DALEGERARD: A Q&A with Creator, Dale Gerard Rozmiark

 We've got Dale Gerard Rozmiark on the blog today! Dale is the Creator behind the new line DALEGERARD, based out of New York City. Discover which note is a subtle vein running through each fragrance in his first launch and how his Wisconsin roots and Calvin Klein shaped his affection for fragrance, creation and process. 

Q: You decided to launch a fragrance brand, awesome! Looks like you couldn’t find the “right” scent, so you created your own. Can you tell us a little more about how that came to be?

For as long as I can remember, I was obsessed with fragrance. I would find a scent I loved but it was missing something, so I would add another and yet another, until it felt right. While I loved experimenting and receiving compliments from friends and strangers, it was always frustrating that what I wanted did not exist. So as with most things in life when the timing felt right...and knowing exactly what I wanted in these 3 scents, my fantasy became my reality.

Q: Patchouli is the heart or signature, of your 3 fragrances, the vein that runs through them all. Why is that? Tell us more! 

While I always have been intrigued by patchouli, it was not a requirement. Through getting to know me, my vision, and desires, Pascal Gaurin presented a series of scents for my approval, in the end the 3 that I was most captivated by were with patchouli...a sign it was meant to be. I love that it is not the first note you encounter in any of these; it’s a more sophisticated way of using patchouli.

Q: You partnered with Pascal Gaurin, perfumer at IFF. How did that come to be and what was it like working with a perfumer from one of the “Big Three”?

I speak about magic a lot. Things happening for a reason. I was introduced to a friend of a friend Jean Christophe of Thirdman. I was taken back by the genius and generosity of this man. He introduced me to IFF and then Pascal, from there Pascal and I created a relationship out of mutual respect and understanding that a fragrance is only as successful as the partnership between the perfumer and the creator.

Q: For each fragrance, you used three different types of extraction methods for the patchouli (hydro, molecular and fractional distillation). Can you elaborate more on each of the processes and which process connects to which fragrance? 

Pascal is the genius with this concept, he has unbelievably mastered in his profession and in this case thought process (knowing that I wanted 3 scents that could be worn together, yet needing to be able to stand alone).

Q: You took a leap and started your brand in 2020 and launched during the pandemic. What was the hardest part about starting your business and pulling the trigger to launch during the pandemic?

There were no moments of should I or not and of course the launch was planned pre-pandemic". It is all about now and always has been for me. It happens to be the message of the brand, as is embracing imperfection, confidence, and courage. So again, the brand is meant to be a moment of clarity. 

Q: How long have you been interested in scent and perfume? How did you start learning about it? Can you tell us more about your work with Barneys and Calvin Klein? 

The fist bottle of fragrance I purchased at 15 was Jovan Musk for WOMEN (while growing up on a farm in rural Wisconsin), i wore it daily. I realized then the power a scent can have: to empower ones self, to create another dimension of reality. I have been beyond fortunate to have worked not only for Barneys and Calvin Klein but to have worked with a multitude of talented people, some of the best in the industry of fashion. Perfectionists, legends, icons, if you will. So you absorb, you morph, you learn. One of the things that happens is that you are educated in a sense.

The aesthetic of Calvin himself has thankfully remained with me: the clean, natural, simplicity yet intellectual idea of those qualities, and the freedom to be daring. I was responsible for creating the aesthetics for the brands while  maintaining the integrity of the brand. One of my greatest talents is creating a vision and then bringing it to life.

Q: Did you have any mentors along the way?

Calvin for certain, an icon forever but also a real person that is honest, kind, never willing to settle for less than what his vision was. More recently Raf Simons: his tenacity, his passion, and his desire to achieve a vision and again the idea of not willing to accept anything else.

Q: What are you most proud of with your brand or your fragrance compositions?

That they will always remain fresh to me, that I will never tire of them. Having these scents in my mind forever and then with the help of Pascal to make them a reality it's exactly what I wanted and thought they would be, and that is so profound to me.

Q: What’s your favorite scented memory from your childhood?

The freshness of the air, the clean scent of it, in rural Wisconsin and how through-out the day and seasons it would change while always remaining the same.

Q: Tell us something that most people don’t know about you?

I am quite real. So once you meet me, what you see is what you get. The realness is real! 

Q: Outside of fragrance, what other creative outlets do you have?

I love to create and doing it with love. First in my mind then bringing it to life. While it may be interiors, flowers / nature, food , or fashion, it's the curation and the process that turns me on, knowing the end result and how it can affect people.

Q: Where do you consider your happy place

My heart

Q: What is your favorite word?

Yes

Q: What is your least favorite word?

No

  Q: What turns you on? 

Momentum

Q: What turns you off?

Boredom

Q: What’s your favorite note?

Muget

Q: What’s your least favorite note?

Vanilla

Q: If you could describe your brand in 3 words, what would they be?

Modern, clean, longevity

Q: What’s next for you?

Where do i start...creating more gorgeous things for others to enjoy

Q: Is there anything else you want our readers to know?

You really can create your own reality

 

The best way to experience all three DALEGERARD fragrances in with our Sample Pack! Ready to dive into a 10 or 100 ml size, you'll find them here:  Vocation, Mannered, and Discernment. 

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Photo credits: DALEGERARD