During the pandemic, when she was away, she realized what Florida truly meant to her: a unique environment where she can let go of the issues and the pressures of everyday life and re-energize. Her memories lead her to design a perfume which reflects the many facets of the Florida that she loves and that projects the powerful vibrations which always trigger in her an energetic and joyful state of mind.
Selecting precious scent-ingredients, researching native plants and endangered species she created a fragrance which would connect people with the beauty and energy of Floridian nature. Florida Vibrations was born.
Florida Vibrations unfolds very slowly and gradually throughout the whole day from morning until night…
I want you to vibrantly feel Florida ;
let all your senses open up to the vibrations of Florida :
On an early morning of Spring, as the rain just stopped, I step out of the house. The air is hot and humid, it envelops me in a warm cloud. I take a deep breath, all the muscles in my body decompress.
I walk across the lush forest, the canopy is dense, the ground is covered in a blanket of ferns and plants, Flashy lianas, vines and bromeliads wrap the trees with their bright green leaves. A fresh vegetal smell is rising off of the wet plants. The humid air is suddenly shaken by the vibrant citrusy scent of magnolia flowers, like a ray of light piercing through the dense forest.
As I dive deeper into the forest I am hit by the joyful, soft, sweet and citrusy smell of orange blossoms. The lavish citrus trees are in full bloom underneath the large canopy of old oaks. I feel enveloped in the softness of this joyful scent full of light and warmth.
I reach the springs and paddle away in my kayak. The turquoise water is so clear; I can smell and see the lush sea grass beds sprawl out to form an endless underwater prairie.
As I reach the open bay the air gets hot and I can smell the salty water on my
skin.
I leave my kayak at the beach and walk toward the sand dunes. Everything is
bright and sparkling: the sky, the water, the sand. I lie on the hot sand
enjoying the warm feeling of the sun on my skin.
A light breeze brings the dry notes of driftwood from the beach, the warm herbal scent of the sand dune oats and the sweet woody scent of pine trees surrounding the beach. I feel lulled by this comforting warmth and light.
I hop back on my kayak and paddle towards the mangroves. In the tunnels of the aquatic forest the water is black with tannin from the bark of mangrove trees. The tide is getting lower and I stop for a minute fascinated by the intricate webwork of roots forming a thick barrier deeply anchored in the muddy soil. It is crawling with tiny crabs, oysters and shells. The woody muddy air is energizing.
A ray of light passes through the tick mangrove canopy, I look up and realize that the mangroves are blooming! The tiny flowers exhale a very light, milky and citrusy scent brightening the tidal forest! It is quiet and I absorb this energizing, joyful peace!
Galbanum Ess., Lemon Ess., Grapefruit Ess., Petit Grain Ess., « Fresh and humid Vegetal notes »
Magnolia Ess., Orange Blossom Abs., Neroli Ess., Galbanum Res.
« Salty Sea Water », « Hot Sand », « Driftwood », Pine Needles Abs., Cedar Ess.
Vetiver Ess., Lentisk Abs., Patchouli Ess., Moss
Florida Vibrations opens with a hot humid cloud and the fresh vegetal smell of plants after a tropical rain.
ITS SILLAGE translates the fresh green and humid notes of the lush Florida hammocks brightened by the vibrant and invigorating notes of Magnolia and softened by the warm and comforting notes of orange blossoms. It also translates the fresh salty smell of sea water on the skin and the mysterious atmosphere of mangrove tunnels – these tidal forests deeply anchored in the sea.
ON THE SKIN, you perceive the warm and woody scent of the pine and cedar forests; the dry warmth of prairies and the sand dunes covered with oats. You feel the smell of the hot sand of a wild island. You also perceive the dark, wild, invigorating facets of the tidal forest.
Anastasia collaborated with Maxime Defer a French ceramicist – specialist of the ancient technique of Terra Sigillata – to create the bottles which translate the scented journey into shapes and colors and reflect the vibrations which are generated by Florida’s green swamps, birds, pristine springs, rivers, lakes, lush forests and wild beaches.
Maxim’s initial training was in woodworking; his love for precious woods brought him to master a know-how which he applied to making precious furniture and interiors for villas and yachts on the French Riviera.
But eventually Maxime returned to the Vosges region in France and decided to focus on ceramics with his father, Bernard Defer, a well know ceramicist. He learned from him, worked with him on Terra Sigillata and became himself a specialist in that ancient technique.
The Vosges region and its mountains are covered with magnificent forests crossed by beautiful rivers and its soil is composed of a variety of clays; the nature that surrounds Maxime is clearly embedded in his craft through the woods, the ashes and the water that he uses.
He worked with other ceramicists, was inspired by the work of artists such as Azaïs and progressively started to research various ways where the Terra Sigillata could be used to create poetic universes reflecting forms and colors inviting to contemplation. His fifteen-year experience in clays have made of him a master ceramicist able to design unique, unusual and delicate ceramics which impress by their soft colors and delicate touch.
TERRA SIGILLATA is the finest of clay: a very thin coat of
clay obtained by decantation. The decantation allows to
remove the heavier particles contained in the clay and
isolate the thinner to obtain a light coat.
Maxime creates each clay-sculpture; he first applies various
layers of clay colored with chrome on one side and cobalt on
the other side of the sculpture. He then applies the Terra
Sigillata on the sculpture and smooths the coating to allow
each clay particle to properly align.
