Artist Aistis Mickevičius has been hard to find in Lithuania this year. Presentations of the film Felicita and trips to the most sought-after art perfumery exhibitions, along with his own brand FUMparFUM, have become a real daily routine for the creator. This month, Aistis will present his perfume for the first time at an exhibition in the United States.
Aisti, how do you manage to open your artistic perfumery brand FUMparFUM to new countries?
In perfumery, those new doors open slowly and unexpectedly, after many years of hard work, exhibitions and events, when reliable contacts emerge, who eventually become friends, buddies, and companions. I can say that when making personal business contacts, one of the most important qualities in communication is… sincerity. This is so rare these days and therefore valuable.
Where will your artistic perfumery brand FUMParFUM be launched in America?
I'm going with FUMparFUM fragrances to Los Angeles, where the absolutely amazing Art & Olfactory Institute is located, which organizes the annual Art Perfumery Awards, as well as, together with the Craft Contemporary Museum, a perfumery event called Scent Fair, which presents art perfumery brands and their creators from all over the world. This event is returning after a several-year hiatus (it was suspended due to COVID-21 lockdowns, which lasted longer in California than elsewhere in the United States). This time, it will feature XNUMX brands/authors selected by the event organizers.
What attracts you to the American market and what do you expect from this event?
For me, as a perfume brand creator and aroma author, all new and unknown markets are interesting and attractive due to the potentially undiscovered opportunities. America is big, Los Angeles is attractive because the culture of authorial artistic perfumery already exists there, which means there are people interested. I hope to establish useful business contacts, find potential clients, customers, distributors. From experience, I can say that the best and strongest such contacts are when there is direct communication.
You have traveled to many different countries with your perfume creations. What are the differences between aromatic flavors and which country is closest to FUMparFUM?
Today, I could name such a country as distant and at first glance exotic Japan, which unexpectedly became the largest importer of our products. The Japanese like and suit the aesthetics of FUMparFUM fragrances, and personally, Japan inspires me in my creativity. Something in our worldviews is very similar.
What perspective do you see for artistic perfumery in general?
As markets expand (and authorial artistic perfumery is gradually being discovered in Asia), those prospects seem bright and limitless. People are increasingly interested in the artistic side of perfumery, in experimental fragrance projects.
When creating your brand FUMparFUM, you paid great attention to its visual identity. And now – you have updated both the bottles and the packaging. What inspired you to make this change?
Every brand needs periodic renewal, a breath of fresh air, in other words – new ideas and inspirations. In order to move forward, you need to come up with something new. After one exhibition, we sat down with FUMparFUM packaging designer Dovile Džervute-Laurinkienė and analyzed what we could update without changing the existing concept in principle, and we came to the unanimous conclusion that it was time for original packaging. The name FUMparFUM is inspired by the Latin phrase Per Fumum (Lithuanian: Through smoke), so the idea arose to create a box resembling a cigarette pack for the perfume packaging. Smoking cigarettes is no longer fashionable and is obviously harmful these days, so it is better to keep a bottle of your favorite fragrance in such a package. The new, somewhat ironic packaging is very popular with FUMparFUM customers!
You often mention that you tell stories with your fragrances. Are your stories born from aromatic experiences, or, conversely, are the stories you experience creating the fragrance?
These aromatic stories are often based not only on olfactory experiences, but also on lived and generalized personal experiences while observing the world. In short, my perfumery creations are inspired by life itself.
How much do aromas relate to your work in other artistic fields?
It is obvious that my stage experiences have directly influenced the creation of some of the FUMparFUM fragrances. I also draw connections with visual sensitivity (and a passion for capturing – photography), poetic flair, cultural exploration, and literature I have read.
Please tell us about your latest fragrances and their stories.
I would like to highlight the fragrance “Felicità” (Lithuanian: “Happiness”), which has the same name as the film debut of my colleague Ineta Stasiulytė and I, but at the same time “Felicità” is inspired not so much by this film as by Italy itself. For me, Italy is about its vast and very diverse culinary heritage, and food is an extremely important existential pleasure for Italians. Therefore, in the composition of the gourmet-style “Felicità” I used a lot of “edible” notes – tomato, olive, black currant, fig, coriander, allspice, brandy and hot milk accord. The latter is one of the latest perfumery trends.
Can you share your upcoming creative plans for Lithuania?
In early June, I invite you to the photography exhibition “Summer Postcard”, which will be complemented by poetry and a special aroma, and on June 13, during the “Culture Night” festival in Vilnius, I invite you to visit the FUMparFUM studio, where the “Olfactory Herbarium” project will be presented.
Thank you for conversation.
The conversation was led by Rūta Kaupinytė.
