Azzi Glasser is slightly different

Award-winning perfume designer, Azzi Glasser is a living fragrance icon, who specialises in creating groundbreaking fragrances for the world’s top fashion designers, beauty brands, Hollywood actors, musicians and artists She made a name for herself among the highest echelons of the Hollywood elite by crafting bespoke perfumes for clients such as Jonas Åkerlund, Johnny Depp and Noomi Rapace. Azzi recently created Character No.1, a signature scent for Lydmar Hotel.

At the press launch of Character No.1, Azzi passionately told the story of the inspiration behind the creation of her scent; memories of mud and how the smell differs depending on where you are in the world. Mud resulting from a sudden downpour of rain in India has a completely different smell than the mud of rainy England. A reluctant Jonas Åkerlund revealed that he also loves the smell of dirt in what was a pretty stiff first conversation with Azzi when they met through common acquaintances. Åkerlund said that he didn’t like perfume or fragrances but liked the smell of dirt. Azzi asked him what kind of dirt he preferred – was it the dry Indian sort or more towards the moist British kind – a question that not only softened up the conversation but also laid the groundwork for Jonas Åkerlund’s much-talked-about signature fragrance “The Ditch”.

But how did a renowned perfumer designer like Azzi end up collaborating with Lydmar? When the idea of new amenities came up at Lydmar, Maria didn’t want to buy a commercial scent from an exclusive brand. “That wouldn’t suit Lydmar or our guests. What we needed was something unique, something select and personal that you can’t buy or smell anywhere else.” And so, the idea of creating a signature scent for Lydmar was born. The question was how Lydmar should go about doing it. “I was handed a presentation about Azzi and knew right away that she was the answer!” said Maria.

Azzi was invited to fly over from London, where she lives, to meet Maria. Commenting on this first meeting, Azzi said, “When I create a fragrance, I need to get to know my subject’s essence, I want to understand its spirit and energy and what it wants to convey – so staying at Lydmar was an important part of this, seeing the type of guests who stay here, talking to the staff and most of all Maria, to find out all about Lydmar’s heritage and vision,”. “Once I’ve gathered enough impressions, I compose a fragrance that conveys the soul itself. With Character No.1, I wanted to create a fragrance that embodies the personality, style and relaxed-but-timeless classic decadence of the Lydmar.”

How different scents convey feelings like decadence and personality are a mystery to us mortals, but when you are a scent icon, nothing is impossible. And Azzi is a true success story in this regard. Azzi explains her careful selection of ingredients for Character No.1, “I used hand-picked oils that reflect the sublime character of the hotel, adding the delicate freshness of Elemi oil, Poivre and Nectarine on the top. This harmonized into the calm heart of Amber, Vetiver, and Moss, with the richness of Labdanum, and amplified by the depth of resinous Olibanum, Black Oudh and balsamic tones of leather and suede. I really think I’ve managed to encapsulate the vibe that I believe Lydmar conveys.

Maria herself is more than happy with the result. “I really hope everyone who reads this has the opportunity to come here soon and get to know this amazing scent,” says Maria. “It’s a perfect fit for Lydmar and our guests. Azzi has really captured the essence of Lydmar’s DNA, which I hope and believe our guests feel when they stay here.”

In addition to crafting bespoke fragrances for celebrities and other hotels, such as the Chiltern Firehouse in London, Azzi Glasser recently launched an eponymous new brand “The Perfumer’s Story by Azzi” which is available at luxury department stores suich as Harvey Nichols, Conran and Liberty as well as leading on-line retailer Net a Porter. There, everybody can buy limited-editions of her multi-award winning fragrance formulations. However, Azzi’s bespoke scents for her celebrity clients such as Character No.1 are created exclusively for a buyer and are only available to that buyer. So, the whoops from some the journalists invited to the press launch of Lydmar’s new fragrance came as no surprise when Azzi invited them to smell the fragrances she had created for Johnny Depp and Jonas Åkerlund. And several of us, mostly women, slipped the scent strip into our bags as a reminder of the night we took a deep breath of Johnny Depp…

Feel like having your own fragrance just like Jude Law, Kylie Minogue and several other global celebs? Well, you don’t need to be an actor or photo model. For around GBP 15 000 anyone can have perfume created specially for them by Azzi. In a one-on-one meeting, which many describe as a “fun therapy session,” Azzi puts together her picture of the person, a bit like a DNA print. Then she looks at their own fashion style – from clothing and accessories to hair and skin – and matches these elements when composing their fragrance formulation.

Another upside of Lydmar’s collaboration with Azzi, is that a selection of Azzi’s products are now available at Lydmar – the exclusive retailer in Sweden. Moreover, as a guest you get a complete range of unique Character No.1 amenities in your room.