In conversation: Chloe Mullen from Jorum Studio
Please introduce yourself in 3 sentences:
Hello! I’m Chloe, co-founder of Jorum. We’re a perfumer-led fragrance brand based in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 2019 (with in-house perfumer Euan McCall). I have a background in design and an immense passion for fragrance: Jorum Studio is almost the intersection of these two elements.
Tell us more about Jorum Studio:
Jorum was very much born out of a desire to create new olfactory landscapes with a focus on using noble materials in new ways. Euan has been working as a professional perfumer since 2009, working on some incredible projects; in 2019 we co-founded Jorum Studio as more of a personal project which in turn developed into something much bigger! We set out with a pretty simple mission to express Jorum’s authentic Scottish heritage through the medium of fragrance. Jorum Studio for us is as much a creative outlet as it is a cultural one.
As co-founder I’m so proud to be able to showcase Euan’s unique sensibility as a perfumer and the influence his Scottish heritage has had on his craft. We really felt compelled to not only showcase innovative and expressive fragrances but something that felt true to our roots, eschewing stereotypes in favour of an authentic appreciation of Scotland, and perfumery.
How do you create your fragrances?
Our sources of inspiration really do come from anywhere and everywhere: art, literature, architecture, music or just everyday encounters. Often Euan is inspired by fragrance materials themselves and this becomes the seed of an idea.
We tend to start with a simple moodboard, building a multi-sensory world around an idea. From there we then work obsessively developing, refining and perfecting the fragrance. As we design and manufacture fragrance in-house, we have the freedom to create without any constraints. This allows us to push the boundaries both in terms of the ingredients we use as well as our creative concepts.
Favourite ingredient / aroma?
I’m a sucker for any night-scented floral: Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Stocks. Honeysuckle is my ultimate indulgence.
Any perfumer / artist / person you’d like to collaborate with on a fragrance?
It would have been a dream to collaborate with American filmmaker David Lynch. Such a creative visionary: using surrealism as a way to communicate the most unfiltered parts of the human condition.
What’s your first fragrance memory?
My earliest and strongest fragrance memory has to be smelling hot tarmac: summer holidays with family, discovering new places, new people, new food (and aromas!) is something I’ll never forget. I love that every summer when it gets hot in the city I’m reminded of these precious formative memories.
Any favourite perfume or one that has a particular memory you’d like to share?
In the 00’s my mum was really into Cacharel, so Anais Anais and Eden are very nostalgic for me! I have such a strong visual memory of seeing a bottle of Estée Lauder’s Youth Dew on my grandma’s dressing table. I was never allowed to touch the bottle, and with hindsight that was probably a good thing - an 8 year old wearing Youth Dew may have been a little odd, but certainly progressive!
If you weren’t in the fragrance industry, which industry would you like to be in?
It may sound strange to most people but I’ve always loved the energy of a factory: people hard at work, lots of movement and machinery and rhythm and progress. So anything involving manufacturing and process is where I would be!
If you could change anything in the industry, what would it be?
Dupes. You find those companies that are blatantly and unashamedly replicating original fragrances for a cheaper price, which effectively is a version of counterfeiting. And, almost more importantly it’s disappointing to find many well-known brands less blatantly copying. Sometimes I find myself in department stores and everything smells the same!
Any upcoming project / launch you want to share?
We’re excited for the upcoming Summer release for our TIME collection: a collection of limited-release seasonal fragrances direct from our perfumer’s archive.
Tune of the day: Running/Planning by CMAT
Fragrance of the day: Vernus by Jorum Studio
My fragrance of the day: CK One by Calvin Klein - nose: Alberto Morillas and Harry Fremont - fresh opening - reminiscent of fresh laundry - bergamot, lime, something grounding and enveloping, light, dry earth, dry wood, a light rose
Golborne Road, August 2023
- Flo