As November ushers in the start of the holiday season with festive decor taking over city streets and stores, it also is a month that shines a spotlight on the impact of Entrepreneurs with National Entrepreneur Month. What excites me about this national observance and more so this year, is that we get to celebrate the entrepreneurs that make up TFF’s first-ever Entrepreneur Committee launched this past January. Chaired by Chris Collins founder of The World of Chris Collins, the inaugural committee includes the entrepreneur brands – House of Bō, Harlem Candle Co., The New Savant, Arquiste Parfumeur and Brown Girl Jane. Together, Bernardo, Teri, Erica, Ingrid, Carlos and Malaika have created their own support system that only another fellow fragrance entrepreneur can truly understand and appreciate.

These founder-led brands continue to invigorate our industry, and we at TFF know that it is imperative that we continue to nurture them. The thrill of building a brand from the ground up to not only survive but thrive is a testament to the opportunities that exist in the fragrance industry and the community that we have created together. Their shared experience of launching a fragrance brand only makes them stronger and our industry, more vibrant. I am excited to see what their passion, high level of constant energy and dedication will bring to our Committee and our industry.

This month we also are proud to share the podcast featuring TFF Executive Director Sharné Jackson in this issue who has been instrumental to elevating our events and making The Foundation more impactful. Driving #FragranceForwardTFF to leading Scents of Success and being featured on Black Enterprise’s podcast for her give-back to students, Sharné has been an amazing force of creative energy with positivity. For five years now, Sharné continues to create new TFF initiatives and the results are ground breaking.

Enjoy this issue as you celebrate Thanksgiving & continue to express your gratitude throughout the entire year! Looking forward to fabulous fragrance filled holidays with all!

October is one of the busiest months for the fashion and fragrance communities, and for TFF. What a month October has been, coming off of two very successful TFF events. After three years of presenting our DEI panel virtually, we were proud to host it live the 1st week of October for the first time in NYC and have it be on our most passionate of TFF topics – diversity, equity and inclusion in the fragrance industry. 

Last week we inducted the 2024 Champion into our Circle with Macy’s Chief Merchandising Officer, Nata Dvir, welcoming her to our list of retail luminaries who are elevating the fragrance experience for consumers. What a night of community and camaraderie as we celebrated Nata as the 2024 Circle of Champions Award honoree. Aligned with our mission to promote DEI from her team to the stores, Nata has been an ally to TFF and a force for fragrance!

In the spirit of celebrating all the people who reflect the USA, we continue our coverage of Hispanic Heritage Month with a special spotlight on two of our industry’s next generation perfumers.

As we get ready to fall back again this weekend, we look forward to an exciting 4th quarter of holiday fragrance sales, special events and more consumer engagement.

Enjoy the Diwali holiday this week & happy Halloween to all! Enjoy this edition of Accords & watch our #FragranceForwardTFF Now and Beyond: The Future of Industry DEI panel this weekend for inspiration & the great discussion.

September brings a renewed energy to the start of the Fall season as it welcomes the arrival of new fashion and fragrance launches. It is one of the most dynamic months on the calendar, and this month’s edition of ACCORDS captures its momentum. And yet, amidst Fashion Week in NYC the entire USA stopped to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of 9/11.

The month has been a fragrance lover’s dream come true with fragrance launches, fashion shows & our TFF Board of Directors meeting & dinner at Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem. From new introductions from the venerable fashion houses to reintroductions of reimagined, cult-status classics, fragrance has taken hold of the season in the most magnificent of ways. 

TFF loves to celebrate our fragrance community. In this month’s Spotlight feature, we turn our spotlight on Cosmo International’s Fragrance’s C3 Innovation Lab in New York City, which takes the concept of building community to a new level. After reading this in-depth look, take a moment to reflect on the industry impact that giving back and innovation can have on growing our fragrance community by championing emerging brands & helping them capture their essence in a bottle.

With the mid-month kick-off of Hispanic Heritage Month, the contributions of iconic Hispanic and Latine designers and creators such as Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Paco Rabanne to contemporary counterparts such as Narciso Rodriguez, Francisco Costa and Bernardo Möller & Giancarlo Perez continue to bring excitement and energy to our category while infusing their cultural heritage, from ingredients to inspiration, into every bottle. 

Enjoy September’s digital pages, as I will be reading all again as I fly home from my marathon of fabulous meetings & reunions in Paris.

Linda

June is Awards month at TFF! And it is by far our biggest celebration of the year, it’s the night where we bring everyone and everything together that we as a community have achieved for fragrance, and celebrate! These Awards are truly the pinnacle for our industry spotlighting how our creativity, artistry and passion connects with the consumer.

With 1000 attendees, the TFF 2024 Awards were bigger and more extraordinary than ever before. Making it even more special, this year was the 75th Anniversary of the Foundation. On the spectacular stage at Lincoln Center in NYC, the ceremony inducting 2 honorees and presenting 19 awards, was a great reflection of #FragranceForwardTFF with our Presenters & Finalists & Winners as well.

The theater was buzzing from the “blue-carpet” arrivals to the sit-down dinner for over 500 in the Promenade to the after-party that spilled onto the Terrace overlooking the plaza at Lincoln Center. Julianna Margulies to Christie Brinkley added star power while fragrance & fashion icons Vera Wang, Anna Sui and Narciso Rodriguez joined us to celebrate.

A huge congratulations to all of our 2024 TFF Awards winners, the finalists, and of course our incredible honorees. From heritage brands to indies, and perfume pioneers to legacy leaders, the spectrum of excellence on stage was unparalleled from the awards handed out to the honorees inducted including Givaudan CEO Gilles Andrier as Hall of Fame honoree and Bvlgari and Louis Vuitton Master Perfumer, Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud as Lifetime Achievement Perfumer. 

