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Most fragrances are designed to be preferred. Simple, agreeable, immediately acquainted. The type of scent that earns a fast praise and blends into all the pieces else on the shelf.
BORNTOSTANDOUT was constructed on the alternative concept.
Based by Jun Lim, the Seoul-based perfume home doesn’t intention for common approval. As an alternative, it leans into one thing much more particular: scent as a type of expression, pressure, and, at instances, contradiction. These are fragrances that don’t simply register as “good.” They maintain your consideration and invite a second thought.
Earlier than launching the model, Lim spent years as a collector, drawn to not what was technically excellent, however to what felt alive. What he discovered as a substitute was a class that, even at its most elevated, had began to play it secure.
That absence grew to become the place to begin for BORNTOSTANDOUT.
We chatted with Lim about constructing a perfume home rooted in id, the tales behind the scents, and why essentially the most compelling fragrances aren’t made for everybody.
In Dialog with Jun Lim, Founding father of BORNTOSTANDOUT
For somebody discovering BORNTOSTANDOUT for the primary time, how would you describe what you’ve inbuilt your individual phrases? I’ve constructed a model for individuals who don’t need to dilute themselves… BORNTOSTANDOUT® is just not about smelling “good.” It’s about smelling such as you even have a viewpoint. Each scent is supposed to really feel like a giant assertion, one thing that claims a bit of greater than you’re presupposed to.
You had been a collector earlier than a founder. What had been you chasing in a scent that you just couldn’t discover? I used to be chasing one thing that felt a bit harmful, to get nearer and true to the time period ‘area of interest perfumery’. Many fragrances even within the area of interest fragrance trade up to now decade had been technically stunning, however emotionally secure, with each inch of their edge rounded. I wished one thing that makes me pause, one thing barely uncomfortable (+ unhinged!) however addictive. One thing that pulls a powerful response, an precise suggestions. That pressure was lacking, so I made a decision to create one myself.
At what level did you understand that “mass enchantment” wasn’t the aim for you? Very early. I spotted that the extra a perfume tries to please everybody, the much less it says something. I’d quite be deeply beloved by just a few than mildly preferred by many. Mass enchantment typically comes at the price of character, and character is all the pieces in perfume.
Do your perfume names usually come earlier than the composition, or do they emerge as soon as the scent is totally shaped? The story all the time comes first. An actual, private story. I strongly imagine the extra private one thing is, the extra authentic it turns into, and surprisingly, the extra common it feels. From there, the identify follows. The story nearly tells me what it desires to be known as. And solely after that does the composition come to life. The identify isn’t a ornament. It’s not there to make issues sound fairly. It’s a part of the expertise, it units the tone earlier than you even odor the perfume.
Which identify/perfume are you most pleased with, from each a inventive and conceptual standpoint? DIRTY RICE. It’s easy, acquainted, and barely provocative on the identical time. It takes one thing comforting and twists it simply sufficient to make you look twice. That stability between intimacy and pressure could be very a lot the DNA of the model.
Which fragrances have develop into your high sellers and did that shock you? DRUNK LOVERS is our international bestseller. It didn’t shock me, however I used to be curious how extensively it will resonate. It sits in that candy spot, emotional, sensual, however nonetheless wearable. It proves that persons are prepared for character, so long as it feels genuine.
If somebody is discovering BORNTOSTANDOUT® for the primary time, which perfume would you personally inform them to start out with and why? DRUNK LOVERS or DIRTY RICE. Each are very “us,” however in several methods. One is extra extroverted and expressive, the opposite extra intimate and addictive. Collectively, they offer you a transparent sense of the model’s vary. SHOP DRUNK LOVERS HERE and DIRTY RICE HERE
Is there a perfume in your assortment that you just suppose deserves extra consideration than it will get? DIRTY HEAVEN, my concept of what heaven ‘ought to’ odor like. It’s complicated, layered, and a bit of bit naughty. It’s not the best scent, however the ones that take time typically stick with you longer. My love for this perfume over the previous 3 years solely has grown.
Which perfume do you suppose greatest represents the DNA of the model? NAKED LAUNDRY. It captures that distinction I like, one thing that feels stunning and barely improper on the identical time. Clear meets animalic, consolation meets pressure. That push and pull is all the pieces.
Whenever you start making a perfume, what comes first, the emotion, the idea, or the ingredient? Emotion all the time comes first, particularly the emotion tied to an actual story. If there’s no feeling, no story, then there’s no purpose for the perfume to exist. The idea shapes that emotion, and solely then do the substances observe. I by no means begin with “what smells good.” I begin with “what ought to this make somebody really feel?”
Are there any designers, manufacturers, or creatives proper now that you just suppose are doing one thing genuinely attention-grabbing? I’m all the time drawn to creators who’re constructing worlds, not simply merchandise. Whether or not it’s in style, artwork, or perfume, those that stand out are those that are constant of their imaginative and prescient and barely detached to traits. That type of conviction is uncommon, and really highly effective.
