January 01, 2025

When we last talked to Holly Hutchinson, it was 2019 (seems like only yesterday...), and we wanted to hear about her brand, Memoize. Well, Memoize was so successful, Holly now owns... wait for it... four fragrance houses: Memoize, EAU.MG, Adscenture, and Pictor Parfum. We had to catch up and learn how she does it all!

 

 

A lot has happened since we last spoke. You’re now the owner of four fragrance houses. That boggles our minds! What made you decide to run multiple houses? Was it intentional to have your hands so full?

Its true - balancing multiple fragrance houses seems like a lot to manage but when you have such a deep passion for perfumery and the desire to explore different creative directions within the scent world it can become quite addictive! Each house in our range represents a unique and distinct approach to fragrance, catering to different moods, tastes, ages and target markets.

Taking on four fragrance brands came out of naturally occurring opportunities - namely, Covid, which made the world stand still for a while, but that gave me the time to unleash my creativity! Three is company, four is a fragrance fanatic!

Would you be interested in discussing what each of those four houses would specialize in? I can imagine them having unique signatures!

Memoize is based around the connection between scent and memory – we are intrinsically linked to emotional connection and the brand focuses on this.

 

EAU.MG is about making a bold statement with fragrance – the colored scents are bold – we encourage people to expand their horizons with our scent collection.

 

 

Adscenture is all about experiencing scent on a personal journey – we encourage people to join our journey! We suggest leading stories for each scent to encourage our customers to experience each scent as part of their own journey.

Finally, Pictor Parfum is my favorite inspiration, the beauty of photographic artistry meets perfumery. We seek inspiration from images and photography styles to inspire our collection.

 

Can you talk about your process of founding a new fragrance house?

Its no small feat! A new brand involves a huge amount of work – presentations, brand guidelines, and training documents, along with new social media accounts, photography and content.

We start with the concept, work on development of the scents, and develop the concepts, descriptions, and brand guidelines as a starting point.

Do you feel they’re similar in any way as well, is there a common thread through each?

They are all Extrait de Parfum (20-30% oil) – I believe in quality, so the similar thread across all brands is quality.

 

 

How do you go about managing all of them and keeping it all straight?

Its not really a problem – in fact, easier, in many ways. We have a wonderful list of stockists like Olfactif and trusted partners that support our growth – they love newness and love our style of perfume. The sell-in is very positive.

Also, if one brand isn’t for them, we definitely have something else to offer them!

 

What’s the hardest thing about running (so many) niche lines?

The hard part comes at the start – product testing, photoshoots, and presentations are tiresome, but other than that, we enjoy the beautiful creativity of developing new scents!

There are lots of things to manage for one brand – its not much harder for 4 brands.

What’s your favorite part of it all?

I am a creative at heart, so the creativity of multiple lines of scents are wonderful. Developing and trying new perfumes is such a privilege. Brainstorming names and proposing color schemes are a lot of fun too.

Has anything changed about your creative process through the years of running so many things?


Not really. One rule I have is to always take on board the considerations of others, either within, or outside of the business, when we are creating something new. It helps you to consider things that you may miss when you’re so involved in the development. Covid made things hard, but gave me the time to enjoy developing the new brands and keep my sanity!

 

 

If you weren’t in perfume, what would you be doing?

I’m an artist through and through – I love painting, drawing, making clothes, pottery and ceramics in my spare time. Perfume is my niche which allows me to be creative in my work.


 

 

Favorite note?

I’m torn between Vanilla and Rose as my favorite notes - a combination of both gives a warm, comforting and floral sweetness.

Smell you hate the most?

I don’t hate any smell particularly. I'm not keen on Tuberose as a note personally, however, sometimes, when combined with other notes it can be beautiful!

Favorite sound?

My daughter laughing.

Where’s your “happy place”?

With friends and family, or with my daughter, in my Perfume Cave (aka Office!)

Favorite song right now?

" Do It Again" by Asso (I love music!)

Favorite quote?

"Fail to prepare, prepare to fail." My old boss taught me to be ready for anything and you wont get caught out!

I f you could describe all of your work in 3 words, what would they be?

Passionate, Creative, Busy!

 


Find  Enigma by Memoize, Onward to Seville and Sands of Time by Adscenture  featured in our January 2025 Collection: Adventure Awaits

Subscribe by January 15th to get this collection in your mailbox.

Catch up with Memoize, Adscenture, Pictor Parfum, or EAU.MG on Instagram!

Photo Credits: Holly Hutchinson, Memoize, Adscenture, Pictor Parfum, EAU.MG

 


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