To celebrate our abundance of wonderful Australian fragrance houses at Lore Perfumery, we started a QnA series to get to know all of the people behind the brands a bit more.
Today, we’re chatting to John Domjan, the founder of Melbourne-based niche fragrance house, ÖRÖK FRAGRANCES. A newer fragrance house launched in 2023, ÖRÖK FRAGRANCES are evocative of local queer experiences – nights out clubbing, days at the beach with friends, shenanigans in city gardens. That said, the beauty of this range is that everyone and anyone will be able to find something they relate to within it.
What is your first or most powerful non-perfume scent memory?
When I was a kid my godparents had a Ford Farelane and I distinctly remember its smell – petrol, leather, and oil. It was so pervasive that I associate many fun memories of spending time with them and their son (who was like a brother to me) and it brings me such joy. Might also explain why I love weird smells.
What inspired you to start ÖRÖK FRAGRANCES?
I wanted to use scent as a vehicle for thought and imagination. Scent can conjure imagery based on memory and imagination, so what if scent could act as an instigator for our minds to create something beautiful and link it to emotion. And as we are all different, how amazing is it that even with the same scent we would all conjure different images.
What would you say are the core tenets of ÖRÖK FRAGRANCES, what defines it?
The human experience. It’s about sharing stories, the narratives of who we are. Storytelling defines us, it gives us context. ÖRÖK FRAGRANCES is there to remind us that sharing our stories is what connects us, and our definitions of each other may be different but still interconnected through similar narratives.
How do you approach the creation of a fragrance? Do you start with a story/concept and then make a fragrance that embodies it, or do you start with the fragrance and write its story from there?
We always start with a story. What are we trying to say, what are we trying to share. Then we look at the imagery associated with that story, the thoughts the feelings. How do we convey this through scent? Why is this story important and what do we want to share about it the most?
Are there any materials or ingredients you especially love to use in your fragrances?
Personally I love petrichor so, so much. Something about it is so evocative. Like standing outside in the rain, smelling the damp earth and bitumen. Can’t get enough of it!
Is there a fragrance from ÖRÖK FRAGRANCES that you feel particularly passionate about or connected to?
I think 5AM will always be my personal favourite. There’s something about that special time of day, just before the sunrise where nightfall and daytime pull at each other. It’s the culmination of something, almost alchemical and transformative. The smell of the wet flowers, the atmosphere, the feeling. It’s intoxicating.
What’s something that people may not know about ÖRÖK FRAGRANCES?
My original concept was to use scent to change spaces – somehow affect mood by using scent to almost create a zone. In the end, the scents changed us – allowed us to see more and feel more vibrantly.
Do you have any perfumery pet peeves?
The overuse of fig and rose accords. My nose can’t deal!
What does it mean to you to be an Australian fragrance house?
I think at our core Australians are so supportive of each other. We nurture each other, encourage each other. Even the niche community in Australia does what it can to help each other. It’s community. And there’s nothing elsewhere quite like it.
What fragrance are you wearing today and why?
Actually, I’m wearing one of my own creations called Erdő – it means “forest” in Hungarian. It’s an airy, aldehydic mountain top rich with fresh air, incense woods and moss. I’m obsessed. It works in both cold and warm weather so well.
