The Art of Scent
Meet Amanda Stevens, Mater Perfumer and Founder of the perfumery studio, Rewild Co. Having honed her skills for over 20 years Amanda is now reaping the rewards of a life lived in service to developing her craft.
Words by Alice Armitage Photographs by Lean Timms
The creation of a scent is not often the first thing that comes to mind when we think of craftsmanship, but Amanda is here to teach us a thing or two about this ancient craft she has spent over twenty years mastering. The way we think of perfume today often conjures ideas of mass produced scents, celebrity endorsements or the classic Chanel No. 5 but there is another way to appreciate fragrance; as a pure art form based on a nuanced arousal of the senses to create a scent that encompasses the essence of how we wish to express ourselves. Merging art and trade to create a depth to our daily experiences and a channel to harness our own uniqueness.
Over the years Amanda has worked for large cosmetic companies, learning the fundamentals of fragrance but as Amanda’s disillusion for that industry grew, a desire to reconnect with the magic she had originally seen in the craft was born. Wanting to lean into the story telling element and the expressive nature of the practice, bring back the human element of this historic trade. Which has since seen Amanda launch her own perfumery studio, Rewild Co. Offering a bespoke collection of perfumes and oils, as well as signature scent design.
Amanda grew up on the Limestone coast in Regional South Australia and after making the move to Adelaide when she was young, Amanda met a perfumer. It’s funny how one, often fleeting, interaction can make such a profound impact on the choices we make. “I was 20 years old, I’d just moved to the big city and stumbled across this perfumer. It really felt like a moment that altered the course of my life. Back in those days I’d never heard of someone who created perfume before, I didn’t know it existed but what I did know is that as soon as I figured it out I wanted to do it! In a world of mass production this little slice of art, of creation was just calling to me. I was drawn to it from the very beginning. I’d always been artistic by nature but creating scents felt like the next level. As soon as I started to understand the process and everything that goes into making a perfume, it felt like I’d walked into the best museums or art galleries in the world. It was so eye opening and really took my breath away. Since then perfume and the creation of scent is something I’ve gravitated towards.”
Fuelled by that initial sense of wonder, Amanda set to work researching, reading, learning anything she could get her hands on that might just help her unlock the mystery of this new fascination. She started to collect a few select extracts. Trialing each one, exploring each component and taking the time to truly understand everything at play before venturing out to collect more, learn more. Allowing the formation of her craft to be based around nothing but a desire to explore. “Learning a craft is about failing as much as it is about your success. Sometimes you need to not get it quite right, acknowledge that and move on. Making scents was just an organic way that I wanted to spend my time and I think whatever you choose to focus on in life, you naturally feed that and it continues to grow. If you come into it with a genuine love, it flourishes. Perfumery has been and continues to be that for me.”
For a long time Amanda didn’t really talk to the people in her life about her work, instead opting to hide her hobby away in the literal and metaphorical back room. Opting for slow growth and holding onto the belief that for anyone dedicated to their craft, success is measured over a lifetime of loving all the elements of your work and the things you create. A true labour of love. She may have been living dedicated to scent for most of her adult life, but it’s only been in the last couple of years that Amanda has taken the leap to launch her own perfumery studio and sharing her talents with us all. “All of a sudden it felt like I was on top of a tall building, there was this big chasm between where I was and the next tall building. For the first time I saw that I could actually make the jump, that it was time to take the next step in my work and to launch my own perfumery. I was given a gentle nudge by someone I admire greatly. One day she whispered in my ear that this gift of mine was something special and I needed to do something with it. I’d never heard that before, never received validation for my work in that way. It really pushed me forward, that’s the thing that allowed me to see I could take the leap I suppose.”
Once you’ve decided to take the leap, it’s not always easy to know where to actually start, but for Amanda it started with a good old fashioned plan and a dose of self belief. Knowing that having a top quality product and taking some steps to share that with people was the foundation of it all. When anyone first ventures out into the unknown of trying to build a business around your art, becoming accustomed to the cyclical nature of entrepreneurship is also something we need to get a handle on as quickly as we can. It’s by no means an easy feat. Having some small wins to hold onto when the days are hard is a necessity and Amanda has never lost sight of that throughout her journey. “Every time I finish a signature scent it’s a win. Being able to create a scent story and put it out into the world. To deliver my art to someone to cherish for a lifetime. Those small wins along the way are just as relevant as the bigger ones, because they sustain you through all of the setbacks.” And although there will always be moments when trying to make it work is not so enjoyable, allowing those moments to trigger some introspection can hold some answers to our success, or survival, as well. Taking time for that self assessment often brings us back to the core of our work, often inspiring us to forge our own paths.
So how is a scent actually created? While at its most simple, perfume is a combination of scent essences, it’s something that Amanda says is very hard to describe to someone without any background in the craft, where she often finds it hard to find a connective medium to converse about the process. For Amanada it’s also a private and intimate practice that she feels deserves some mystery. One thing she will say is the majesty of scent is something that still amazes her everyday. Its power to bypass all logic and conjure feelings, memories, moments maybe long forgotten. Or perhaps a scent will transfer you to a place you’ve never been before, a place that truly feels like home. That’s what Amanda is striving for when she’s creating a signature scent for someone. It’s such a magical way to perform perfumery, pushing those creative boundaries to create a new found enduring classic.
After her time in Adelaide, which led her to spend eighteen years living in the Grampians region of Western Victoria, Amanda has recently come home to her roots. Having moved, with her husband, back to the Southernmost tip of South Australia and into one of the oldest buildings in the region. The once shearers’ quarters, now home is nestled next to Amanda’s studio, the old blacksmiths rooms and stables that were originally built in the 1830’s. Restoring the studio to the space you see today evolved just as the business did. With a strong desire to pay homage to those who had been working on their trade in the building for almost 200 years, while seeding in elements to make the space her own. Much care was taken to maintain the legacy of the space by keeping it as close to original condition as possible and filling the studio with artesian and handmade wares, but the space also needed to satisfy one tiny little practical requirement; for Amanda to actually be able to work from there! A balance Amanda has managed with great tact.
So as many creatives in Australia are asking themselves how they can bring this thing they love and make it a full time gig, Amanda is leading the way for the quiet creative working to carve a future for themselves and their craft.
If you’re interested in seeing more of Amanda’s work you can head to her page, Rewind Co.
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