Brand Interview: Atelier Vesper

From consumer tech accessories to perfume necessities, this is the story of Atelier Vesper. The Dutch perfume house is responsible for some of your favourites, including Elea, Esencia and Edhen. Co-founder Kristel joined me for an hour to discuss the ins and outs of the brand and how it became what it is today. Kristel is one of three co-founders, including her brother Erik van Dalen and friend Marco.

Although perfume was new to Kristel and her sibling co-founder, business wasn't. "We have a history in consumer brand electronics; it's a family-owned business which my father started." The sibling duo learned many lessons working with some premier clientele, the most recognisable, Apple inc. Kristel and Erik followed suit and joined the company after studying.

After making a career in consumer brand electronics and having children, Kristel started to think about other ideas. "My brother was more passionate about perfume. He wrote the concept for the brand a few years ago. It was such a beautiful concept that we kept looking at it sitting on the shelf. Suddenly I told him; I think we should start the brand and do something new."

With newfound passion burning in them, the Dutch duo decided to start. However, the brand was not developed conventionally. Instead, the team reverse engineered the process. "Normally, a perfume brand starts with the nose, the scent and then builds a story and the marketing. For us, we started with the story, made a mood board, and listed scents that we related to during the experience."

There are other clues hidden between the lines that hint at the unconventional nature of this Dutch brand. The look, for example, is something reminiscent of the luxury electronic brand Kristel and Erik used to serve in the family business. Kristel explains how they thought about the brand's visuals. "Clean, genderless, and simple...we also wanted it to look good in your bathroom instead of having a really 'screamy' bottle. It's comfortable in your hand and functional."

The brand's strategy took shape from their experiences working with Apple. "Apple was our most know client but not our biggest, but it sets the standard. If you say to people; oh, we are an Apple supplier, they will automatically think you have a good quality product."

The same standard-setting practice was implemented when launching Atelier Vesper. The team choose to go after well-respected retailers and distribution channels. "If you are selling at Dover Street Perfume Market, you must have done something right."

However, that's where the familiarity with Apple ends. Atelier Vesper is emotive, in a way a tech company could never be. Its name, for example, is taken from Kristel's son Vesper, who was born a year before the brand launched. And the fragrances themselves radiate this sense of warmth and intimacy.

That intimacy is encapsulated best with the brand's first perfume. "My brother was going through a rough patch in his relationship, and he went on holiday to Grasse in France." Surrounded by fields on the French Riviera: Grasse is known as the capital of perfume. "There, he saw the perfume industry at work. He walked through the fields and smelled the fresh hay. This was the starting point of everything." It took two years before the fragrance was bottled and fittingly named Esencia.

As our conversation switched from the past and present to the future, it became clear that Atelier Vesper plots its route forwards on a unique map. "Ace and Tate are a brand we really look up to," Kristel explains. Although Ace & Tate make glasses, not perfume, Kristel sees the similarities and opportunities for optimising customer experience online.

The duo has hopes to work closer with perfumers too. Putting them centre stage or at the very least on stage. "In the future, I would like to work with more perfumers. With most perfume brands, you do not know anything about the person behind the fragrance...We also look at people like Prince or Lady Gaga who are also really out there, authentic but also continue(d) to reinvent themselves without losing their essence."

Do you want to try some of the perfumes from Atelier Vesper? We have four fragrances from their collection, including their bests(m)eller Elea, Edhen and the original Esencia.