Maison d’Etto, a luxury brand of artisanal, gender-neutral fragrances set to redefine the notion of modern luxury, today launched with the release of its first collection, Connection to Self today at Casa Perfect by The Future Perfect in New York’s West Village. Home to some of the best makers, artists and artisans of our time, the gallery embodies everything that we stand for — different is good. “We need to break the rules, the traditional mores no longer work” says The Future Perfect founder David Alhadeff. “We are passionate about flipping retail and consumer experience on its head. Meeting with Brianna and connecting on that allowed for incredible synergies to arise. Not only are we hosting the launch, but we will also be Maison d’Etto’s retail partner. The campaign imagery for the first collection features many of our artists including, Christophe Delcourt, Floris Wubben, and Kristin Victoria Barron amongst others.”
The Maison d’Etto brand defies traditional notions of beauty by taking inspiration from contemporary art, modern architecture, and culture, as well as by inspiring moments of connection, reflection, and wellbeing. The fragrances were made in collaboration with International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF), with an unyielding focus on creative freedom, as well as through the selection of the highest quality of natural ingredients from Laboratoire Monique Remy (LMR), and, uniquely, defining molecules that elevate the scent structures to new heights.
Maison d’Etto founder, Brianna Lipovsky, Creative Consultant, Brand Builder and Equestrian, started putting together the building blocks in 2016 through a longing to have full creative and business control of her own brand. Inspired by her two greatest passions, horses and scent, Brianna sought to create a line of fragrances completely unique to the beauty industry. An entrepreneurial and personal two-year journey resulted in five fragrances and one discovery-set. Each scent is directly inspired by and named after a horse that has deeply impacted her: ROTANO, KARAT EG, DURBAN JANE, MACANUDO, and CANAAN.
“There was a moment that changed my journey in life ten years ago and it has been an underlying, directional current since,” says Maison d’Etto founder Brianna Lipovsky. “When I was at a beauty event as an executive for Women’s Wear Daily, I was brought to tears by the storytelling, bravery and beauty around the natural ingredients of Monique Remy of Laboratoire Monique Remy (LMR) owned by International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. (IFF). I was so moved by her and the passion that she evoked for perfumery ingredients, their quality, their life, and what they share with the world. At that moment in time, I knew I wanted to do something in fragrance; however, I did not know how it would manifest… Here we are nearly a decade later working with the team, perfumers, and pallet of my dreams from that very fragrance house,” continues Brianna. “Fragrance is a quite closed off and nuanced industry and breaking into it was challenging to say the least, but the coincidental meeting of two individuals, Frederic Pignault and Amy Rueckl, changed the course of my life forever. I thank them (from the bottom of my heart) for taking a chance on me and allowing me to make magic.”
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.’s (IFF) experience in developing the collection, Connection to Self, was noticeably different than the traditional, beauty-industry standard guidelines surrounding fragrance. First and foremost, serendipitously, each perfumer: Carlos Benaim, Celine Barel, and Mackenzie Reilly personally and intimately related to the connection, experience, and dialogue Brianna had built with each horse. Second, and most impactful, was the request to create fragrances that stood for, “making life better by connecting with ourselves, others and the world.”
“It is very rare to see a new brand emerge with such a strong modern vision and inspiration from so many different worlds: admiration for architecture, passion for equestrian lifestyle, love for ingredients, and a respect for art, craftmanship and luxury,” states Frederic Pignault, VP Sales, Prestige Fine Fragrance, NOAM, IFF. “As a fragrance house, we would love to work with all the new artisanal brands, but we can’t, so we have to be strategic, extremely selective, and work with only the special ones to which we feel a strong connection. I feel so proud of this collaboration and the perfumery work… all the fragrances give me such extreme pleasure to wear! At IFF, we love to support the entrepreneurs that have great potential like Maison d’Etto by sharing our knowledge, expertise and capabilities to help them express their olfactive vision.”
“I was taken by this project due to its novel approach of adapting a fragrance to the personality of each of the horses. The direct contact with Brianna, whose passion is contagious, was incredibly motivating,” adds Carlos Benaim, Master Perfumer, IFF. “The visit at Sunny Field Farm in Bedford, is what jump-started my work. At IFF, we created a Living Stallion accord that conveys the smell of a stallion after having galloped through the fields. A surprising odor because it has a soft sensual facet and is not as animalic as one would think. This ingredient that Brianna and I loved is the heart of the Rotano creation with soft suede leather notes and musky patchouli background.”
“Brianna is a super intelligent, driven, and an accomplished young woman, who brings experience in luxury and fashion to the table, but pairs it with the mindset of the next generation of business people,” further adds IFF perfumer, Mackenzie Reilly. “She works in a different way than we are used to working in the industry, with a level of grit, motivation, risk-taking, and vision that we usually find in the start-up world. Pairing this youthful, energetic ambition with a sophisticated understanding of business and luxury markets, makes for a very interesting partnership. As a young perfumer myself, it was a great experience to be exposed to this type of energy, and perhaps a glimpse into what the future of fragrance development will look like. The brief itself was inherently quite special, and to be honest, it’s not so often we receive a project that is truly unique. Even within the niche world, many olfactive territories and marketing concepts are already over-saturated. The idea for Maison d’Etto was fresh and different, but at the same moment, truly timeless and elegant; a real luxury concept. The idea of reconnecting with nature through an elevated framework, is, of course, quite contemporary, but realizing this through the spirits of beautiful horses and an exquisite and storied sport, is unexpected and intriguing,” adds Mackenzie Reilly.
Connection to Self is available at the Maison d’Etto website, www.maisondetto.com, and through select concept stores, specialty boutiques, and contemporary galleries. Each eau de parfum comes in a 60ML bottle, and price points vary between $250.00 and $300.00. The discovery-set comes as a collection of 5 x 2.5ML spray vials and retails for $90.00.