I met with Anastasia Sokolow, the designer of SULÉKÓ perfumes in October as I had sadly missed her at Esxence in April. I was really curious to try her perfume line as I was following her on Instagram and her artistic feed and beautiful porcelain perfume bottles had really caught my eye.
Anastasia is of Russian descent and the memories of her childhood and adolescence inspire her perfumes today. She worked for many years at Yves Saint Laurent Beauté and that was the beginning of a great passion that followed with high level training at ISIPCA and studies of the great classics of French Haute Parfumerie at the Osmothèque. Today, she is a member of the French Society of Perfumers and shares her passion by training and hosting events across the world : private master classes, trunk shows, exhibitions in art galleries as well as online as she wants to share the language of scents she created where each season is defined as a combination of specific scents. Anastasia teaches the class at her atelier, clubs and schools and also online; each participant receives a box of the materials needed for the class and a private login to the online class.
SULÉKÓ worked n collaboration with perfumer Cecile Zarokian to create four universes defined olfactively, but also emotionally: SULÉKÓ WINTER, SULÉKÓ SPRING, SULÉKÓ SUMMER and SULÉKÓ FALL. Each universe matches a specific state of mind, a personality or a phase of our life. Cecile worked with the finest natural ingredients and synthetic molecules and after a long process of reflection on the story behind the perfume, created 4 fragrances that embody the intense emotions sought by SULÉKÓ, projecting those who wear the perfume towards both their past and their future. SULÉKÓ seeks to create a fragrance which lies at the border between the known and the unknown.
The name SULÉKÓ recalls a Georgian poem, which became a very popular Russian song, “Souliko” and it's about a young man who is seeking his soul mate. Through smelling the wonderful scent of a rose he eventually finds her and thus paying tribute to the power of perfume. Perfume is a reflection of oneself and a well-chosen fragrance will magnify the person who wears it, will act as an aura, a second skin, the echo of the soul – “soul-echo”.
In order to complete the multi-sensory experience they wanted, SULÉKÓ worked with two talented artists, Joelle Fèvre and Alain Fichot, both specialised in a specific technique, to develop sculpture-bottles as visual and tactile representations of each fragrance. The perfume bottles are porcelain sculptures worked around a glass bottle containing the fragrance. At the crossroads between works of art and designer objects, these sculptures enhance your discovery of the perfume projecting you into its world.
The first one of the line, Albho, is part of the SULÉKÓ WINTER universe. Winter is a season of contrasts: the outside freezing cold is opposed to the warmth of a home and nature becomes violent all the while we celebrate Peace and the holly days. It is a period defined by Silence, Mystery and Contemplation.
Albho's bottle is sculpted like a swan, half-animal, half-human, above all a spiritual being. Elegant and slender, it evokes strength and power, but at the same time calm and gentleness. The fragrance reflects the season, it starts off with a breeze of icy mint mint and eucalyptus, pure and fresh before it takes you for a walk in the forest full of pine and cedar trees. As you walk towards a cabin in the woods seeking shelter from the cold you catch a whiff of smokiness thanks to guiac and as you enter, the rich and powerful scent of balsams like benzoin, tolu balm, labdanum envelop you and warm you up, soothing your soul.
Vy Roza is part of the SULÉKÓ SPRING universe that is defined by the awakening of nature; it is a period when we are overwhelmed with luminous, joyful and fresh scents. It is the season of everlasting youth, energy, feast and celebration of life.
Vy Rosa's bottle is sculptured like a rosebud with geometric petals carefully polished for a very soft and tender touch and fine lines that run through the sculpture to remind of the touch of fine grass. It reflects the silhouette of a woman in a chiffon dress, elegant and airy.
It's the embodiment of a beautiful spring day, when you feel compelled to walk barefoot on fresh grass sprinkled with morning dew, wearing a light dress and the first rays of sun caressing your skin. As you close in on the freshly blooming rose bushes, the lush scent of fruity roses captivates you with it's full and spicy fragrance.
Djélem is part of the SULÉKÓ SUMMER universe, defined by the sun, its warmth and by a luxurious nature which exhilarates us with voluptuous scents. It is a period of freedom when passions and emotions reign. Djélem is a Gypsy song which, in 1971, became the anthem of the Gypsies and the bottle is inspired by the body of a dancing gypsy, a shawl in her hands, her long skirts swirling to the sound of the music. Her spicy, mysterious, wild and sensual spirit is reflected by the bright shimmering colours of the crystalline glazes. The metallic shimmers are reminiscent of the coin necklaces which jangle to the movements of her shoulders. Each bottle is a unique combination of fire, earth, water and air.
The scent for me is the scent of harvest season and hot summer days, dry and filled with color. Dry freshly cut hay and an abundance of spicy clove and peppery carnations with a sensual touch of amber.
Baba Yaga is part of the SULÉKÓ FALL universe inspired by the terrifying witch, which appears in the Russian tales. All the children know her and fear her. The bottle has the shape of a tornado coming from deep down the earth. Part of it is smooth which brings a feeling of speed, this idea of a storm with a strong wind. Two eyes are coming out of the wood, they watch you and challenge you, and Baba Yaga’s tortuous hands appear on one side; she is gradually coming out of the bark of the tree which one can feel with its coarse and rugged touch.
My favourite of the 4, Baba Yaga start off dynamic and fresh with bites of fresh mandarin and bitter orange before a whirlwind of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, clover and pepper sweeps you of your feet. Like a hot wind through the forest carrying the smell of the woods, the moss and the earth while a pair of eyes - animal or human? - are watching you from a distance. Leather and patchouli wrap up this beautiful composition. A very empowering fragrance that also is available in Eau de toilette in a black, equally beautiful, porcelain bottle.
With its seasons, SULÉKÓ makes the search for a fragrance an initiatory path, a rediscovery of oneself.
All the perfumes are available in 10 ml travel bottle that comes with a refill. It's called The Talisman and the glass bottle is adorned wiyh undulations stemming from the logo of the brand while each cap is made of porcelain and has a beautiful sandy touch. It must be the most elegant travel spray I have seen!
There is a candle available as well; Midi Eternel is part of the SULÉKÓ SUMMER universe. It is a home fragrance inspired by the South of France and it's scent captures perfectly the photo below.
“On a hot summer afternoon, I decide to go for a walk along the sea. I follow the coast path, lulled by the cicadas, the wind in the pine trees and the sound of the sea.I sit down on the large limestones sprinkled with bright green samphires ; I rub the tiny samphire flowers against my fingers : the green note of galbanum, the bitter note of the coarse of a lemon, its sparkling freshness blend with the mineral and salty notes of the limestones, deeply anchored in the sea. I start walking again and I enter the maquis : the leaves of rosemary, thym, myrtle, cistus linger on my fingers and perfume my hands with their dry warmth and their camphoric notes. The aromatic maquis leads me to the first pine trees. I pick up a pine cone and its sticky resin gets into my fingers ; the citrucy and incense aromas of its resin blend with the woody smell of its coarse. I step into the pine forest, the path is covered with pine needles, which crackle under my steps. I feel surrounded by the soft and woody scent of the pine trees warmed by the sun. I join my hands together near my nose, I close my eyes and I stop for a minute to breathe : this is the Midi in summertime.”
The faience lid was created with artist Pascal Mestre who is a specialist in the mixed-clays technique, a technique invited in Provence three centuries ago. Each lid is unique, numbered and signed by the artist.
You can find more information about the brand as well as points of sale on their website, HERE, and let yourself become immersed into the SULÉKÓ universe