Blogs

[#1]

I was lucky enough to do a Q & A session with Laura Slatkin from NEST! See what she had to say and check out today's Fragrance colleciton! 

Q;  What inspired you to go into the fragrance industry?

My brother-in-law, Howard Slatkin, is a world-renowned interior designer. Going back 25 years, whenever he completed a home for a special client, he created a scented candle in the client’s favorite fragrance, be it a fruit, flower or herb. Howard believed that the final touch on a beautifully decorated home is a wonderful home fragrance.  My husband Harry and I left our Wall Street careers to join Howard’s interior design company, Slatkin & Co., and we started a home fragrance division. We launched it in 1992 when home fragrance was a very tiny business, so we consider ourselves pioneers in the industry. We grew Slatkin & Co. to become the most successful home fragrance company in the luxury market, and we sold the company in 2005. That is the same year I stepped out on my own and launched NEST Fragrances!

Q:  What is your earliest (or fondest) memory of a scent?

Twenty-three years ago I received over 20 submissions of floral-scented candles from several highly acclaimed master perfumers. I remember smelling and carefully reviewing each of them until I got to one particular submission. I smelled it and it was the most extraordinary experience. The fragrance was absolutely out of this world!  I felt my face light up and I said out loud, “Oh my God!” That fragrance impacted me in a way I had never experienced before. There was no need to smell any other submissions. After that, my expectations for fragrances increased a thousand fold. Now I know the feeling of experiencing a truly superior fragrance, and I wait for that. I wait for the fragrance that lights up my face and makes me say, “Oh my God!”  That is the same experience I want my customers to have. I love when I am visiting with customers and sharing our fragrances with them because I know that look and I can tell when they have experienced an “Oh my God!” moment!    

Q:  What three words would you use to describe yourself?

Passionate, Entrepreneurial and Philanthropic 

Q:  How has your partnership & marriage to Harry Slatkin, award-winning perfumer, influenced your fragrance design prespective?

Harry and I had the pleasure of learning this business together. We both travelled on a journey hand-in-hand…learning, sharing and riding the roller coaster of ups and downs everybody experiences when starting a company. We learned to keep our standards high. Harry and I are both trained noses, but we have very different noses. We balance each other perfectly. When Harry loves a fragrance and I love a fragrance, it’s always a winning combination. To this day – even though we are in different businesses – we always defer to one another. We bring home our goodies and ask each other the all-important question, "What do you think?" We highly value each other’s opinions. 

Q:  Why did you create Nest Fragrances (Inspiration)?

I created NEST Fragrances as a back-up plan. Which is, by the way, my motto: Always have a back up plan! We sold Slatkin & Co. to Bath & Body Works in 2005 and Harry decided he wanted to work there to transition and grow the business.I wasn’t sure Harry was going to be happy at a large company, so I started NEST Fragrances as a back-up plan. That way, Harry would always have a home. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that NEST Fragrances would become the most successful home fragrance business in the luxury market and that we would eventually launch a tremendously successful fine fragrances business. I worked really hard. I have a terrific team. I am passionate. I never settle. So my back-up plan ended up becoming a huge success and I am so proud of what my team and I have accomplished.

Q:  What sets Nest Fragrances apart?

NEST Fragrances has a specific DNA and embedded in that DNA is our quest for superior fragrances. Remember, I don’t settle. I wait for the extraordinary. Our fragrances light up your face and impact you and all those around you. That is the DNA that makes our brand so successful. 

Q:  Can you tell us a little about your experience at QVC?

When your customers call in to talk about their experiences and give their opinions about NEST Fragrances; they are always so wonderful to hear. They talk about how my fragrances garner so much attention from those around them. Teresa called in recently to tell me that a security officer followed her all the way down the hall at work and into her office to ask her what fragrance was she wearing. He wanted to buy it for his girlfriend. It was Midnight Fleur! I have always said that our fragrances are head-turners so I just love when customers call in to tell their stories because then people really believe me when I tell them that my fragrances are head-turners!

Q:  When do you like to wear Midnight Fleur?

I wear Midnight Fleur when I am going out with Harry for a special evening, whether we’re attending a black-tie event or our weekly Friday night date night. I ‘fragrance wardrobe’ so I only wear it when I want to create a more sensual mood. You can wear Midnight Fleur to work…but be prepared to be followed around the office all day!

Q:  How about Dahlia & Vines?

Ahh, Dahlia & Vines. Our elegant floral fragrance. It contains my favorite flowers: peonies, roses and dewy daffodils. I wear Dahlia & Vines when I am going out for lunch with my girlfriends or I am going to the office.I wear it when I want to smell pretty and feminine.

Q:  How will I know which is right for me?

Think about what kind of mood you want to create and how you want to impact those around you. Do you want something feminine and pretty? That’s Dahlia & Vines or Passiflora. Do you want something refreshing and invigorating? Then it’s Amazon Lily or Paradise. Do you want something yummy and gourmand? You’ll want White Sandalwood (the creamy almond notes are quite dominant). Do you want something unusual and exotic? That’s Indigo. Or do you want people following you all over town? That’s Midnight Fleur – our number-one fragrance!

Talk soon!

Nancy