“An exquisite collection of fragrances imbued with a craftsmanship, sustainability and bohemian spirit.”

Surrounded by an artistic environment and obsessed by perfumes since her childhood, Anna Torrents decided to link both worlds as it had never been done before: reinterpreting the smell of the environment and the materials with which an artist works. This is how Genyum came about, an exquisite collection of fragrances impregnated with an artisans’, sustainable and bohemian spirit.

IT IS CALLED GENYUM and it is a new brand of perfume that combines its founder’s two passions—art and scents. Anna Torrents bases the principles of the brand on the free spirit of poets, dancers, musicians and idealist intellectuals. For this reason, her first fragrances, created by partner perfumers, have suggestive names like Ballerina, Painter or Sculptor.

“I was obsessed with perfumes and essences when I was young. When my mother went travelling, I would ask her to bring me samples and collect them. I was no more than eight or nine years old. And that obsession never left me. Also, when I went to my friends’ houses, I would go to the bathroom to smell their mothers’ fragrances. I could recognise them by their perfumes and classify them. I still do it. I enjoy trying to define people by the scents they use and I’m not often wrong.”

This is how Anna Torrents (Barcelona, 1982) refers to the foundation on which one of the most original olfactory worlds of Spanish signature perfume was built. It is a collection of fragrances that are “cooked” over a low heat with the patience and care of an artisan, linked to the art world but following a different approach.

“I want to connect art with perfume, but in a different way. With more of a connection to people, to artists and their way of working. What I want is to create personalities through the sense of smell.”

Transforming the essence of these crafts, their bohemian way of life and the scent of their creative spaces into an aroma has been no easy task. Coherence must be established between the concept and the smell.

“I have worked with a different perfumer for each fragrance. In the beginning, the briefing was wild and the proposals, although fantastic and very creative, were just not what I imagined. We had to reconsider the process.”

This usually starts with a conversation between the artist, who must define the key elements of their work (for example, the smell of oils, watercolours, worn wooden spatulas and turpentine that permeates the atmosphere of a painter’s studio, or the dust, iron and stone that are characteristic of a sculptor’s workshop), and the perfumer, who must be able to render these into exquisite perfumes.

“The idea,” she explains, “was never to focus on the final product, but to make the brand into a platform that pays tribute to artists’ talent and everything behind their creative process.” Initially, Anna thought that the fragrances could have the “bio” label. However, she soon realised that this premise could compromise the creativity, quality, and sophistication that she was seeking. The project had to change direction. “Then ingredient sustainability was opted for, from farming to workers’ salaries, including not using any raw materials in danger of running out.” Nearly the entire process is somewhat manual.

Being creative and expressing yourself through art is not necessarily a career – it’s a state of mind. To all those who remain sensible, open-minded and rebellious even having a “normal” 9 to 5 job: we found a perfect brand to bring out your inner artist. Meet Anna Torrent and her independent perfume brand Genyum, born in a sculptor’s studio.

Every fragrance by Genyum is celebrating the free spirit of artists. Which one will celebrate yours?

Genyum is such a unique name. How would you define the Genius and recognize one in a crowd?

Our brand is an homage to artist themselves and not their masterpieces. For me they are the masterpiece, they challenge the spectators’ intellect and their genius makes us enjoy and see the world differently. Recognizing a genius in a crowd…interesting question, they are people of all kinds and very heterogeneous! I could maybe say many of them are: eccentric and non-conformist individuals. They are creative, rebel, sensible and remain apart from social conventionalisms. They carry an irregular working life and are often affectively liberal, without bonds. They are interested in cultivating their souls through art, philosophy and/or spiritual contemplation.

Your brand was born in a sculptor’s studio. How did you build that bridge between the sculpture and the world of scents?

The bridge was built through my two passions: scents and art. Well let’s say three: and love. My husband is an iron sculptor.

I first started the project willing to create sophisticated organic perfumes, but it was complicated to get sophistication due to restrictions in ingredients, fixatives, and some other technicalities. When I quitted my job in Carolina Herrera Fragrances, I set a table in my husband’s studio to work on the conceptualization and inspiration came from seeing him work, his materials, his routines and feeling the necessity to express the admiration to artists, their interpretation of the world, how they never stop creating and their admirable lonely work.

“Genyum perfumes are dedicated to artists. This is the way to express my admiration to all of them and thank them for the crucial work they do for individuals and society.”

According to you, what is the closest art form to perfumery and why?

Each artistic discipline has its own olfactive identity and it is just that what I study and pursue till finding the essence. To do so, I study very well what defines the universes and work on each of them with the artists of the corresponding discipline and the expert perfumer.

“They are creative, rebel, sensible and remain apart from social conventionalisms. They are interested in cultivating their souls through art, philosophy and spiritual contemplation.”

All scents by Genyum are dedicated to different artists: you have Writer, Ballerina, Tattoo Artist to name a few. Are there any real people behind these scents, or are we talking about “collective portraits” of the professions?

Many friends of mine are artists. Genyum’s fragrances are created with them as an inspiration, as well as with some of well-known artists of each discipline. The images on the outer pack represent the collective. The power of a person and how they look to the camera cannot be beaten by anything else. Key materials are also included as part of the universe.

What is the next artist we will see in Genyum’s portfolio?

We are working on several options and I prefer not to disclose them as we will decide on the go.

Do you remember the scent that made you fall in love with perfumes?

I presume my mother. She used to wear strong perfumes: Bijan and Jean Louis Scherrer. And I loved her globally, her look, her personality and her smell, inseparable from the rest.
At home we had an educating smell kit and I liked playing with it. I particularly remember the smell of grass, leather and smoke. I am still impressed with many scents of nature: walking through an orange tree in blossom is like swimming in a bath of cologne. Also, musks and the scent of roses, my garden is full of them!

What is the one thing you would love everyone to know about Genyum?

Genyum is dedicated to artists, through it I express my admiration to all of them and thank them for the crucial work they do for individuals and society. I couldn’t understand a world of beauty without them.

If Genyum was a movie, this would be…

…“Nobody wants the night”, from Isabel Coixet. It is the amazing story of a rigid woman molded by society that changes thanks to another woman and to an epic journey she decides to do to live a glory moment with her husband. It is aesthetical beautiful and its approach to love and breaking with one’s fears is very interesting.

The best scent in the world is…

…impossible for me to choose one – if I did,
I would renounce to so many! We live surrounded by smells that live together one with another, they join and mix to boost themselves or to create new essences. As there is not a unique art, nor creativity and no unique beauty code, I think we can never choose the One because our sensibility is multiple, like the creative disciplines, like people…

Try Genyum – fragrances for free spirits and art lovers, inspired by the artists themselves.

Genyum – Ballerina EdP

Ballerina is giving you a sneak peek of one big secret: what hides behind the femininity and delicacy of the dancer? Soft iris powder on a warmed-up rosy skin. The posture. The nerve. The strength. The new bohemian for a dancer inside you.

Genyum – Tattoo Artist EdP

Tattoo Artist explores art exhibited on the naked canvas of the body. An oriental leather gourmand. Atlas cedar and musk lay a shameless base for creative expressions inked in colourful notes of saffron, cardamom and French lavender. Beautifully honest and free.