{"id":254284,"date":"2025-06-12T13:45:45","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T03:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.russh.com\/?p=254284"},"modified":"2025-06-13T10:09:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T00:09:31","slug":"jesse-wakenshaw-niche-perfumer-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.russh.com\/jesse-wakenshaw-niche-perfumer-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesse Wakenshaw on small batch perfumes and the most interesting fragrance he’s ever smelled"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a friend of RUSSH<\/em> (makeup artist Carly Lim<\/a>) who led me to Jesse Wakenshaw on Instagram<\/a>. It’s hard to quantify his work, but I’d describe him as an olfactory artist and creative who specialises in niche perfumes<\/a>. Her creates small batch fragrances<\/a>, but not the regular kind. His interest lies in unlikely combinations and unusual notes \u2014 things like synthetic animal musks, iris, tonka, hedione and jasmine rice. If you’re into under-the-radar fragrance, or want to explore something completely custom, Jesse is the person for the job.<\/p>\n

Beyond this, he is a fragrance industry buff and almost-historian. His favourite-ever fragrance, perfumer and details surrounding his own work and method, below.<\/p>\n

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<\/b>Tell me about your relationship with fragrance and scent \u2014 what initially sparked the interest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

From a young age, I was drawn to the escapism of fragrance \u2014 the way a scent could transport me, awaken curiosity and evoke a sense of confidence I didn\u2019t always feel growing up. As a young man still discovering who I was, fragrance offered a quiet power: the ability to transform, stimulate, and provoke something deeper within. It became more than just a sensory experience for me, it was a form of self-expression.<\/p>\n

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<\/b>Are there any early scent-related memories you can share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Traveling down the south coast, driving through quiet bushland before reaching a caravan park, and the caravan had been closed up since the last visit \u2014 damp, musty with the combination of plastic and vinyl wafting in the stagnant air. And then the smell of burning campfire but with a briny marine facet. Very\u00a0 nostalgic…<\/p>\n

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<\/b>So how did you get into perfume making and olfactory studies?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It happened pretty seamlessly and quite naturally, but if I had to pinpoint it, I\u2019d say it really took off during the early COVID lockdowns. I became obsessed with researching olfactive profiles online, reading, collecting, absorbing everything I could. I started collecting raw materials and digging into how compositions work and how molecules interact.\u00a0<\/span>Through that process, I came to understand that perfumery is an art form. There\u2019s no one right way to do it.<\/p>\n

As someone who\u2019s hyper-creative across multiple disciplines, it felt second nature to merge all those experiences together. Perfumery became this perfect meeting point \u2014 a place where everything I\u2019d done creatively could finally align.<\/p>\n

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<\/b>How would you describe your work and what you do now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A combination of scent and sculpture \u2014 often in various forms \u2014 acts as an apparatus to hold and release scent molecules. I explore the idea of adhering scent to specific objects in order to carry and convey a visceral experience to the viewer. That said, I\u2019m by no means bound to this approach. Some moments call for nothing more than a fleeting scent: an invisible language to communicate ideas.<\/p>\n

One common theme is that my work leans heavily on the psyche\u2014on how we perceive and experience scent at an emotional level.<\/p>\n

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<\/b>What\u2019s your creative process when you\u2019re making a perfume? Is there a unique method?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a chaotic one! Sometimes it starts from a visual cue \u2014 something I see that triggers a feeling \u2014 but more often, it begins as a thought or idea in my head. Something abstract that I just need to smell.<\/p>\n

I start by sketching out potential materials. That usually means a table covered in paper blotters soaked with diluted aroma chemicals. It’s messy. There\u2019s constant sniffing, layering, second-guessing. A lot of overthinking, to be honest. But also… curiosity. This constant urge to see how something would work. Would this note completely clash with that one?<\/p>\n

Then the doubting kicks in. Eventually, I\u2019ll commit to a formula and create a sample. Then I let it sit, macerate, do its thing. After that comes more evaluating, more rethinking, more time. It\u2019s never linear. It\u2019s often frustrating. But that\u2019s how it goes. It\u2019s not a clean process, but it\u2019s mine. Sometimes in all the chaos, something magic happens.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by @jessewakenshawstudio<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n