For 160-year-old Lucknow-based perfume house Isak Fragrance, success has been all about making people smell royal and good. It’s a name derived from the Urdu word Ishq or romance, which has classic musky scents invoking the charms of a bygone India, where formality and grace defined sophistication and royalty. The royal brand of India has been recently awarded the title of Craft Brand of the Year 2021. In conversation with TMM, Vidushi Vijayvergiya, Co-Founder, ISAK Fragrances talks about the journey of the brand and how she has given it a modern touch without compromising on its royalness.
You have recently received the award of Craft Brand of the Year 2021. Tell us about it and how does it feel?
We are delighted to have received the award of Craft Brand of the Year 2021in the prestigious International Crafts Awards. It is a testimony to our hard work, the legacy, and the craft. We treat perfumery as a craft and have been true to it. It feels great to be recognized in the craft industry. Mainstream perfumery has become a mass manufacturing process and push products by massive spending on marketing. However, ISAK has always stood for customized, handcrafted, innovative Indian fragrances using old distillery methods and natural ingredients.
Tell us more about ISAK perfume, a 160-year-old perfume brand that is based in Lucknow.
Over the last century and a half, our fragrance house has managed to build and blossom the business, driven by artistry and perfection in hand blending and a keen inherited nose, counting 160 years and 6 generations to be precise.
ISAK is our latest initiative, to put Indian perfumery and its craftsmanship on the world map. We strive to offer rare fragrance formulations created from the rarest of the rare ingredients, using a hallmark technique to carefully concoct each bottle with the same care. We strive to expand our perfumery with the same honesty we use to craft our products, starting with sustainability and ending with a great smell for all. Today, we are counted among the top fragrance brands in India with an in-house creative lab and manufacturing.
What made you think of starting a DIY perfumery kit and what all this offers?
The Indian consumer is evolving and looking for more experience-based activities. We were already conducting perfume making workshops, but the lockdown forced us to think out of the box. To create the kit, we had to miniaturize the entire experience. And that was tricky. To solve this problem, we finally came up with the idea of creating a perfume making kit, which will help perfumery enthusiasts and others to understand perfumery, experiment & make their own bespoke perfume. We worked on multiple iterations, very deeply followed each process to understand the requirements of a perfume creator. The kit has been created keeping every little detail in mind. Finally, with ingredients, beakers, test strips, droppers, detailed instructions for first-timers, safety instructions, formula notebooks, and coffee beans we created The Lab in a Box.
When it comes to your favourite at ISAK, what you chose and why?
I have a few favourites at ISAK. Depending on my mood, I like to wear Bon Bon, Love Song, Edge of Dreams. Bon Bon gives that instant lift to my mood. Its peppy cinnamon & chocolate notes keep my day bright. Love Song has beautiful apple notes with musk & jasmine. I love to wear it for social events or casual dinner outings. Edge of Dreams is that warm & deep yet refreshing fragrance that I love to wear to formal events or meetings.
What makes ISAK stand out of the crowd in the contemporary market?
Our focus on the creation of refreshing fragrances that are also an amalgamation of opulent yesteryears and the lively modern era make our fragrances stand out from the crowd. Our perfume creations are unique & novel. The use of natural ingredients allows us to craft fragrances that are now often considered a lost art.
How far social media has helped you to bring attention to a name that is more than 160 years old?
Perfumery is a marketing-driven industry. People focus on marketing and advertising rather than the product itself. Most international & designer brands have large marketing budgets which is a constraint for Indian perfumers. But social media has been a boon for us. It allows us to tell our story to the consumers, talk about the product, educate them and connect to the consumers directly.
What are your future plans for ISAK?
We are also looking forward to launching some theme-based perfume packs. It would be an interesting exploration for customers and the perfect gifting range. We also plan to launch our new range of attars – The Traditional Indian perfume along with 4 new perfumes. We are also working towards partnerships with stores across the world to retail with them and taking Indian perfumery to the world.
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