Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew J. Sánchez.
Hi Matthew, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn about your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I think many people will be surprised to learn that I work full-time in the financial services and banking industry and that the story of MATTEO PARFUMS begins with a dentist appointment, a GQ magazine, and an urge for financial freedom and creative change in my life (as the saying goes, “desperation breeds ingenuity”).
I didn’t go to an acclaimed perfumery school in France like ISIPCA or École Supérieure du Parfum and work at huge fragrance houses like Givaudan or IFF like my peers. I earned my degree in Applied Mathematics with minors in Entrepreneurship and Global Studies from UCLA and had my eyes set on working in finance and with startups upon graduation (Editor’s Note: UCLA is consistently ranked as the #1 public university in the world, a “Public Ivy League” institution, which Matthew so humbly fails to mention). All with the intent to pivot into venture capital (VC) or private equity (PE) and owning my own enterprises or firm down the line. But I’m getting ahead of myself. To summarize, while in the waiting room for my appointment in 2017, I read an article in the magazine essentially highlighting 10 Perfumers and their creations. This caught my attention because I had never heard (or thought) about Perfumers or perfumery being a viable career; despite having a personal love for scents dating back to my earliest memories. For instance, the smell of ripe citrus in the crisp morning air on drives in my hometown, or when I would beg my dad to let me spray his Calvin Klein One on my clothes in elementary school, or the heavenly smell of Bijan on my mom on Sunday mornings as we went to church. As I continued reading the “Noses” (as Perfumers are sometimes called) explain their methods, their inspirations, their famous creations, and their “why,” the lightbulb in my head started to shine. Perfumery was a mix between art and science (and business) that brings me energy, even as a child, I needed that balance (and you even see that in my undergraduate education: mathematics being the logic, science, and quantitative side while my humanity-centered and entrepreneurial minors satisfied my creative and interpersonal needs). I thought, “wow, I could probably do this.” As the moment of curiosity and excitement came, so did a moment of realization and sadness.
I went back and noticed every single Perfumer featured was 40-60+ years old, white, and European; of the 10 Perfumers highlighted only three were women. It hit me that modern-day Perfumery like many other industries was a white male-dominated world. I couldn’t relate to any of the Perfumers let alone see myself in them. Here I am, a young, Black Mexican male, born and raised in California, with zero background or network in fragrance, with this ostentatious idea to dive into a world I knew nothing about. And that’s exactly what I did! After my appointment that day, I told myself I’m going to change that statistic and add some excitement and diversity to this segment of the world.
I literally came home and started reading perfumery literature, watching videos and tutorials, researching the chemistry behind molecules (both natural and synthetic), understanding the existing market, its leaders, and its players like The Fragrance Foundation (TFF), The Institute for Art and Olfaction (IAO), or major conglomerates like Kering, LVMH, and L’Oréal. I spent the next three years in deep research patiently learning from trial and error with nothing more than pure internal motivation and discipline fueling me. This would lead to the creation of our debut scent, Celadawn, which launched in Fall 2020 — and the rest is history currently unfolding right before your eyes. Where do we go next? I’m just as curious as you. One goal of mine is to collaborate and partner with incredible brands that I believe align with the imaginative, cultural, and maximalist spirit of MATTEO PARFUMS to further solidify our place in the world. Some dream collaborations and partnerships I have are KidSuper since I love their exuberance, attention to detail, and vivid life or one of my favorite film studios of all time Studio Ghibli for their imagination, charm, and ability to craft striking stories and visuals; I already have top-tier scent concepts for both in mind. Another hope and desire is to be acquired by one of the esteemed conglomerates, or receive investment by Consumer VC or PE firms like SKKY Partners by Kim Kardashian and Jay Sammons for instance, to really catapult the brand and our one-of-a-kind essence to more people around the world. Until then, one thing you can absolutely expect is the release of our sophomore scent, coming in two styles, launching very soon which will bring the MATTEO PARFUMS scent portfolio to three signature fragrances.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Spoiler Alert: the road has been rough and not simple. We’re talking about potholes, speed bumps, and detours galore! Fortunately, the road has also pleasantly surprised me and given us speed boosts and other power-ups, making every mile of founding a business fascinating and worth it.
Challenges we faced range from: the clear knowledge gap we had on the art and science behind scent creation, how to source materials domestically and internationally, the history and trends of fragrance, the costs and logistics of building a fine fragrance company from scratch, what to do when materials get recalled or skyrocket in price, and how to stand out in a saturated market controlled by an oligopoly of legacy fashion labels. After you launch, you run into a new set of challenges like making your first sales, figuring out how to market and socialize yourself, budgeting, dealing with low sale seasons, landing partners, technical difficulties and delays, among others.
