It is already three years that Antoine Lie works as an independent perfumer collaborating with brands that give him a place to be creative and free. “This is the happiest time of my career”, he said. Working with high-niche perfume houses that bring an alternative ideology and new fragrances into the market, Antoine feels full of ideas and concepts that he is ready to turn into reality.
Originally from Strasbourg, France, Antoine was sensitive to smells from a very young age. Having no connection with the industry he was fortunate enough to attend one of the best schools in 1980s which worked with the best perfume houses of that time. “The school was open only for people from the industry. I was accepted as I was very motivated, and they decided to give me a chance”, he said.
After graduating from the school, he worked in Paris and the United States. Antoine worked with big brand names. “The 1990s was a challenging time. A lot was happening. Before getting into the business, I imagined that a perfumer was an artist who created a masterpiece. Perfume is an art for me. However, when I started working with big companies, I became just one small part of the whole chain of the process”, he said.
The companies create fragrances to make money and make money fast. The process includes dozens of people from sales to packaging. And the process of creation was lost somewhere. “When I started in the 1990s, the perfume was becoming a commodity product, while I think it should reveal the DNA of the brand”, said Antoine.
Hoping to bring an impact into the industry he moved to France. “Very soon I discovered that the European market is very much influenced by the USA market,” he said.
This is when he started looking for small brands that offer high-niche fragrances. “I want to be involved in the process and be as creative as possible. I did not like the feeling of being a formula machine and not even leaving my desk. I wanted to be involved in the creation process”, he said.
He found several brands and labs that share the same vision. “Now, being an independent perfumer, I am choosing whom to work with. I am in a place where I can have an impact,” he said.
Lately he works with Maison Sybarite creating a whole collection of amazing perfumes which you can purchase at our store or online.