CHÉNGMÉN:

The limited edition perfume for 2023 is called Chéngmén (Chinese: City Gate) and is an oud-red champaca flower-orris fragrance. It is an eau de parfum in a 50 ml bottle, in an edition of 75. You can read more information about Chéngmén at the blog. Included in the blog post is information about the accompanying AI-film and music project and a limited edition print (25 signed copies), available coinciding with the release of the perfume. The price for this limited edition is $250 USD, and the limited edition print is $50 USD. Samples will be available in late November, 2023.

2021

ATTAUPE:

A limited edition for 2021, Attaupe is a lavender and tobacco syrup concept perfume made in a small batch of 50 bottles with approximately 60 2.5 ml samples available. The fragrance is created through the use of some special antique oils, including a 75 year old black locust tree blossom perfume accord, a 100 year old bergamot oil, and similarly aged Siberian Pine and Eugenol (from clove) oil. They have been combined with vanilla, tea CO2 extract, sandalwood, blond tobacco, lavender absolute, cypriol, carrot seed, black currant, labdanum, and dark patchouli. It’s a very “thick” and syrup-like perfume, inspired by the concept of colors that have been shifted back and forth across the neutral spectrum, where beige, taupe, and grey have small bits of other colors added into them to enrich them. These subtle colorations barely register on an “official” color wheel, but are full of subtle emotive power. They are the colors of subdued, voiceless sensations. It’s also the color palette of the 1930s and the dimmed view of expectations as the world emerged from an economic downturn.

The project includes a special card with photo image taken from a Holga camera (a 2.25 in / 110 mm physical format film negative.) It’s enclosed in a box that’s covered with original screen-printed artwork. The bottle is held by a hand-sewn wool plaid cushion. The edition is numbered and signed.

Attaupe will be available as samples on November 30th, and the finished bottles will go on sale approximately 10 days after that. News of the sale will be announced on Instagram and by email. Thank you for your interest in this project.

2020

OJIIM:

A limited edition perfume, Ojiim, is planned for release at the end of 2020. The name is Ojiim, and Ojibwe word that means “kiss.” This project was born out of the opportunity I had to purchase a set of aged, antique essential oils from an antiques dealer in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where I have my studio. Some of these oils went into the making of this limited edition perfume, and you can find some more info about how it was put together in my blog post on the topic earlier this month. The fragrance is an eastern-inspired scent that relies heavily on the notes of cumin CO2, rose de mai, castoreum accord and antique essential oils of styrax and citron for its core personality.

The 50 x 3ml samples sold out in less than 2 days, and the fragrance itself is now set to be sold on Monday, December 14th. There are 36 bottles available. Information will be released on the weekend of the 12th and 13th regarding the sale on Monday. Thank you to everyone who has shown interest in this special project!

2019

January Scent Project began working on special projects - limited edition perfumes and special extrait versions of the existing perfumes in the catalogue. This is a means to extend the portfolio of works offered, and also to allow new projects to blossom without the extensive overhead and build-up that has to occur with a major fragrance release. It also means that the projects can be smaller in number, and have a more personalized and artistic approach.

THE ‘PAHKAMISKIP PROJECT:

This project began when I checked on a certain spice accord that I worked on over two years ago, and which had been gently aging. It had matured so extremely well, that I felt that it needed to be realized as a full perfume. There were a number of other rare and special ingredients that I’d saved or kept for a special project that needed to be utilized for something particular, and it came together in this limited edition perfume. The name I chose is ‘Pahkamiskip, a word from the Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Native American language which roughly means “the nape of the neck.” You can have a look at the online dictionary of this fascinating language here at the Passamaquoddy-Maliseet online dictionary.

I have also been making a number of tinctures, a process I’ve done before, but begun again this summer in a more scientific and measured way. Some tinctures are very successful, others less so, but going through the process is always really rewarding. You won’t know exactly what you’ll get until you make them. A tincture of chrysanthemum flowers was one of the most successful, and it became an important ingredient of this project. It produces a lovely olive green color, which helped to inform the color of the perfume.

Pahkamiskip contains the following notes: bay laurel, grapefruit, coriander, apple, hedione, chrysanthemum tincture, ginger, rose leaves, green soap accord, hyacinth accord, Turkish rose, nutmeg, Sichuan pepper, pink pepper, black pepper, hazelnut, coumarin, sandalwood and pink musk.

Part of the project which was very important to me was that the packaging of the perfumes be as special and interesting as the perfume itself. I chose 5 vintage glass and/or crystal bottles into which to put the perfume, created new gold labels which meant re-creating the January logo into a retro design that suited the bottles. As I’ve explained before, one of the great parts of having a brand is the ability to expand and explore what that brand can mean; whether it be through visual or product design - the reimagining of the logo was great fun for this. I also gave each bottle its own hand ink-painted box, which was then finished with special wood polishing wax, and secured with two hand-sewn linen pillows and a hemp rope. The final design, to me, has a great resemblance to Japanese saki barrels and boxes, and the use of linen explores my fascination with the basho fabrics of Okinawa, Japan. You can read more about basho and the kimono that are made from this interesting banana-fiber cloth at the Kogei website. Putting all these influences together, you begin to see a certain aesthetic and story that I’ve created almost as a separate experience within the world of January.

There are 5 bottles of the perfume in this limited edition, and 50 (.5 ml) sample vials. As of this post, 4 of the 5 bottles have sold, and 47 of the 50 sample vials have also sold. It’s been a remarkably satisfying project, and the response has been so positive and supportive. UPDATE: All samples of ‘Pahkamiskip have been sold, and all five bottles are sold now as well, thank you for your interest in this project!

Selperniku Extrait Limited Edition

Selperniku is now available as a Perfume Extrait version (at 35% concentration) with a very slightly different composition. Like the Pahkamiskip project, this will be released as a limited edition and in special packaging. There will be approximately 7-8 bottles made available in different sizes, housed in vintage crystal bottles. The packaging is made with blue ink-painted wood boxes sealed with polished finishing wax and grosgrain ribbon. The first of the offerings is in a very special, heavy globe-shaped crystal bottle which resembles a snow dome or an antique glass paperweight. It contains 120 ml (4 oz.) of the perfume extrait.

Making the extrait involved very subtle changes to the basic Selperniku formula. It contains slightly higher amounts of white champa flower and opopanax, and the addition of green mandarin and nutmeg. A portion of the alcohol added to dilute the perfume contains a tincture of tangerine peels. The smell is everything that Selperniku is, with a delicately amplified aspect of spice, citrus, and champa flower.

The bottles will be released over the next few weeks, end of October through November (2019.) Stayed tuned for updates by email, on Instagram, and on the Shop Fragrances page. NOTE: This project has sold out, thank you for your interest!