Duke

Crystals, sacred stones, energy and Greek mythology as the cornerstone of this brand, which was founded in 2023. I have seen this brand around but little is said about it, so I decided to do some research by myself and find out the background story. Everything started with the Orlov Paris brand in 2015 when Ruth and Thomas Méaulle started their olfactory expedition. The Ggema brand was founded in 2023 as a continuation of their story and love for the olfactory through Greek mythology, crystals and gemsstones. The saga continues through a harmonious and carefully selective presentation of perfumers with a reputation, who stand behind their creations. Everything here is at an enviable level and really nicely presented, but what is in the bottle called Duke? Each of their perfumes is adorned by the Greek goddess Selena, who faithfully follows the line of their perfumes above the title of each of them. Duke is part of the Sapphire collection, and it makes its contribution with an emphasis on French leather and gloves worn by former leaders. In this case, the leather gloves worn by Duke. I would like to mention here that I feel a nice "green and leather", cool leather gloves that are gentle and sharp at the same time. This picture of the gloves and the name of the perfume: "Duke" reminds me a lot of the movie Dune 2000 where Duke Leto Atreides is the planetary governor of the ocean planet Caladan who takes over the lucrative spice mining operations on the desert planet Arrakis at the behest of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. Therefore, the imaginary image and association gives me the right to combine in my imagination that ocean and greenery as the freshness that this perfume carries in itself, while the theme of leather plays the main sensory role here. What is responsible for the fresh effect of this beautiful skin is certainly Ginger, Pink Pepper, Saffron, Bergamot, Cypress which are at the top of this olfactory pyramid. In the heart I walk on the floral side of coast full of Jasmine, White Amber, Iris that gives this composition that soft vibe. Flow at the bottom or base we reach Leather, Musk, Caramel, Haitian Vetiver. What I would single out and what my nose perceives as the dominant notes are definitely Pink Pepper, Saffron, Jasmine, very little iris, and the rest is dominated by the leather. (Done perfectly) Because if I think about it, I still feel everything here, maybe some things that are not listed as a composition, but yes... This is charismatic. Beautifully blended, very dynamic and harmonious. This is about a different approach to the leather theme, which you could, for example, feel in Irish Leather by Memo or some other creations amybe? But here it's noticeably different, but the show was well done until the very end with standing ovations and applause from my side. Leather gloves served as protection for delicate hands, they were used as a weapon, like a slap if someone was rude to the Duke. But leather gloves were also a symbol of a lofty attitude that we like to see even today. Beautiful, likable, very wearable, an excellently elaborated theme by the perfume master Jordi Fernández, who through the collaboration with this brand left a mark, a recognizable mark and the path that Duke took us through. I follow this path and enjoy it because this is a serious creation that I would love to feel in the spring or autumn. Maybe during the cold summer evening nights? This perfume deserves a casual dress code, it can also serve as an office friendly fragrance, but I like to see it on me in an open space, nature or some kind of outdoor event, where I will dress appropriately and "on the level". I will imagine that I am Duke Leto Atreides :) Smell at first sight : 8/10 Interesting effect: 9/10 Easy to Wear: YES ( If leathery green perfumes are on your playlist ) Durability and projection: Very good Scent profile: 8.5 / 10 Presentation: 6/10 (Nice detailed white box, A cardboard box, which has a case inside that is also made of slightly harder cardboard, but when I put the perfume back in that cardboard box, I couldn't put the perfume back in any way. This is something the brand needs to work on. Bottle design: 9/10 If the cap were a little heavier, this perfume would have a 10 for the design of the bottle, in general with all the details.Btw The sprayer is fantastic. If you are in the focus of leather perfumes, this can be just "another one", but it can also be different from everything else you've tried because it's accompanied by interesting notes that give it a personality, difference and charisma from everything else you've tried on this perfume theme. These are the small oscillations, the details that nevertheless make the main difference between everything and do not put everything in the same mold of one genre. Take into account that the perfume was made by a famous perfumer and that you simply cannot make a mistake here.

Why does Fragrantica offer no note pyramid for this fragrance? I love Jordi Fernandez but I can't get behind this one. Duke starts out very animalic in nature, then it turns into a smoky leather, but not necessarily in a good way. It smells like a mix between pencil shavings and recently-smoked cigarette butts.