Nick Steward, L’Artisan Parfumeur alum, with over twenty years in the industry, founded Gallivant in 2017. Now the collection boasts twelve award winning fragrances inspired by the sights, sounds and smells of cities around the world; from Abu Dhabi, Gdańsk, to Tokyo, each one a love poem to the destination of its inspiration.
We had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Steward about his journey in the industry and the exciting launch of his latest fragrance, Accra.
Having had a full career in the industry, when did you decide to create your own perfume company?
The decision to go out on my own – launching my own brand in spring 2017 – was the combination of several factors. A milestone birthday, 20 years in this métier, in this industry that I’m still as passionate about today as I was when I first started out. And also a strong personal desire to go slower, to go back-to-basics and focus on slow, quality perfume-making. I want the world of perfumery to feel more human, more intimate, more special again.
Which fragrance was the most fun to create?
I’m not allowed to have favorites of course, but Los Angeles in particular was a joy to create. We actually spent four years perfecting the formula – and it won an important global award in 2020 for ‘best niche fragrance’: it’s a very sophisticated composition and it brought us a lot of technical issues we had to solve. But I like to think we never lost sight of the original idea – from a picture I took as the sun went down on Sunset Blvd, with all the energy, color, excitement and sultry glamour that place brings to life for me.
Creating scent explorations of exotic travel destinations is a fun approach to perfumery. Have you personally visited each locale?
Ha! Good question. And you’re right: perfume should be fun, it should spark some joy! Yes, these are places I know and love. In one sense, these are my love letters to these places – so I always hope we’re doing them justice, and reflecting them in all their glory, not just a one-dimensional postcard view of these incredible storied destinations.
Accra is your latest release. How would you describe it?
Accra is a tropical adventure. For me it captures the color, the richness of Ghana and glamour of West Africa. The perfume was inspired above all by the famous kente cloth. There’s a real buzz around Accra – Africa’s Capital of Cool.
Tropical mango, papaya, passion
Berries and hot peppers
Mouth-watering, green and spicy
Afro-Jazz energy
Vintage vinyl
The sensual heat of the tropics
Coffee and cocoa
And the vibrant colors of
West African waxed kente cloth
– Accra Fragrance Notes
Any new destinations to be stamped in your perfumer passport anytime soon?
It typically takes around 2 years from idea to final formula and a launch for GALLIVANT, and I always have a few things in the works, at various stages. I’ve also just travelled overland by train from London to Morocco, crossing continents from Europe to north Africa by boat –: the slow travel way, and a very inspiring trip, so perhaps we’ll see something from that journey in the years to come.
To Explore More Visit: Gallivant Perfumes
- Photo Credits: Gallivant