making of

alles neu macht der Mai

… that’s a German proverb, meaning “everything begins anew in spring”. And indeed, this is pretty much true: There is new energy, new hope, new vigor and vibrancy in the air, everywhere almost. And indeed, we will soon be entering May, spring’s highlight, in my opinion. I will start my May in London, meeting potential business partners, not from the UK, and discussing philosophy and values and perfumes, while enjoying a cup of tea.

My anew things coming with May: I am reaching out to a few potential partners for my fragrances. Although I do  it very carefully, having made my experiences in the past… but that’s worth another post.

Another anew thing, mentioned last Friday: The cap, being produced in May and introduced somewhat later. Today’s picture shows you one of the first caps, zero series, that came out of the machine. It is made from Bakelite, one of the first “plastic” materials made by mankind, with a retro touch, highly solvent resistant, and with a cool feel to it. Bakelite: a powder that is pushed together really hard, under high temperature: It takes about 2 minutes for one cap. I ultimately decided to go for Bakelite, after having it on my mind for about two years because the wooden caps were not recognized as being of high value. Strange as it may sound: A lot of clients did not really realize that the wooden caps were made from wood. Thus, why bother doing expensive, tricky to manufacture wooden caps, if you can get the same in Bakelite. The price is comparable, though, but contrary to the wood, they come with a much more reliable and reproducible interface to the flacon. Thus, they should sit there well.

Although, to be honest, except for super expensive magnetic solutions, there will always be some caps that stick a bit less, or more, due to variances in the glass, the pump, the cap, and due to wear. Although, here again, the Bakelite is very tough and does not really wear out.

Anyhow… time to optimize my caps mid term. You see this in all brands: The cap is often the “weakest link” in the whole presentation.

My caps will be very black, with a tauer  logo relief on top, and will be brushed and polished by hand, in Switzerland. Amazing.

And while we still have wooden caps: Enjoy them… they might soon become collectibles.