A special feature of the night was the creative collaboration between Rhael LionHeart Cape and Louie Schwartzberg bringing poetry & photography together, elevating fragrance discovery to new heights.

With the glow from the Awards still shining, we will be busy throughout the summer planning a fantastic line-up for the fall season filled with great TFF programming. From Scents of Success to launching Fragrance Escentials, plus media tours, TFF will be reaching more & more people who share a love & passion for fragrance as we do. 

Please enjoy this special TFF 2024 Awards edition of ACCORDS!

Have a wonderful summer.

Always one of my favorite features in Accords is when we shine a spotlight and welcome new members to TFF.  It signals that our industry is thriving with new brand introductions and fragrance launches, and that our membership & fragrance community is growing. Every day we celebrate our #1 priority to expand our membership with new brands of varied sizes & diverse brand stories, as these six certainly illustrate. We are happy to welcome all to the TFF family & community.

May also signals one of our most important spring time gift-giving holidays, Mother’s Day. Fragrances remain a top go-to gift, from the finest florals to the fruit forward scents of the season. We reached the consumer in cities across America from Atlanta & Miami to Las Vegas & Washington, DC at this all important time to shop through TV.  

These TV shows also allowed me to encourage Consumer Choice voting across the USA. We reached of over 9 million via TV & with huge support from our 18 Finalists across the 3 categories, the # of consumers voting this year increased by over 60%. Through social media and press, we had the biggest activation yet!

We are in the final countdown to our June 5th, 2024 Awards Ceremony! It will be a spectacular night when the fragrance community gathers together for the industry’s most illustrious honors. We have so much to celebrate this year including the 75th Anniversary of The Fragrance Foundation to all of our winners & honorees and the achievements we have accomplished together.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

The April issue of ACCORDS captures the spirit and kicks off of our annual Awards season. From the Luncheon on, TFF is now officially in countdown mode to the June ceremony extravaganza.  

This year’s luncheon had more members and media attend than ever before. The afternoon was filled with memorable moments and the room with a sold-out crowd. With finalists for 19 categories announced and five winners revealed, the energy was dynamic. Awards winners included categories from the Indies to the Innovations & from the Editorial to the Packaging,  which will be celebrated again at the June event. The much anticipated announcement of the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer, Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, Master Perfumer of Bvlgari & Louis Vuitton, was also made.

Our special guests at the luncheon touched a chord with guests. Alka Joshi’s story was heartfelt. Weaving in her homeland and heritage, she recounted her personal journey to learn about the fragrance industry and celebrate India’s influence from the scents she called home.

We welcomed a legend of fragrance to the stage, the one-and-only Michael Edwards. Michael’s impact on our industry has been immeasurable. On a global tour, his stop at our luncheon coincided with the launch of his iconic book, American Legends. 

Celebrating the incredible industry and impact of American fragrance, TFF & The FIT Foundation co-hosted a special evening with Michael Edwards for the students of FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). Michael took us through the storied journey of American fragrances with milestones marked by 40 iconic fragrances.

As the month ends, the start of May will bring the Consumer Choice categories to the public for voting. These Awards are one of the most anticipated as the finalists and ultimate winners have captured the hearts and minds of the consumer.

See you all soon in person or on TV or social in May as we promote Consumer Choice Voting along with influencers, retailers & brands.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

Our March issue of Accords is a great platform to welcome back Bath & Body Works to TFF & shine a spotlight on Gina Boswell. Gina & I met decades ago, so it is both heartwarming on a personal level as well as professionally exhilarating to reconnect officially in her 2nd year as she leads BBW to bring a huge business to its next level. BBW shares TFF’s objectives & values so together we will be able to reach millions in the USA population expanding #FragranceForwardTFF, highlighting perfumers, educating associates & inspiring all to discover fragrance in new ways.

Earlier in March, TFF kicked off The Fragrance Day with a new media dinner event highlighting the connection of fragrance to food & wine with focus on perfumers, sustainability, & spring ingredient trends. Thanks to our Fragrance House Sponsors: Givaudan, Takasago, MANE, Robertet and dsm-Firmenich & an extraordinary dinner by Executive Chef Fariyal Abdullahi at the Marcus Samuelsson restaurant Hav & Mar.

The Fragrance Day March 21, 2024, expanded to the entire month as TFF members focused on fragrance launches, perfumers, sustainability & major activations. After several years of experiencing fragrance often in isolation, we all got back out there where the return to shopping in stores & gatherings of the community with consumers resulted in pure joy as well as a monetization of sales on the calendar.

We at TFF extend a huge thank you to all our members & the community for the support & excitement that brought The Fragrance Day expansion to Fragrance Week & Fragrance Month across the USA! Together we can accomplish so much more than we can do alone & this proved it! Video recaps will be shared as the month concludes so be on the lookout for each week’s Noteworthy & on our website.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This issue of Accords provides an opportunity to celebrate our newly elected Board Director Chris Collins who was also named Chair of the new Entrepreneur Committee. Creating this committee with its Chair on the board is a natural next step in the evolution of #FragranceForwardTFF & will add a significant voice & role of entrepreneurial brands in our community.

Chris was unanimously endorsed by the board for these roles & TFF’s full membership voted to add him officially to the board. This endorsement of Chris in these roles is based on the significant World of Chris Collins brand he created plus his major contributions & actions for #FragranceForwardTFF. He is a true leader who teaches us that aspiring young professionals need to see someone who looks like them & not just recognize but to celebrate diversity.

