PROFILE
“
DANGELICO: If you were to create a
custom scent to capture the spirit of the
WPC, what would it smell like?
ATAMAN: It would smell like Nice, of
course. I was fortunate enough to spend
some time in the South of France last
summer, and sea salt would definitely be
one of the notes. As it is a Mediterranean
city, smoking is everywhere, so I’d have
to add in some fresh tobacco leaves. Nice
is such a historic city and the smell of the
cobblestones and old brick also come to
mind. A little absinthe to pay homage to
the 17th-century artists who walked along
those narrow alleys. And as a finishing
touch: lavender from Grasse, France.
DANGELICO: Shifting gears to your
background and passion for fragrance, I
read an interview where you essentially
said that your path into the industry was
paved by the scents your mother and
grandmother wore. The story about your
great grandmother holding up a city bus
so she could spritz herself before setting
out for her day… so charming! What is
it about fragrance and scent that is so
important to you?
ATAMAN: Fragrance’s role in my life
continues to evolve, but it all started with
my family. I grew up in a Turkish household
in Virginia and would visit my extended
family on summer vacations. My earliest
memory in Turkey was the bakery in the
Göztepe neighborhood in Istanbul, where
I’d help my aunt pick out simit (a crusty,
toasted sesame bread) and börek (phyllo
dough pastry with feta and spinach). That
sweet and savory smell of the bakery was
intoxicating.
The story with my great grandmother
holding up the bus is also another part of
scent that’s so important to me. Her story
taught me to see fragrance as the final touch
to your look or mood. And this is where the
beauty of sillage comes into play: I love the
idea of someone leaving an elusive trail as
Fragrance Creators
Builds Awareness in
Nice
The WPC attracts industry leaders
from all over the world, and Farah
K. Ahmed, President & CEO of the
Fragrance Creators Association,
presented two sessions at the
2018 conference, as did Fragrance
Creators Board Members Miguel
Alemañy of P&G and Robert
Bedoukian, Ph.D., of Bedoukian
Research. Read more on page 29.
they walk by you. The intangibility of scent
is appealing to me, where fragrance (and the
person wearing it) is meant to be admired
and appreciated, rather than plucked,
like flowers in a garden (which is also
contradictory considering flora are plucked
to be made into fragrance, but I digress). FN
“
we start planning for the next one while
wrapping up the current one. This means
finalizing the next location so that we can
announce it on the final day of the current
event. (The WPC 2020 will take place in
Miami, Florida.) For Nice, planning began
with conversations with our partners,
the American Society of Perfumers, and
our advisors to discuss key issues in the
industry. From there, I work with my
Perfumer & Flavorist team to develop a
theme that will shape the content program
and announce our call-for-papers. After
we accept submissions, we begin with
editorial and marketing, and it’s all about
pre-show coverage and coming up with
compelling ways to keep the buzz going
past the event for our post-show coverage,
which then leads us to keeping the buzz
going for the next one. It’s really just one
long buzz.
I think the most pressure comes from
myself to learn how to wear many hats: the
artist hat, the director hat, the editor hat.
I’m fortunate to work with Paige Crist,
our Associate Publisher, and Jeb Gleason-
Allured, our Editor-in-Chief, who have
set a strong foundation for the event in
the past to help me navigate the role more
efficiently and creatively.
We have a small team and even though
everyone plays their role and plays it
well, it’s comforting to know that we all
work together to fill in gaps that have
been missed, no matter our job function.
I think putting these conferences together
is a testament to our team’s ability to
communicate and encourage one another
to come up with new ideas. It’s never dull,
I’ll tell you that!
The skill and artistry behind perfumery is passed
down from generation to generation, and that
bond between teacher and student is strong.
It’s one of the most compelling aspects of the
craft. I feel honored to help with that.
Issue 2, 2018 | FRAGRANCENOTES.ORG | 17