Co-Founders

YINKA and SOLOMON

• Can you begin at the very begin, both of your histories and how you found your way into the fragrance industry?

Our passion for perfume started at a very young age. Yinka and I had always been avid perfume wearers; to the extent that Yinka recalls when he was younger, he would frequently sneak into his brother’s room to grab a spritz or two of his favorite cologne Cool Water By Davidoff.  Apart from our younger days, the saga actually began during our travels. We had the opportunity to work in the Middle East – You know the kind of opportunity not to be missed, private compound, free travel, and a fantastic work environment. Whilst we were there we couldn’t but notice the locals stark obsession for perfume - I mean it was absolutely surreal. You’ll walk around the shopping centers and find a scent tsunami sweeping the corridors everywhere you turn. The men wore headscarves in which they’ll purposely spritz perfume onto it, effects of which were evident when walking behind them. However astonished we were at the sheer magnitude of their perfume wearing, it wasn’t until one momentous occasion, which gave birth to Signature Fragrances London.

Yinka and I were returning back to London, so we wanted to buy some gifts for family and friends. We visited a popular market called Bat’ha, where we accidentally stumbled upon these row of shops that all sold perfume. We went into one store in particular and the scenery was extraordinary. There were massive decanters hanging on shelves with these long pipes connected to them. It was a scene that we had never seen before, full of experience and fantasies, I guess you could call it a ‘’scent utopia’’. However, what fascinated us most was the fact that they sold only oils, pure oils unrefined and exceedingly pleasurable to smell. We got back to our flat that day and I guess our minds were already made up – we wanted to share with the world the experience we had encountered.

• Was there always an interest in fragrance or was it something that developed over-time?

As I said before, we had always been keen on perfume. I can clearly recount before going to school my mother would drench us in one particular Avon cologne, to my teacher’s disapproval of course. Perfume has traveled with me throughout my life; it gives me more confidence and acts as an imaginary friend.

• Is there any scents that are in your memories from your childhood?

For me, it would have to be Jean Paul Gaultier, the one shaped like a torso. To this day, I still relish it. On the other hand, from a very young age, Yinka fell in love with Cool Water by Davidoff, in which he would frequently take trips to his brother’s room for a spritz or two.

• Where is the brand based? Has the culture effected the creation of the scents in anyway?

The brand is based in London; however, I can truly say that it has been affected by the culture in some way. Being born to very glamorous and flamboyant parents I have always enjoyed extravagance in anything, from fashion, cars, interior design, and perfume, so when it came to creating our scents we had one principle and that was to create perfumes that made a statement, reminding us of that 1940s era when it was all about glitz and glamour. We live very closed lives nowadays; people tend to hide their craziness out of sheer fear of other people’s reaction. We believe that your perfume has the right to be smelt by others, but not any type of perfume, the pure perfume that captures the aromatic detail of the ingredient and gives you a more natural experience.

• As for the brand can you describe the themes or ethos behind it?

Our perfumes are categorized by four of the most popular fragrance families in the world (Floral, Fresh, Sweet, and Oriental Woods). Inspired by different cultures, we wanted a collection that everyone could relate to; as we felt that these families are found all over the globe and people tend to be familiar with one or the other. But the main uniqueness of the brand is the oils. Pure perfume is a very classical olfactive experience, yet the most captivating. Due to the fact that we do not use alcohol in our blends, you’ll find that the scent harnesses itself close to the skin without evaporating and as a result, allows the scent to last tremendously long.

• What does the creative process of scent making and design mean for Signature Perfumes?

Our perfumes are created at an indulgent pure perfume strength, the highest form of perfume. Each blend has a superior concoction of high-quality materials and essential oils; a unique composition that allows the scent to project an intense natural aroma.

• What was the process of creating the brand like?

The beginning stages were absolutely manic! We are not perfumers, so working with others proved quite a difficult task as the scent is very abstract, only you understand what you are looking for, so communicating this abstract language of scent was rather exhausting. We also had to literally educate ourselves about the whole fragrance industry and determine what value we could bring to the table.

• The scents seem very unique, and they mirror a older time of fragrance by forgoing the spray and your choice of bottles, can you speak on you bottle and other design choices?

The perfumes we create are ‘statement fragrances’. We want to galvanize and intrigue by rebirthing a time when perfumes were symbolic, a historic period when your fragrance spoke for you. The flacons were designed by Yinka and were inspired by our masculine and gender qualities. For example, the bottle of Nouveau has a broad masculine appeal to it; whilst the diamond shaped bottle shows adornment usually experienced by women.

• Where can we find the STOCKLIST for Signature Perfumes?

At the moment, we are currently stocked in various boutiques across the Netherlands and Belgium; however, if you are not in those locations then you can find us at signaturefragrances.co.uk – we ship internationally as well.

Finally is there anything else that you would like to share about the brand, yourselves or where you feel the fragrance industry may be headed.

We just want to fascinate and intrigue our customers by gathering all the facets of luxury in one, with the hope that we satisfy the ego. People want a scent that lasts and are unique and that’s what we have done.