many top brands in fragrances, skin care and makeup. You will find many exclusive fragrances, selected during their numerous quests for special products. They also carry exclusive men shaving soaps, brushes and grooming products. It’s a real joy to be there. The many samples from the fragrances that I reviewed, come from Celeste.

Besides the vast collection of perfumes they have, their politeness and their willingness to advice, in my opinion, were not only most agreeable but can be seen as one of their strongest assets.

You will do the talking and they will listen and bring you the things they think you want. They do that in a modest and non-intrusive way. You will be served. It’s not that kind of a store that tries to sell you something. Always polite they tend to promote other stores that sell perfumes.

Mother and daughter Antoinette and Virginia Borsboom established Celeste Parfumes in 1999. The mother has been fascinated by perfumes, and Virginia because of working in perfume stores before. Just like her sister who is in the business as well. Father is doing the administration and one of their sons is responsible for the logistics.

Virginia and Antoinette Borsboom

Antoinette:

Long time ago there was this exclusive perfume store with the name Michels. When I was 18 I started working and my first salary was spend at that store to buy that special exclusive perfume. Later Mister Michels, the owner of that store, became the head of Guerlain Netherlands. I grew up in this neighborhood.

Virginia:

My mother and I always liked lovely fragrances. Because of my mother's enthusiasm I started working in a perfume store on Saturdays. Just like my sister.

Guerlain was the first brand we were selling. We where the first who had the old (red. exclusive) fragrances. Guerlain was located near by (at the Lange Voorhout) and we went up and down by bike if we needed something. They gave tremendous courses on perfumes. We learned a lot there.

Antoinette:

In the beginning it was hard to motivate brands to sell to a small perfume store (red. at that time the exclusives where available at bigger stores - later smaller stores started to sell niche perfumes). We really had to fight for it. We decided keep a shorter list of brands. In Paris we were intrigued by the Creed store. We keep a nice contact after to selling Creed perfumes. Beside Skins Cosmetics, that became the main importer of Creed in the Netherlands, they allowed that little store in The Hague to sell Creed perfumes as well.

Virginia

After that we went to Floris Perfumes in London. We were the only country that did not sell Floris. So they were happy with us. Short after that we started with Penhaligon’s. At Floris’ they keep a royalty book about royal sales. The Netherlands is the only royal house in the world that never bought perfumes at Floris. (Not in any year)Never ever.

You know, a few years ago I would never have expected that our store could grow to this.

Antoinette:

I think it’s also because people are traveling around the world so easily nowadays. They know a lot about perfumes. And we love selling them and helping people to find their right fragrance. Sometimes it takes up to one hour to find the right perfume. And we take that time.

So, perfume lovers, if you have a chance, visit this beautiful store in The Hague.You will not regret it. And let me know if they happen to offer nights over.

Oh, and I love those Cire Trudon candles.