Accords features the 14 2024 Notables, providing each of them the opportunity to express what this recognition means to them & how they will pay it forward at TFF & beyond. The new Notables event received rave reviews based on these up & coming professionals celebrating with the entire community & setting their sights on initiatives individually as well as a group too.

While world events continue to challenge all of us, let us always be a united community & celebrate our creativity & achievements within & even more significantly with consumers.

We look forward to celebrating The Fragrance Day on March 21 with all as we drive consumers into stores to discover the artistry & passion of fragrance.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

Accords 5 Year Anniversary

Our Spotlight in this issue features Debbi Hartley-Triesch, Nordstrom EVP GMM Accessories & Beauty, who joined TFF’s Executive Committee as of 2024. We welcome Debbi who has served as a Director on our Board & Chair of our Customer Engagement Committee & has been an enthusiastic supporter of TFF for decades.

With 2024 marking the fifth anniversary of the debut of our digital magazine, ACCORDS, TFF expands our coverage with exclusive editorial content focusing on TFF members, fragrance and the future. Guest writers covering the fragrance world with success reaching consumers will bring new, forward-looking and in-depth takes on industry forecasts and trends, and innovative member initiatives.

Debuting with this issue, ACCORDS feature editor Pia Velasco brings her unique global and journalistic perspective to our digital pages. This extra special content debuts in our Scents & Sensibility section creating newsworthy narratives that capture the essence of the fragrance industry in a feature-length format, written with an insider’s look.

Pia Velasco is a seasoned beauty journalist with over a decade of editorial experience. She has held positions at outlets such as Vogue, Good Housekeeping, People en Español, and InStyle, where she served as the senior editor, leading the beauty coverage. She also has bylines in Allure, Byrdie, Latina, Elle, and more. Currently working as a freelancer, Pia also provides consultancy services for Fortune 500 companies, including Dove and SnapChat. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from New York University and a Master of Science in journalism from Columbia University. She is also an advisory board member at Sparks & Honey, a cultural intelligence consultancy in Manhattan.

Enjoy this 2024 premiere issue & thank you to our contributors as well as our talented TFF ACCORDS editor since we debuted 5 years ago, April Long.

As a community of creators and storytellers, these new special features will be a place where the art, science, and business of our industry will converge and be celebrated through compelling content. We are beyond thrilled to have Pia share our mission of inspiring the world to discover the artistry and passion of fragrance through her stories.

All of us at The Fragrance Foundation are grateful for our Board of Directors, members & those in the community who supported us throughout the year. As a team, we achieved more than ever & I am grateful to Elina, Allison, Sharné, Chelsea & Cheryl.

We are grateful for our united commitment to #FragranceForwardTFF and The Pledge which is more important than ever: We commit to being fragrance forward by holding ourselves & our company accountable at all levels to drive diversity, equity & inclusion.

In this year, I became comfortable being uncomfortable & learned to celebrate TFF success marking my 6th year in my position. I was deeply grateful for being honored as the first ever Catalyst Champion by The New York Urban League in February & in October as an inductee to TFF’s Circle of Champions.

Next year we have set even higher goals & with your support we will achieve them together.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

Our TFF Catalyst Initiative officially launched with The New York Urban League in late August & is now moving forward with monthly activations & communications. In the Spotlight section of Accords, the leaders at NYUL share how & why we are now officially connected & it makes us so very proud to join together as #FragranceForwardTFF.

In our early stages now, we are spending time getting to know each other. We know it is important to share who we are as well as our missions & objectives, translating these to our actions that unite us to bring diversity to the fragrance community. Our emphasis is focused on actions so that students & young professionals are welcomed, celebrated & recruited for roles throughout the fragrance community & industry.

In Scents & Sensibilities, we asked new TFF Board members to share their perspectives of the new Fall season. Also, each executive explains how important both creativity and gratitude are in their leadership roles.

We are thrilled to also feature some of the next generation of Perfumers who share how their travels this summer have inspired their outlook going forward and how fragrances can transport us to new destinations. They also enjoy sharing what excites them and will affect their future creations.

As we continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month officially through October 15th, we recognize the major contributions this important part of the fragrance community makes every day of the year. We value the talent that is brought to the industry as well as the consumers across the USA!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This year marks the 50th year of our signature event, The 2023 Fragrance Foundation Awards which was held June 15th at Lincoln Center. Over 900 attended the awards presentation in person & thousands joined us on social media. We all agreed it was more spectacular than ever.

The ceremony, a creative collaboration with award-winning artist and filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg, revealed winners across 14 categories and highlighted the winners from 5 categories previously awarded at the 2023 Awards Luncheon held in April where finalists for all 19 categories were announced.
Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L’Oréal was inaugurated into The Fragrance Foundation Hall of Fame with actress Cate Blanchett presenting him the award. Anne Flipo, master perfumer at IFF, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer Award.

Our star lineup of presenters from the worlds of design, entertainment, ballet & small fragrance brand founders all shared their passion for fragrances as the TFFAwards announced the winners.

We celebrated TFF Awards in a magnificent way, but what has affected this signature event, and what I am most proud of, is the diversity of people and creations we are celebrating. #FragranceForwardTFF

Enjoy this special June issue of Accords by our Editor April Long. To experience more of our TFF Awards event, view the Awards winners, & see photos that capture our iconic evening, CLICK THROUGH HERE!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

courtesy of @gettyimages @fragrancefoundation

TFF proudly celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in this issue of Accords! By featuring individuals in our fragrance community who share how their heritage, culture and experiences contribute to their creative vision and fragrance success, we recognize our diversity makes us all stronger together in the fragrance world.