It’s not all hiccups though. We have experienced some blessings like finding a perfumer for me to briefly serve as an unofficial apprentice to push me passed my personal growth plateau I was facing in 2019, coming across the best Spanish digital team to help convert my sketches into real-life bottle designs, my family who has supported me from inception to execution putting on many hats to aid me in my lofty pursuit, and having wonderful people from major publishers like GQ and Allure magazines (with audiences in the millions!) see MATTEO PARFUMS, see us grinding and see what we stand for, and value what they see so much that we are placed in their pages. 2022 has been a rewarding year for us, from our industry award nomination at the Art and Olfaction Awards (Artisan Category) to landing retail accounts in the U.S. and in Europe, all of which took us by surprise. I’m already grateful and excited to see what the rest of the year and beyond has in store for me and MATTEO PARFUMS.
Wow! That definitely doesn’t sound easy, but you make the most of everything it appears. I appreciate you sharing that. Tell me, what should we know about MATTEO PARFUMS?
I founded MATTEO PARFUMS, a fine fragrance company based in Southern California bringing to the world a fresh and novel perspective when it comes to fragrance and perfumery. My company is unique in that our principles are: imagination, culture, and maximalism which I define as the opulence and appreciation of detail. What does this mean? Well, with perfumery and fragrance being an antiquated, homogeneous, and primarily European-dominated industry, I am focusing on expanding the status quo of the field. In other words augmenting the old “been there, seen that” narrative many of us are familiar with in fragrance marketing, inspirations, and products. With MATTEO PARFUMS, I’m championing many things such as: American perfumery is to be taken seriously and we are influential players on the rise and that the fragrance industry benefits tremendously from diverse and younger talent, like myself, in order to keep itself spry and interesting. A perfect example is our inaugural scent, Celadawn, which is the first ever fragrance to contain an Horchata Amber accord (a scent note) let alone a Mexican drink-inspired fragrant element, which I created and is now a MATTEO PARFUMS signature component.
By creating an horchata note what I’m really doing is expanding the horizons of what the industry largely considers “gourmand” or “amber” scent profiles and demonstrating how imaginative we can be and how global our world is, but this only happened because Celadawn is directly inspired by my multiethnic and multicultural background. Otherwise, this might have never happened if it wasn’t for me. Which further supports my claim that there are narratives, inspirations, and talent beyond the walls of Europe that are waiting to be shared and adored. As the Founder & Perfumer of MATTEO PARFUMS, I’m tasked with honoring this vision by doing what’s necessary to steer the brand to be a globally recognized household name and prized label—like Tom Ford, Telfar, or Tesla, all brands I personally cherish and would love to partner with at some point. I want our brand to be a company that individuals value and see their best selves in; I want MATTEO PARFUMS to be perceived as a purveyor of pristine quality, signature creativity and imagination, and youthful renaissance. I believe we’re well on our way and it’s with great gratitude that platforms and publishers like GQ, Allure, and the Art and Olfaction Awards are recognizing and amplifying MATTEO PARFUMS and our potential as “the one to watch.”
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Legacy. I often think about how I’m placed in this current moment because of the journey that my ancestors paved before me. My parents and their sacrifices to raise three kids in Southern California with wavering stability for many years yet, always somehow managing to make it work for me and my brothers. My grandparents and how one for example worked in the coal mines of West Virginia for most of his life in order to provide for his family of 12 and make sure his children and their children never have to work like that and can focus on school. I’m proud of the lineage and legacy I come from, it’s personal for me; I feel as if my parents, and their parents, and their parents, and so on, worked too hard, went through too many obstacles, for me to not make something of myself. To me, legacy is everything as it’s what we stand for, our reputation and integrity, even long after we’re gone. What can I do today to make those coming up under me have a better start? How am I respected and treated today? How will I be remembered? Will they be proud and inspired by me? Legacy asks these introspective questions. That’s why forming MATTEO PARFUMS is very important to me – I want something legendary for my next generations to tangibly see, love, and want to continue nourishing while I’m still here and well after I’m gone. I want them to know and appreciate the history of their ancestors including me, Matthew J. Sánchez, and his wildly successful company he established from nothing, in hopes they feel the same way I do when I think about how resilient, remarkable, and inspiring my ancestors are. Then I also want others to attribute MATTEO PARFUMS and Matthew J. Sánchez with charisma, creativity, and world-class leadership or as pioneers. Not too different from how people love and adore Coco Chanel of Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent of his namesake, Virgil Abloh of Off White, and Gianni and Donatella of Versace. As you can tell, legacy matters the most to me as it means I’ve made a positive impact while I’m alive, others are proud of me, but most importantly, I have made myself and my family proud.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.matteoparfums.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matteoparfums/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matteoparfums/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/matthewjsanchez/
Image Credits
Ashton Mathews, Kayla Sanchez, Matthew J. Sánchez, Saskia Wilson-Brown
