Frederick Bouchardy of Joya on the Art (and Business) of Creating Scents
As told to Chris Black.
Frederick Bouchardy, founder of fragrance design studio Joya. (Photo: Frederick Bouchardy)
Manhattan native Frederick Bouchardy is the founder of the Brooklyn-based fragrance design studio Joya. Bouchardy officially started Joya in 2006 and has been going full steam ever since, collaborating with an eclectic range of fashion and luxury clients from Net-A-Porter and Harrods to newer brands like Kit & Ace and even the New York institution Katz’s Deli. Their in-house line is even more impressive, using high-quality materials to create sophisticated and interesting candles, fragrances, and soaps. I spoke with Bouchardy about how he got his start, his process, and what’s on the horizon for his growing company.
I studied English in college and imagined I would be a writer. After working at an American law firm in Hong Kong and then for a European TV station called Arté, I realized I needed a business that could also serve as a creative outlet. On the side, I basically stumbled on a graphic identity job that involved fragrance, so I dove deep into that world’s history through research and also investigated the sourcing and raw material possibilities online. This was about 2004—before niche perfume, designer scented candles and artisanal soaps were completely ubiquitous. At the time, so few companies were involved in the conversation about sustainable and local materials, which seemed insane, considering the amount of ingredients needed to produce fine fragrance, personal care, and home scents to scale. I prototyped a small range of scented candles, and Joya was officially formed in 2006. I had to bang on doors to get my foot in them, but every expert kept pushing the same suppliers, the same designers. The beauty and cosmetics industries are so big and competitive and almost set up like government agencies. Fortunately, both of my parents have experience in design and manufacturing. Otherwise, I was really clueless.
Scent making at fragrance design studio Joya. (Photo: Joya)
Now we have our own spot in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, and our collections are selectively distributed internationally. I think we are pretty well known for collaborative offerings, where we work with other designers (artists, architects, fashion, and lifestyle companies) to help express their stories and visions through fragrance. We also have large corporate contracts with hotel groups and retailers where we consult on their “fragrance identities” and often make those products for them on a global scale.
Scent making at fragrance design studio Joya. (Photo: Joya)
Whether we are producing—for ourselves or others—candles, perfumes, soaps, incense, diffusers, or other scent marketing tools (oil that is distributing through the HVAC systems of large spaces, for example), the process is the same: We start with a story that we want to tell. Then we create a brief that can be entirely literal or evocative. Well, this is only partially true—sometimes we just go with our instinct. Depends on the project. A brief for Oak contained only archival photography. Other clients have flown in dirt, leaves, roots, oils, grasses. Then we set our sight on ingredients and see what we can get our hands on. Then we either experiment and compound fragrances internally or work alongside a perfumer, going through trials and evaluations. I won’t rush this part.
Scent making at fragrance design studio Joya. (Photo: Joya)
We pay a lot of attention to the container. I’d rather our bottles, dishes, or candle holders be repurposed than recycled, so we go the extra mile to make them beautiful and useful after their first life is up. For outer packaging, I’ve worked with suppliers abroad but now prefer to deal only with domestic manufacturers. This gives us so much more control over the quality, the details, and the lead times and minimum order requirements. Even when we produce in large volume, I’d honestly just rather support American businesses. The components that make up fragrance oils already have to come from across the world, as less than 10 are native to the States.
Scent making at fragrance design studio Joya. (Photo: Joya)
Being small allows us to maneuver quickly—to tinker and to just make. With some corporate clients, I see the labyrinth and chain of command get in the way so often. Sometimes we can launch a new item before bigger companies even get through all the emails. That said, this was really hard when there were just a few of us. We’re almost 20 now and going into growth mode, which means cultural change, so we’ll see.
Scent making at fragrance design studio Joya. (Photo: Joya)
Working with local artists and artisans and materials is so critical to our future. My goal is to create an American fragrance company that has influence on the global supply chain and a lasting legacy, so we need to support and engage the local economy.
In terms of new projects, we just produced new candles for our friends at Pendleton, DS & Durga, Kit & Ace, and Kith. We are in the process of rolling out a global fragrance program for the Marriott Hotels, which are going through a refresh. We have a great collaborative project coming with Calico Wallpaper and will expand distribution of the Secret Souvenir series we make with Snarkitecture.
Scent making at fragrance design studio Joya. (Photo: Joya)
Our house brand is also getting a significant edit. We are shedding 70% of our existing styles and updating the best ones. Everything will be really strong. Most of the new goods will be on Net-A-Porter—we were the first fragrance brand to launch on the site—early this summer.
Scent making at fragrance design studio Joya. (Photo: Joya)
In the meantime, I’m trying to keep my head down, eyes on the prize, and make this company what its meant to become and make my people proud. The permitting for build-out of our new studio is much more than anticipated because it will be many things in one: manufacturing, development, offices and retail. It will be worth it. By the time we are able to offer tours, installations, and masterclasses, we’ll provide a real cultural initiative for people that are passionate about fragrances, ceramics and design—and a window into our process and perspective. The world of fragrance has such a rich history and a lot left to be explored. We can update ancient recipes and use modern materials to create new ones. Now that our business is this strong we have access, and I plan to use it.
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