Vera Wang’s drive and evolution from figure skater to editor to designer and on to fragrance creator and more, is truly exceptional! In this interview, our editor April Long prompts Vera to share inside personal stories that perhaps only the Veragang have heard before and allows our audience to truly get the inside scoop.

For all she has achieved so far and for all that is still ahead the culmination was during March, Women’s History month, when President Biden honored Vera Wang with the National Medal of Arts. Click here to see the ceremony at the White House!

The very talented AAPI Perfumers and brand creators share their visions and fragrances based on their history, while each and every one is extraordinary and unique. Enjoy the journey we take you on in May Accords!

#FragranceForwardTFF

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

The Fragrance Foundation 2023 Awards season kicked off April 4th at our annual Luncheon event which was bigger and better than ever! At elegant Cipriani 42 on a magnificent Spring day, we had an exciting event celebration with 300+ guests. I shared the big reveal of Anne Flipo, Master Perfumer at IFF, as this year’s Lifetime Achievement Perfumer. Anne will be honored at our TFF Awards ceremony on June 15th at Lincoln Center. 

In addition to announcing the Finalists in all 19 Awards categories and 5 category winners, Indie brands were highlighted with fragrance demonstrated before the luncheon from:

Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco 

Arquiste Parfumeur Indigo Smoke     

Marc-Antoine Barrios Encelade 

Parfums Quartana Lerofante Extrait de Parfum 

Perfumehead Cosmic Cowboy 

Taffin Fragrance Le Gris

Veronique Gabai Ready for Rose 

The Phluid Project INTENTION Eau de Parfum 

Matiere Premiere Crystal Saffron  

 A great surprise for the guests was our multi-talented Emcee Cheryl Wills, Author and TV Personality on Spectrum News NY1, who shared the story of her great great great grandparents Emma and Sandy Wills. Now Emma’s story continues to be shared as the books have already been passed on to TFF’s community of children, schools in NYC and more.

As sustainability is a major priority for all at TFF, members celebrated in store and online on Earth Day and more with a myriad of activities.

We look forward to a fabulous Mother’s Day in May as well as the exciting Consumer Choice Voting.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

This year The Fragrance Day and surrounding days were BIGGER than ever! We are growing participation beyond the fragrance community by engaging consumers through our online events, retail events and major TV exposure across the USA!

TFF premiered on March 21st to an online audience of nearly 8,000 pre-registered viewers of which half were consumers! TFF members’ exclusive content includes participation by brands, Fragrance Houses, Perfumers, The Monell Center and so much more! All this great content continues to be accessible, so please visit our Youtube Channel to view all the fabulous Fragrance Day content on demand! 

As we celebrate the final days of Women’s History Month, Sabrya Meflah of IFF and Tricia Butler of LVMH share how they inspire their teams in this issue of Accords, with further insights based on their Fragrance Day discussions with me. Dr. Pam Dalton from the Monell Center provided further updates on the sense of smell research.

My TV tour was an exciting Fragrance Day marathon with 8 MILLION media impressions, with 10 in market and national TV interviews + 7 online features. While I was in person in the studio here in New York City for NY1 Spectrum with Cheryl Wills In Focus series for Women in Business, the Spring TV Tour from TFF’s office studio included appearances covering several states across the nation.

Fragrance Day’s major activities also included student interactive events to celebrate with our Scents of Success partners at The City College of New York, Spelman College, Florida State University and the Fashion Institute of Technology. TFF’s Sharné Jackson and Cheryl Fried partnered with brand teams from Givenchy, NEST New York and more bringing Fragrance Day to the campuses.

We look forward to more scent journeys with you this Spring as The Fragrance Foundation Awards season gets underway!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

What a great way to celebrate Black History Month! 

The New York Urban League honored me and The Fragrance Foundation for its first-ever Catalyst Award. The Champions Awards symposium and luncheon at The Plaza in NYC was attended by many TFF Board members and members of the fragrance community. The half day event gave all attendees an opportunity to learn about NYUL programs and meet their talented team. This was the official launch of The Fragrance Foundation Catalyst Initiative, which will benefit NYUL’s Diversity & Inclusion Lab and provide training, career development, mentorship and job opportunities for professionals of color interested in careers in the fragrance industry. 

Thank you to Arva Rice, NYUL CEO, and Helen Shelton, Chair of this event and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Finn Partners. Helen and our Executive Director Sharné Jackson at TFF have been valued partners for their vision, guidance and implementation of TFF’s DEI initiative #FragranceForwardTFF. 

There was huge media outreach, as well as many in the media reaching out to us, with results that are monumental. The TV coverage, as well as far reaching media online, brought our industry initiative to the forefront. Now #FragranceForwardTFF has been amplified to the entire USA big time, and we will continue to galvanize the community uniting all for our #1 priority DEI.

February was also a milestone for the first in person Notables event after the last two years celebrating virtually. With L’Oréal Luxe as our generous hosts at their Hudson Yards Le Café, the evening celebration was fabulous and each 2023 Notable shared their passion for fragrance and their personal dedication to #FragranceForwardTFF. In this issue of Accords, you can learn more about these truly Notable individuals who we value to join the Notables Think Tank and contribute to our TFF future!

Next month we look forward to celebrating The Fragrance Day on March 21st and the weeks around that date, as well as International Women’s History Month!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

The New Year 2023 has begun with a major lift off as we all are moving forward at a velocity we have not been able to activate or maintain for the past few years. While challenges will continue and possibly accelerate, growth and reinvention are key to our success.

We at TFF are welcoming new Directors to our Board, with several featured in this issue. Some we have known for years, and all are in exciting positions for which we value their fresh perspectives and appreciate their support and contributions. 

