In Indie Perfume Brand Spotlight, we question different brands to find out more about their brand and the people behind it. This time we question Chris Undi from Cult of Kaori
About You
Tell us who you are?
Like many small businesses I wear a lot of hats. My name is Chris Undi and I am the founder, creative director, and independent perfumer behind Cult of Kaori fragrances. Iʼm the fragrance compounder, bottler, labeler, social media presence, and I get myself my own coffee too!
As the brandʼs owner, I understands that oneʼs scent enhances that feeling of confidence and becoming comfortable in oneʼs own skin. I believe that wearing fragrance is a mischievous and quiet form of rebellion.
This is why the spirit animal for the brand is the fox—with its mischievous nature and folklore of human shape-shifting and seduction, itʼs the perfect metaphor. I have a passion for creativity and a love for bold designs that are both timeless and modern.
And thatʼs exactly what defines, Cult of Kaori. I want you to feel that same feeling of self appreciation, confidence, and rebellious strength that comes from wearing fragrance. I love discovering new and often difficult ingredients to work with, thus shaping new concepts for emerging fragrances.
What some may not know is that before becoming a perfumer and launching a fragrance brand I had developed a wide background of expertise within the design industry specializing in branding, logo design, packaging, campaigns, digital and even TV. At the core though, I am a family guy with 3 crazy young kids and an amazing partner in crime, my wife.
How did you get into the perfume industry?
I got into the perfume industry by accident really. I was working on a project with my younger brother, Alex, a very talented industrial designer, developing the redesign of the fountain pen—something that hadnʼt been redesigned fully in over a hundred years.
The brand was based on heirloom writing instruments, handwritten letters and the legacy of memories shared and passed along. What better recalls memory than scent? So we thought to scent the packaging, letterhead and even the inks, to better instill the memory of our brand.
Through the brand development process we were going to hire a perfumer to craft this fragrance. But my brother surprised me with a 50 ingredient perfumer discovery set instead, I bit the perfumery bug, and fell down the rabbit hole of curiosity.
Eventually through the encouragement of friends, family and business owners alike I decided to develop my own brand of fine fragrances. I would not be here today without all of their continued support, advice, and mentorship.
What was the first perfume you ever purchased?
I canʼt say that I recall which was the first but I think it might have been Polo Sport in the blue bottle or Polo green. I started getting into fragrances through my parents and around high school I was wearing Drakkar Noir, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior Higher, Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male, and FCUK by French Connection.
What is your favourite meal?
Hands down sushi is my favorite meal. Ramen is a very close second. Iʼm also the cook at our house and as Iʼm surely not the first to make this correlation, but that act of cooking and knowing your ingredients is very synonymous to that of the art of perfumery.
Where is your favourite place?
I have traveled all over the globe from Frankfurt to Scotland to Tokyo to Greece— and lived in many different cities . But Iʼd have to say one of my favorite places is Wildwood, NJ. Itʼs the beach that my family grew up going to each summer and I have so many memories there that it very much reminds me of home.
Do you have an interesting party trick or any hidden talents?
I always grew up drawing and taking art classes rather than sports so art is one of my hidden talents. I practiced calligraphy at a young age which grew into hand lettering and illustration as the years went by. I also have a full letterpress print shop at the house with a monstrous, 3-ton, 12×18 Chandler & Price printing press, hydraulic paper cutter, lead and wood type, etc. A full print shop. As a designer this was the coolest thing to me—to design something, print it, and walk away with a physical piece rather than something that stays digital on your computer.
Who would play you in a film of your life?
If we went with looks Iʼd say Iʼm more similar to Leonardo DiCaprio if I had to pick an actor. Some have told me Tom Cruise, but I donʼt see it at all. But as far a personality, Channing Tatum apparently has a similar bravado—according to Buzzfeed anyways, LOL.
I have a warm, light-hearted and bubbly personality. Iʼm an extrovert and often the center of attention. And my sociable personality makes my inspiring. While I canʼt say thatʼs 100% true, there is some truth in it. I like to think of myself as an involuntary extrovert. Artists by nature like to keep to themselves and not talk about the work we do or what inspires us, but sometimes you need to do just that and step outside of your comfort zone
About your Brand
Describe your brand in one sentence.
Spirited Scents for the Quiet & Rebellious.
Where does the name of your brand come from?
The brand name is both English and Japanese to showcase a merge of cultures, traditions, and unexpected ingredients. The word cult is representational of one becoming an
enthusiast of something, even obsessing over something. Kaori is the Japanese word for scent, or perfume—together forming the name Cult of Kaori.
Who are your perfumes for?
Our fragrances are designed to be genderless and can be worn by men and women alike. Our fragrances are crafted for the quiet and rebellious—be mischievous, others will follow. Those wanting wear a bolder version of themselves—able to make an impression without saying a word. This is the power of fragrance.
Tell us about your latest perfume.
My latest perfume was a two-fragrance debut launch of both Melon Masu and Onsen Minerale.
Melon Masu is a summer saké scent inspired by memories of my familyʼs favorite saké that we drink in the summer to cool down at the beach—this particular saké has notes of pear, cucumber, and melon. Masu are the square wooden boxes made from hinoki wood which were originally used for measuring rice long ago, but now often used today for drinking saké. Itʼs a unique fruity floral style of fragrance that makes me happy and recalls those happy times with family.
Onsen Minerale is a winter soaking scent inspired by traveling with my brothers to experience Japanese mineralic hot spring baths called onsen. This is unique in that it holds a winter aquatic profile. It echoes the experience of onsen in winter with an open air bath and whole citruses fruits like yuzu floating in the water— helping you to feel calm and refreshed. Onsen are traditionally built with hinoki wood, thusly this fragrance is held together with woods of hinoki, teak, cedar, and cypress.
If someone wanted to try your fragrances, which one would you recommend they try first and why?
If I had to suggest one fragrance I would say Onsen Minerale. I would recommend it because it is unique yet familiar. Warm bright citruses are always a familiar scent for most. Where this fragrance has a unique quality is in the heart with a hot steam accord. This fragrance is a photograph memory of a particular hot spring for me and many have said that it is a transformative fragrance. Smelling it you can instantly imagine yourself soaking in a hot spring bath with mineralic water and floating citruses.
What challenges do you want to overcome for your brand?
Being such a young brand, Iʼm focused on the hurdles of overcoming scale and growth—I would like to further the awareness of my brand, grow my collection of fragrances offered in market (of which I have a few already lined up), gain new wholesale partnerships with retailers, and further along begin selling abroad in countries like, the UK, Europe, Australia & parts of Asia.
What is unique about your brand?
Relatable Brand Ethos – Spirited Scents for the Quiet & Rebellious.
Spirited scents relates to one wearing fragrances that make them feel a bit bolder, a bit more confident and alluring. Fragrances are quiet. However, you can notice someoneʼs presence without saying a word, and that, to me, is powerful! And rebellious, because I want customers to feel comfortable putting on that one additional spray to help them stand out in the crowd.
Seasonality of Scent — we embrace the seasons as our suggestion for when to wear our scents—and empower you to wear them whenever you feel inspired. Since we do not have a french origin
Sustainability—while I canʼt control everything but I can control what I put out into this world. Our full size presentation and sample box packaging is all FSC certified which ensures that our products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits. Aside from our sustainably produced product packaging, we also offer hand-made furoshiki wraps as a form of receiving your fragrance. It serves as a renewable form of wrapping as opposed to the common industry cellophane wrapping. Our customers can reuse this as a way carry personal items, or even wear as a fashionable accessory—all while feeling assured that they are contributing to doing good.