Terra Sigillata is sensitive to any material it is in
contact with. Maxime therefore uses special casings in which
he carefully piles up and shapes thin layers of sand, wood
ashes and chamotte (grog clay). He buries the sculptures in
these casings and then places them in the kiln. Consumed by
fire the layered materials will leave their mark on the
sculptures and release various oxides and soda thereby
modifying the colors and creating a variety of nuances of
green and blue. Once the kiln reaches 1000 degrees Maxime
reduces the oxygen in the kiln to release carbon thereby
multiplying the color hues. Each sculpture will be touched
by flames differently and react to the atmosphere inside the
kiln in its own specific way. When the pieces are fired in
the kiln, infinite combinations of colors and shapes occur;
the process becomes magical and supplements the talent of
the artist. To put it in Maxime’s words: “c’est dirigé mais
pas contrôlé !”, “I can direct but I cannot fully control”.
Terra Sigillata also gives a soft touch and a pearly, shiny
effect to each piece. With Terra Sigillata, the colors of
the sculpture will come out differently depending on the
light. As you move the sculpture, you will re-discover your
bottle depending on how the light falls upon it.
Maxime DEFER selected specific sands, woods, ashes and
various oxides to obtain colors and effects and convey the
many nuances of Florida, a poetic language of colors and
shapes which narrates the beauty and variety of the
eco-systems.
The lower part of the sculpture reflects the limestone which
forms the ground upon which Florida has developed and the
intricate mangroves which protect its shores and wildlife.
The blue side speaks of Florida’s pristine rivers, its
lakes, its Gulf of Mexico and its underwater prairies, its
islands and white sand beaches, its deep blue ocean, its
beautiful skies and the dark waters of the Everglades.
The green side speaks of Florida’s lush vegetation and its
infinite nuances of green, it speaks of its marshes, its
swamps, its forests and its many birds tucked in the bushes.
Each Sculpture is unique, signed
and numbered by the artist.
Anastasia’s research on scent ingredients and native plants made her realize the extent of the
damages generated by over development, intensive agriculture and climate change on Florida’s
natural habitats.
So Anastasia created a special Masterclass dedicated to the discovery of wild Florida, the
diversity of its natural habitats, their unique scents…
This new “Sulékó Scented Treks” Masterclass purports to bring people to take a fresh look at
Florida, and to realize how valuable these riches are and how important and urgent it has become
to preserve them.
After a brief introduction on the geological history of Florida’s formation; Anastasia will take you to several of her favorite places to uncover the riches and variety of Florida’s habitats and their unique scents. Anastasia will focus on several native and non-native flowers and trees and take you across hammock forests where magnolias and citrus grow wild among old oak trees, mangrove tunnels, wild beaches, pristine springs and rivers, pine forests, swamps and the famous river of grass! As she focuses on specific ingredients Anastasia will also tell you more about the threats wild Florida is facing and how fragile these beautiful habitats are.
She will then tell you about the Sulékó language of
scents where scents and emotions meets and tell you how
she used this language to create Florida Vibrations and
translate her vision of Florida. You will learn more
about Anastasia vision of perfume creation and how she
selects and uses scents to narrate a story and trigger
emotions.
This class is an invitation to vibrantly experience
wild Florida.
The Masterclass is presented by Anastasia in English,
live on Zoom.
Each participant receives a kit containing all the
material for the class (scent ingredients, perfume
spray-sample, paper strips). The kit is mailed two weeks
prior to the event. Each participant can invite a friend
to join him/her for the Masterclass. They will then
share their screen and their kit.
The Sulékó Scented Treks #3: Explore wild Florida
Sulékó is a Perfume House based in Paris, founded by Anastasia Sokolow.
By combining the Art of Perfume with the Art of Porcelain, Sulékó highlights the riches of French artistic craftsmanship in the creation of perfumes using precious scent ingredients and in the design of unique porcelain bottles (Limoges porcelain, crystalline glazed porcelain, mixed-clays faience, Terra Sigillata…). The Sulékó bottles are designed by French ceramicists who translate the story of each fragrance into shapes, colors and textures.
The Sulékó perfumes can be described as poems revealing the state of mind of a person, at a certain point of his or her life. To write its scented poems, Sulékó created a language of scents: the Sulékó language of the seasons. With this concept of language of scents Sulékó seeks to help people identify which fragrance fits their mood, their feelings. The Sulékó masterclass “L’atelier” teaches this language of scents; it is a two-hour journey across the four seasons through scents, poetry and art.
Sulékó recently launched a series of Masterclasses called “The virtual scented treks”. These Masterclasses focus on the discovery of specific scent ingredients in their natural habitat to truly understand their story, their riches and their complexity.
With its Masterclasses, Sulékó is actively involved in education aiming at helping people improve their sense of smell, understand the language of scents and explore the world with their sense of smell.
I uncovered the world of perfume when I joined the Yves Saint Laurent Beauté marketing team in New York. Back in Paris, I immersed myself into this universe; I studied the history of Perfume at the Osmothèque (French Conservatory of Perfumes) and followed high-level trainings on perfume composition at ISIPCA. I then decided to launch Sulékó, a Perfume House, reuniting Perfume and French Artistic Craftsmanship.Anastasia Sokolow
The world of scents is fabulous and mysterious; it brought a lot of joy into my life; I now wish to share my knowledge and my passion with you and invite you to experience the joy of exploring the world around you with your sense of smell!