Starting this month, together with all of the Board, we are formulating plans and exchanging ideas to build the future together based on our mission and objectives. New initiatives will unfold in the coming months and our newly formed TFF Committees will define strategies and action plans for DEI, Education, Sustainability and Consumer Engagement. All we achieve will include #FragranceForwardTFF expanding our community; welcoming and celebrating all! 

This issue also includes the forecast and commentary from Fragrance Houses who share their 2023 visions for ingredients and consumer fragrance habits. The trends and ingredients evolve based on scientific discoveries, cultural shifts and ever changing lifestyles, so while we find some shared predictions, each of the houses also have unique insights.

All of us at TFF look forward to in person events in the next months with you all, as well as all you can share socially online to keep us updated. As we celebrate the Lunar New Year we look to the year of the Rabbit which predicts longevity, peace and prosperity, which we wish for all in the fragrance community and beyond!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

As the year 2022 draws to a close, the content for this issue of Accords includes reflections of members of the TFF Board of Directors and new 2023 TFF members who we welcome for the coming year. This time of year is so focused on our fragrance community surging in sales, we were limited in time and space to those who could contribute in a very rapid turn around and we thank them for sharing their insights.

Thank you also to April Long, our fabulous Accords editor, who was able to weave this interesting mix of perspectives in this issue from retailers, fragrance houses and brands. Our #1 priority #FragranceForwardTFF will always be included in all we do as a united community as you will find new voices join us and all together we continue to take action.

When we return in January to launch the new year, we look forward to a January TFF Board meeting where we will all share and introduce a few new Board members and welcome many new 2023 members whose brands range from Indie to mega size.

All of us on the TFF team wish all of our fragrance community on the planet very happy holidays and a healthy, prosperous New Year 2023! We are grateful for your support and guidance, as we look forward to 2023 with exciting new events, activities, and action all focused on the positivity of fragrance.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

Our November Accords includes valuable and inspiring content from 3 perspectives: our 2022 Champion, Sephora’s Artemis Patrick, the first ever TFF FIT Diversity Scholarship recipients, and perfumers who share their holiday candle creativity. Although their roles are certainly different – retail executive, students and perfumers – all share their passion and appreciation of fragrance.

November is a special month for all of the fragrance community as we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the USA and look forward to the holidays next month globally. This year the meaning of Thanksgiving and all the holidays has an even greater feeling of gratitude than possibly ever before. Although the globe is filled with challenging news daily, we have a renewed appreciation for health, happiness and our in person gatherings. As a fragrance community and industry, our gratitude extends to all consumers who have discovered and elevated the important role fragrance plays in daily life to enhance their experiences, transport them spiritually, indulge in self care and of course enjoy the “invisible accessory”.

Happy Thanksgiving from the entire TFF team!

We appreciate your support and are grateful we are united with #FragranceForwardTFF to welcome all and celebrate together. We wish you all great health, happiness and success as we kick off the holiday season and fragrance shopping!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

October at The Fragrance Foundation included several significant events. Therefore, we are featuring our annual DEI webinar and the rollout of Scents of Success in this issue of Accords and will highlight the Circle of Champions and more in the November edition.

October 20th we proudly presented our 2nd annual DEI #FragranceForwardTFF webinar, “Moving Forward Together” an extraordinary, inside look at the fragrance industry – decoding DEI and sharing insights from some leading voices from a variety of perspectives. We applaud our extraordinary Moderator, Arthel Neville who is a trailblazing broadcaster in news and programming who led the panel discussion and the result was captivating, insightful and inspiring.

We greatly appreciate our panelists including Bernardo Möller for sharing his personal and professional journey including his view of the challenges and rewards of entering the fragrance industry with the debut of the House of Bō. Shawn Outler for Macy’s, Inc. and Nicole Monson for The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. also contributed significantly, sharing how their companies have implemented DEI policy, practices and measurement to their employees as well as to consumers. We are united that DEI is an opportunity, and there is much ahead to be accomplished. Together as a fragrance community we must take action to achieve our goals: to recruit, hire, retain and celebrate diversity in all aspects.

TFF and our members will continue this ongoing dialog and most importantly we will continue to take action to lead the fragrance community so that our future industry reflects the diverse USA population. We will not stop!

If you have not yet viewed the webinar, or wish to replay it or share it with others, click through here to our new TFF YouTube channel.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

September marked a major milestone in the BIG return to the office, New York Fashion Week, the UN General Assembly and many fragrance events brought people together at a pace we have not experienced for over 3 years. The timing was perfect for us to host the premiere of TFF Connections Brunch at Melba’s in Harlem.

It was exciting to kick off the new season of fragrance, fashion and culture at such an iconic Harlem restaurant known for not just great food, but for a welcoming ambience to all. The group that gathered was intimate enough that every attendee had the opportunity to make new connections and renew friendships that were virtual in what felt like forever these past few years.

Last fall, as many of you may know, The Fragrance Foundation launched #FragranceForwardTFF.
In this issue of Accords, our editor April Long has captured our spirit of the new event with a Spotlight on our great new TFF TV connection, the extraordinary TV Talk Show Host and Author Cheryl Wills. Cheryl kicked off the NY1 30 year anniversary and NYFW with the exuberant TFF crowd and spent time getting to know the fragrance community.

I had this great opportunity to share The Fragrance Foundation commitment of advancing industry diversity, equity and inclusion. This was the perfect moment to do this by creating connections, fostering connections and inspiring connections and by taking action. We invited guests to make our connections expand to communities and consumers who have not been engaged with us previously. Our mission must expand its reach and we are taking action to reach out to all those who make up the USA population, specifically to those who are underrepresented in the fragrance community.

