In conversation: Nick Steward from GALLIVANT
Please introduce yourself in 3 sentences:
Hello, I’m Nick Steward, the founder & creator of GALLIVANT. We’re an award-winning indie perfume-maker based in Hackney, East London, making playful perfumes inspired by memorable journeys I’ve been on. I’m a linguist by background (Arabic, French among others), and with a great passion for travel and exploring other cultures.
Favourite ingredient / aroma?
I have a particular fondness for orris (iris). There’s something very beautifully raw about it – and it has so many facets (earthy, powdery, paper-like, chocolate-y, vegetal, carroty/rooty, violet floral, those hard-boiled sweets we used to have for travelling – even a putty smell). Constantly fascinates me.
Read more in BBC’s “Orris: The world’s rarest perfume ingredient”
How and with whom do you create your fragrances?
For whom? For human beings – and I’m often struck by how our customers really trust their own noses – and don’t run with the crowd.
How? The main point I would say is slowly. Slowly and thoughtfully.
With whom? I’m blessed to work with a wonderful team of perfumers, compounders and raw material sourcers (perfumery, at its best, is really a collective collaborative affair) – especially those based at the Roudnitska company “Art & Parfum” in Grasse, in the south of France.
Any favourite perfume or one that has a particular memory you’d like to share?
Timbuktu. By the supremely wonderful Bertrand Duchaufour. We worked together at L’Artisan Parfumeur – and that was a very special time in my life and career: a great training ground, many fun and creative times, and of course it has had a big impact on my approach to perfumery, and what I do at GALLIVANT today. And Timbuktu holds a special place for many fragrance lovers: a sort of ‘gateway drug’ into ‘niche’ or ‘alternative’ perfumery. I still love wearing it (vintage bottles from my archive).
Any perfumer / artist / person you’d like to collaborate with on a fragrance?
I’m a big admirer of the artist Yanko Tihov – I find his maps endlessly fascinating – what stories they hold!
Mylène Farmer – her music means a lot to me – and I love the dreamy other-worldly quality to her artistry.
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If you weren’t in the fragrance industry, which industry would you love to be in?
At this point, I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else – I feel very blessed to be doing what I’m doing with GALLIVANT. I’m very lucky to have so many good friends and colleagues in this industry – my ‘tribe’ of fellow indie makers around the world. And my hope is that I can continue like this, being free, and independent, for many years to come…
If you could change anything in the industry, what would it be?
More focus on the perfumery. Less hype, less marketing bullshit would be a good thing, in my book… let’s slow down, more quality, less quantity.
Any upcoming project / launch you want to share?
I have something up my sleeve for late autumn. I’m superstitious so don’t like to reveal the destination, but it’s a new continent for GALLIVANT, somewhere I feel very connected to. And the perfume itself is a very fun, irreverent take on the place. Watch this space!
Tune of the day: Rayon Vert – Mylène Farmer and AaRON – wonderfully atmospheric stuff!
Fragrance of the day: Today I’m wearing Ta’if – the new parfum we’ve created exclusively for Fortnum & Mason (it launched there 12th June), so please pop along to Piccadilly to get your noses on that! Spoiler alert: it is an homage to the famous roses of Ta’if, in Saudi Arabia.
You can purchase GALLIVANT’s discovery set here
Recent investment in fragrance:
French perfume brand MATIERE PREMIERE closes its second funding round (amount and terms undisclosed), with Kering Beauté acquiring a minority stake
Things to explore in fragrance:
Florence, 13-15th Sep 2024: Fragrance trading fair Pitti Fragranze
London, until 7th July 2024: Saatchi Gallery multisensory exhibition
My fragrance of the day: Ervas by ODUR - nose: Giovanni Sammarco - synthetic lemon, bergamot, vague foresty musk, harmonious soap, Savon de Marseilles
A billboard that … Smells like McDonald’s
Cotswolds, 2024
- Flo