All our senses reveal a wonderful world to us. How interesting that olfaction, without touch or sight, can take us to the universe of memories in a second. Fragrances are sublime and can awaken our most instinctive desires, and this is exactly what one of the most exciting Czech perfume houses, Pigmentarium, does.
How can something be so intuitive if there is such a conscious concept behind it?—one might ask regarding the Czech Pigmentarium brand, which represents both sauciness and eternal elegance. It is sophisticated, with a sense of dignity in every little molecule, yet it playfully swings around the person wearing it. The perfume house’s sensibility comes from style and expertise: Pigmentarium was founded in 2018 by the creative duo of Jakub F. Hiermann and Tomas Ric. Jakub spent years in London learning everything necessary to be a good perfumer and utilized his knowledge after returning to Prague, while Tomas’ fashion and business expertise has made him the CEO of the perfume house. They finally made their shared dream come true: communicating with the world through the language of fragrances.
Meticulous work and creativity were needed to realize the dream and find their ars poetica: the brand does not follow any contemporary trends but strives for uniqueness. Each fragrance is carefully designed to reflect the character of the wearer. But what does this mean in practice? The muses of fragrances can be very diverse! For instance, a glittering sunset over Prague Castle inspired the brand’s first fragrance with a fresh yet nostalgic citrus scent. Another of their signatures is Erotikon, which captures the essence of love and desire, based on a Gustav Machatý (Czech film director) movie from 1929. Pigmentarium is a pioneer of the Czech perfume industry; they are the first brand connecting disciplines such as art, brand marketing, and, of course, fragrance.
Pigmentarium’s products are precisely made with the finest ingredients, ensuring that every perfume is a personalized expression of care and a creative expression of desire that highlights the wearer’s character. Caring is inherent in the brand’s DNA, as they developed their work processes with a strong focus on sustainability. Sustainability, ethical practice, and locally driven thinking are the company’s core; Czech craftspeople and small family-run businesses play a crucial role in their products’ creation. For example, all their packaging is made by a traditional family-run company in Prague, Studio Činčera.
The creative duo is proud of their origins and culture. The rich cultural history of Czech literature, music, and architecture, as well as the famous avant-garde movements, are brought to life in the perfumery’s interpretation of fragrances. The symphony of scents and art is also significant from a contemporary art perspective. One of the brand’s specificities is that they regularly collaborate with contemporary artists from different fields, who also help to develop the marketing strategy for a perfume. Examples include Hana Knizová’s series of photographs of interiors in Prague and the Genesis perfume, presented in collaboration with sculptor Tereza Štětinová, whose pop-up exhibition of identically named artworks accompanied the product. One of their older fragrances, Ad Libitum, born from the combination of scents and dance, its name refers to the free improvisation in the world of art.
The brand’s latest collaboration took inspiration from the fine arts, leading to the limited-edition Prague Olibanum’s visual world. Lucie Jindrák Skrivánková designed the visual concept of the product, which evokes the scent of Prague’s old world. She worked with black, matte textures and gold decoration, giving a unique experience to the touch and representing the extravagance of the city and the brand.
For more interesting art collaborations, visit the brand’s website, where you can read about many other similar initiatives. And for more regional perfumes, check out our previous selection.
The pride of Soviet modernist architecture: Georgia | TOP5
Traditional and Contemporary | GUZEMA Fine Jewelry from Ukraine