September Accords features in Scents & Sensibility the 3 brand creators, Francisco Costa, Teri Johnson and Chris Collins, who were special guests highlighted at the event who shared their first hand experiences of making TFF connections.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, we are pleased to share insights from 3 talented perfumers Cosmo’s Esther Morales, Givaudan’s Andriana Medina and Rodrigo Flores-Roux, who share their connection to their heritage and how it inspires their fragrance creations.

A special THANK YOU to our strategic leader and partner Helen Shelton, Global Chief Diversity Officer of Finn Partners who strategizes all aspects of #FragranceForwardTFF with our TFF Senior Director Sharné Jackson and myself as women of action.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

TFF Awards 2022 on June 9th at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in NYC was an extraordinary reunion of the fragrance community after 3 long years. We had an exciting lineup of presenters along with dynamic co-hosts Mario and Courtney Lopez who all share our passion for fragrance as well as our commitment to #FragranceForwardTFF. This signature event included TFF Awards Finalists to celebrate, announcements of TFF Awards Winners and featured iconic Honorees Jeff Gennette of Macy’s Inc. and François Demachy formerly at Dior.

The theme of the evening was Gratitude based on a creative collaboration with award winning artist and filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg. Louie’s incredible time lapse cinematography capturing flowers in miraculous ways brought grandeur to the presentations of all categories of awards.

For all of us in the fragrance community who have great respect and admiration of nature, we had a new guide in Louie who joined me on stage to share his vision. In addition videos of flowers in kaleidoscope mandalas opened and closed the presentations.

We inducted Jeff Gennette into The Fragrance Foundation Hall of Fame. This award from the Fragrance Foundation is our way of recognizing a person in the industry who has contributed in a significant and impactful way to the fragrance business. In addition, the person to whom we award this honor must be aligned with our mission and our values. Personally and professionally, Jeff Gennette exemplifies all we stand for at TFF.

Our 2022 Lifetime Achievement Perfumer François Demachy was honored and met many of us for the first time in person after a long pandemic delay. However all of us were happy to hear from François “that it all started for him in New York” where at long last he was returning to be celebrated for his many achievements. I have gotten to know François from across the pond for decades, as I had the exhilarating experience launching Dior Sauvage as a retailer. We had a plan and instead we set a sales record for a launch together.

If you were not able to join us in person June 9th, please experience the highlights at TFF’s website or just click here for the sizzle reel and individual TFF Awards Winners.

Thank you to the entire fragrance community for your support of TFF Awards and throughout the entire year! We are grateful for all of you.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

We are in the final countdown to June 9th for the 2022 TFF Awards, where we will gather in person for the first time in 3 years for this signature event. Now is the perfect opportunity to celebrate TFFAwards Finalists and share the storytelling behind 5 TFF Award categories. While several awards categories are voted on by TFF members to determine the ultimate winners, these Finalists ultimate winners are determined otherwise. 

In our Accords sections’ “Spotlight” + “Scents and Sensibility”, we feature those Finalists in the 4 Consumer Choice categories where consumers submit ballots to determine the ultimate winner. We asked the creators or brand leaders of those who achieved Finalist status to share their inspiration and their perspective on the significance of being a Finalist. Unfortunately, a few Finalists were not able to provide their responses in time for publication.

Accords’ “What the Nose Knows”  features the Perfumers who created the Finalists for Perfume Extraordinaire, the exceptional award based only on the fragrance itself. This is the only award category eligible for nominations by fragrance houses or brands with in-house perfumers. It is judged confidentially and anonymously by perfumers who were not creators of nominations this year. The expert judges complete a confidential ballot focused only on the fragrance itself with a variety of evaluations, and each of the fragrances are submitted in a standard “agnostic” bottle, so that there is no identity.

Every year I advocate celebrating all the Finalists, not just the winners.

This year, more than ever, I must emphasize that reaching Finalist status

which was achieved by indies, mid sized brands and mega-sized brands was a major competition with many in a close race to the final count. 

While all winners for each category will be announced live at the TFF Awards June 9th, let’s celebrate all the Finalists and all who attend and be grateful for this major reunion of the community!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

Our April issue of Accords includes 3 important topics in celebration of Earth Month: sustainability, Indie Brands and an update on the sense of smell from Monell research. Although the topics seem divergent, each topic typifies what we have in common. We are united that scent is essential to our well being, enhances our lives and we all must respect our planet Earth. 

Sustainability is an important focus for the fragrance community. We are united as an industry and are implementing new practices in the entire product cycle from ingredient sourcing to the ultimate packaging. This is a journey we are on now and will be forever with fragrance houses, brands, retailers and all. We highlight leaders of brands that vary in size to show clearly how all can engage in this effort and their stories take us on travels from the jungle to the urban corporate office.

The 2022 Fragrance Foundation Awards Finalists in the Indie category represent brands each created with a unique story and point of view. They were judged objectively by a panel of experts with no brand affiliation. From TFF’s point of view indies are not competitors as each fabulous brand has its own unique personality and scents.

Once again, we thank the Monell Institute for sharing the latest significant research to keep us informed about the sense of smell. This information resonates with us all and we appreciate the clarity as there is much information available affecting those with COVID and other medical challenges that is confusing at times.

Happy Earth Day today – April 22nd! Let us all celebrate together the joy of fragrance as Spring brings us the promise of renewal and reconnecting with nature and IRL reunions!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

While this spring continues to evolve globally with uncertainty and ever evolving change affected by war and the pandemic, we are dedicated to joining forces with our community to share the creativity, innovation and transformative powers of fragrance.

Our March issue of Accords provides highlights of the BIG day. You can still experience any segment via TFF’s website. March 21st, The Fragrance Day 2022 elevated this annual celebration to a new height and was viewed on the day by more than 3000 viewers. Replay was available the next day and thousands viewed on their own around the globe.

