When I first made perfume a part of my life it was all about the brand on the bottle. Until 2000 the perfumers who made my favorites were “ghosts”. After the growth of niche and some exposure by the early writers on perfume the “ghosts” became material. We who loved perfume knew who they were. In the words of my editor-in-chief, Michelyn Camen, at CaFleureBon they became “rockstars”. I began to follow my favorite perfumers the same way I followed my favorite brands. With all of that it didn’t mean the “ghosts” disappeared. There is a whole tier of perfumers who work relatively anonymously with little fanfare in fragrance across all sectors. In an October 2016 article in Perfumer & Flavorist author Pia Long wrote a profile of one of these, Wessel-Jan Kos. It remained in my memory for his enthusiasm for working in the fragrance industry even though only a few would ever know his name. Which is why I was pleased to find that Mr. Kos is the perfumer behind Goldfield & Banks Velvet Splendour.
Wessel-Jan Kos
This is the first perfume Goldfield & Banks owner-creative director Dimitri Weber has collaborated on with Mr. Kos. Velvet Splendour is meant to celebrate spring in Australia when the mimosa blooms. I know for many years mimosa was a spring kind of floral ingredient but there have been so many good recent releases it has crept into my summer rotation. Velvet Splendour is that kind of sunny summer floral.
Dimitri Weber
Mr. Kos opens with mimosa in the kind of concentration where you also find some of the grace notes in there. In this case it is a powderiness which lives up to the velvet in the name. Mr. Kos uses a bit of hedione to give it some expansiveness. He simultaneously grounds it with a mixture of orange blossom supported by jasmine. The tether is the tint of indoles within both floral ingreidents. The perfume returns to its Australian roots with a good amount of sandalwood from there. Mr. Kos has his most fun in this base accord as he sweetens the sandalwood with a bit of tonka bean, gives it a resinous shine with opoponax, and a bit of earthiness with patchouli and vetiver.
Velvet Splendour has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.
Velvet Splendour is a smile-inducing mimosa perfume ideal for the warm weather. While I am not sure Mr. Kos really wanted to be seen, content in his anonymity, I am glad the “ghost” managed to peek out.
Disclosure: this review is based on a sample I purchased.
–Mark Behnke
Editor’s note: I’ve linked the Perfumer & Flavorist profile on Mr. Kos but it does require registration to read the full article.
