Dennis Werner - Founder D:SOL MMXVI

Your brand is ‘inspired by the journey between Berlin & Mallorca’. I guess the Mallorcan/Mediterranean influences are clearer, but what do you think the two distinct places bring to the brand and the fragrances?

Yes at first it looks strange to have these two places combined. But with all in life, contradiction is key to create something memorable. Like a famous art collector once said. "I buy art I don’t understand.” Mallorca is the juice - the memory lane of feelings under the sun. Our concept is not about a destination - it is about daydreams, imaginary landscapes and good vibes only. The sun, or sol is our source of all well-being. Think about it. It is so simple but easy to forget. Berlin is where I spend most of the time, it is my influence in terms of style, art, people and a unique collective energy which influences the design philosophy of the brand. Minimally constructed on the outside and warm and sunny on the inside. This is the contrast we are looking for in our creation. In design and scent DNA.

I love your ethos of ‘perfume with a sunshine state of mind.’ Was it always your intention for D:SOL MMXVI fragrances to be sunny, uplifting and bright?

Yes, we believe the world needs it more than ever. We want to translate positive emotions into fragrances. Mallorca just happened to be part of my life journey. It planted the seed to tell olfactory stories around the sun. How do emotions and memories of sun kissed moments smell like? How to capture the scent of light? There was a strong desire to translate this questions into scents and sensuality. The beauty is, everyone can relate to this and has his own memories and stories to tell. And through our creation we want the customer to get transported to their own memory lane of armchair travel. D:SOL MMXVI, is a very personal atelier dedicated to creating scents that aim to be as sophisticated as they are simple, sunny and sensual. That’s why we came up with the claim: Perfumes with a sunshine state of mind.

How did you come to work with perfumer Marie Urban Le Febvre?

At one time on my way back from Mallorca to Berlin. I read an article in the airplane about the use of incense in perfumery. And Marie was part of the article. So, then I contacted here over Facebook and the rest is history. But to be honest, it took over a year to get together and start working. Through this a real friendship started and our working relationship is dominated by deep trust and the desire to create something outstanding. What ever that means. Outstanding for us. ‘As long as it takes’ is the time limit in our way of working. In the future we will also work with other independent perfumers which we think will be best for the particular olfactory story we want to tell. 

Your branding and flacon designs are beautiful. Is the visual side of D:SOL important to you? 

Thanks for the compliment - Yes, it is equally important to us. Every aspect of the brand is carefully thought through. We believe this is key to success in our days. There are so many brands out there, so you have to make sure to stand out in terms of purpose, branding, tone of voice and quality. This is why I stared this project and turned it into our own brand. Total control over every aspect of the brand building. Visual storytelling and design has been my playground since 1994. So I knew I could bring something beautiful to the table.

Did working in beauty advertising teach you a lot about what you did (and didn’t!) want to do with the visual/creative side of D:SOL?

Yes, totally - you know what it taught me the most? To have no fear and doubt. To make decisions based on your own gut feelings and experiences. No market research needed. This is where the big fragrance and beauty corporations are lost. They often don’t have this kind of decision-making hierarchies anymore. But pure love and personal commitment, the key for success in marketing and brand building. This way you create love brands like for example Apple, Byredo and Nike. As Frederic Malle ones said, perfumes made with love and dedication will find their way to succeed. Of course, you need some luck and good timing to do so. But the chances are much higher this way. 

Are there any new products or launches in the pipeline? What’s next for the brand?

Yes, we are working right now on two new fragrances with Marie Urban Le Febvre. One story is about self-love and love to others, but not with a sexual connotation. It is the idea to find the sun within you. For a better place, and feeling more connected. This is what we believe the world needs right now. The idea was born last year during the mess we have right now. Another soul pleaser so to speak. Very personal scent experience. Soothing, soft and understanding. The other will be more daring, something around the idea of Mediterranean warm nights… stay tuned! But it will take some time to work on them. The last round of creation took over one year. Even though I feel will be faster this time. (But I said that before… Hahaha!)