We received great reviews on the content, with Perfumers called out as the greatest stars who shared trends from fragrance house members or their creative process with brand creators. The new event feature of the Scent Discovery Kit, received by the first 1000 US residents to register, was a major success and the ability to experience the scents while learning its story was considered of great value to all.

Fragrance Day was also a natural progression of #FragranceForwardTFF, our #1 priority to galvanize the industry for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. As March is Women’s History Month, we were fortunate to include discussions with two fabulous and successful women of the industry: Ilaria Resta of Firmenich and Carol Hamilton of L’Oréal, who inspired us with all they shared.

In addition, the annual TFF interview with the Monell Center’s Dr. Pamela Dalton on the sense of smell and the impact of Covid was highly informative. TFF will continue our connection with Monell and share updates throughout the year.

While TFF offered this free event to all, The Fragrance Day was celebrated by retailers and brands across the USA with both in store and online special events and promotions. This year we had more media coverage than ever before, generating coverage to a potential audience of over 200 million via TV, print and social media.

Enjoy this issue and make every day Fragrance Day!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This Accords issue takes us forward into 2022 with the Fragrance business continuing to remain strong. Consumers embrace fragrance in ways that were strengthened this last year as a personal invisible accessory, as well as an emotional escape to transport us or enhance self-care.

For this issue we asked some of our new TFF members to share insights about their brands so our community could get to know them personally. The brands range from newly launched to established brands who wanted to join our community officially with TFF membership. We hope all of our readers will join us in welcoming all who are based throughout the USA, with brand stories that are each unique and fascinating.

We are also highlighting TFF 2022 Notables, whose words will translate to action for diversity, equity and inclusion #FragranceForwardTFF.

Looking forward to celebrating The Fragrance Day March 21st with you all in store and at TFF’s virtual event!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This special January edition of Accords was redefined with the untimely passing of Manfred Thierry Mugler last week. While much has been shared in the news, we reached out to TFF close friends and colleagues who knew him well to share unique insights & perspectives. From each of their distinct vantage points, each shares personal stories with some common themes providing insights to Thierry Mugler. On behalf of myself and all at TFF, we thank Sandrine, Nicole, Olivier and Michael for their contributions at this very difficult time. We have lost a visionary but he left us gifts that are eternal.

In my experience as a competitor at other fragrance brands, as a retailer with huge Mugler Parfums success, as a consumer and now in my current TFF position, I know we have lost one of a kind. Now we know with certainty his fragrance legacies are rightfully named, and we will remember Thierry Mugler forever: Angel and Alien and Aura.

Accords had reached out for Perfumers’ takeaways from 2021 & predictions for the future. There are common themes but certainly subjective interpretations of the past and future we value as insightful and inspiring from Michelle, Clement, Constance and Gino.

As the first month of the 2022 year concludes, we honor those we lost and join together as a community going forward with gratitude and #FragranceForwardTFF.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

This December issue features major highlights of the month including two TFF signature events and great TFF Indie members available to share their holiday season perspectives. 

Our 3rd annual Bootcamp event with NEXT For AUTISM and AARMY was a success in many ways. We joined together as a community working out and supporting the cause to raise $500,000 and major awareness. This year we are especially proud of the new programs Laura Slatkin and NEXT For AUTISM created for young adults on the spectrum for enhanced everyday life skills and professional development. Our fundraiser continues through December 31st, so please join us and donate here.

Our TFF Creatives event with diptyque was terrific with so much shared about this fabulous brand never revealed before in the USA. Fabienne Mauny explained so many treasures of diptyque on the topics raised by Katie Becker’s insights. It was pure creative inspiration! In Accords we share highlights, and you can watch the full discussion on our website here.

In this last issue of the year, we featured a few special TFF Indie brand creators who took time out for us during these hectic times, to share their viewpoints. Bravo Stacey, Belinda, Holly, Rodrigo and Carlos for these outstanding fragrance brands!

On behalf of The Fragrance Foundation team, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our Board of Directors, members and community for their support and enthusiasm all year round. The fragrance gift holiday season is soaring as we countdown to Christmas; and afterwards we all will hopefully take time off to relax and rejuvenate! TFF looks forward to reconnecting in the New Year 2022. 

Wishing you all great health, happiness and fabulous fragrance forever!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

The Circle of Champions event was truly extraordinary on many levels. 

On an individual level for the attendees, it was the first in-person event for the fragrance community in two years. That human connection was exhilarating and heartwarming for all 175 in the fragrance community, plus more than 50 FIT student guests.

For The Fragrance Foundation, it was a landmark for our Circle of Champions signature event as we honored outstanding educators as Champions, reflecting our core value of nurturing talent. Professors Virginia Bonofiglio and Stephan Kanlian have displayed unwavering leadership and dedication, and have shared their expertise at FIT’s programs for decades, impacting hundreds of students.

It was my great honor at this momentous event to present the awards to these Champions and to announce the first ever Fragrance Foundation FIT Scholarship dedicated to students of diverse backgrounds interested in pursuing a career in fragrance! 

The Fragrance Foundation FIT Diversity Scholarship signifies a collective commitment to diversity, and a natural next step in the advancement of our #FragranceForwardTFF initiative. It was a groundbreaking evening for us all at TFF as we showed we can amplify our commitment to championing diversity in all of its forms, and strive towards a fully inclusive industry that is an accurate reflection of our world.

The evening concluded with the guests joining me to recite the TFF DEI Pledge together as one. Click here to take the pledge! This is just the beginning of actionable steps clearly showing all we can achieve together!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

This edition of Accords features varied perspectives and subject matter, but are all interwoven with fragrance, as an important factor in personal or professional paths. Also, all share my personal priority of positivity and moving forward cautiously, with great optimism. 

Our spotlight is on Michael Clinton who has just published ROAR, which is a “must read.”  While it would have been a success at any time, ROAR  particularly resonates now as many of us have reflected on our lives during this pandemic, evaluating not just what we have achieved so far, but also starting to make changes for an even more fulfilling future. His terms of “rewiring” instead of retiring and “life layering” serve as great mantras to move forward with positivity. He shares his own personal story, as well as many others including our TFF star, Rob Smith. 

Michael also adds “ageism” as an important obstacle we must all overcome and TFF will certainly include this as we unite and lead the fragrance community in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  Of course, in this exclusive interview with Michael, our editor April Long has Michael share the importance of fragrance in life reflection, memory and its transportiveness.

Larissa Jensen, Vice President, Industry Advisor at The NPD Group, shares  the positive business growth of fragrances and optimism for the upcoming holiday season. I am thrilled that a new measure in the industry “The Fragrance Index” has brought heightened awareness to the overall beauty category. We are all appreciative of how fragrances have impacted consumers’ lives, prompting memories, escapism, mood elevation, enhanced selfcare, and  as an important daily  invisible accessory.

Our 3 featured Perfumers share their stories of what they dreamed early on before training as perfumers. I am happy these 3 talented individuals reimagined their dreams. One day if you are lucky enough to meet them in person, perhaps you will be certain as I am that we gained 3 talented perfumers even if we lost a pastry chef in Fanny, an actor in Jessica, and a florist for Christine. Instead their related fields have benefited from their fragrance creations. They all found their authentic talents translated from their original career goal to that of a perfumer, where they could incorporate these other areas of creativity.

We will be back in October as we enter a very exciting stage where TFF goes into a major action phase with Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

May 2021

This holiday weekend, when we pay tribute on Memorial Day to honor and remember our Veterans who sacrificed their lives in the military. We also kick off  the summer season officially. For both of these significant occasions, we are filled with gratitude and cautious optimism, as the world moves forward. We are emerging more resilient and going forward, into the “new normal”.

In this May Accords, we feature discussions of the past and the future of the pandemic impact at retail, for consumers and fragrance creativity. The insights in this issue cover a broad range of perspectives but share common themes from Retailers, NPD, and Perfumer  Finalists in the Perfume Extraordinaire category for the TFF Awards.

All of us at TFF look forward to all of the global fragrance community joining us at our big TFF Awards event on June 10th. We will celebrate fragrance creativity, our passion for fragrance, honor Calice Becker, Vice President Perfumer & Director of the Givaudan Perfumery School with the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer Award; and Philippe Benacin, Chairman and CEO Interparfums, with the Hall of Fame Award; as well as announce all 2021 TFF Awards winners.

At the event, Louie Schwartzberg, award winning visual artist and filmmaker, who is TFF’s collaborative creative force in 2021, will share his inspiration for the magnificent films he creates of nature & humankind. 

The webinar is free to the fragrance global audience, and open to anyone who registers to join the awards presentation. Please register here.  See you June 10th with Dolly Parton, Alicia Keys, Kylie Minogue, Isabella Rossellini, Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez, Thom Browne, André Leon Talley, and Christian Siriano!

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

March 2021

This edition of Accords marks one full year we are staying home. We look forward with optimism to a brighter future. While we must never forget the lives lost or the impact this pandemic has had ravaging the planet, we all must move forward together. During this most challenging year, we have stayed connected as a fragrance community virtually and hope we will be reunited in person later in 2021. Our theme of Fragrance Day for Accords exemplifies our bonds creatively and through the sense of smell.

The good news for fragrance is that creativity has often flourished and more people have discovered how scent can enhance their lives.  The majority of our community and consumers have actually rebalanced their lives to focus on what is truly important and take nothing for granted.  All over the world, people have as the saying goes “taken the time to stop and smell the roses.”  The phrase has long been a friendly reminder to slow down and enjoy life, to take the time to savor the beauty around you, to relax. It is one positive force that has spread globally for those fortunate enough to be able to adopt it.

This edition of Accords puts a spotlight on our 2021 Fragrance Day collaboration with award winning filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg, who brought our focus on flowers to an extraordinary level. Enjoy getting to know Louie in this special interview with our editor April Long and you will learn why we feel fortunate and grateful for this awe inspiring man whose unique lens will continue to mesmerize us all.  Louie often says our partnership began when we met and he quotes “You had me with hello.” Louie had me way before “hello” when I stepped into a theater and viewed  his astonishing filmmaking. You need not go to the theater, you can be wowed on Netflix to start your journey.

Our first ever 2-day virtual Fragrance Day on March 21 & 22 allowed us to showcase Louie’s magnificent videos as well as feature over 20 world renowned Perfumers, many brands, new TFF Indies, fragrance houses, retailers and more. I was honored to interview Monell Center’s Research Scientist Dr. Pamela Dalton. April Long sat down with Dr. Dalton to add even more to our education on the sense of scent. 

In every Accords we proudly feature Perfumers and today we have Perfumers who had roles in Fragrance Day sharing their perspectives on this special 2021 event. As this is Womens’ History month, we highlight these 5 women Perfumers from diverse backgrounds.

If for any reason you could not watch Fragrance Day live, or wish to experience any portion again, please replay and enjoy here.

Spring is off to a great start and we look forward to the fragrant journey ahead with you all!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

February 2021

TFF Notables has now reached its sixth year, and continues to be a very important force in our objective to nurture talent.  The original Notables was established with the single premise to recognize talent of those described as “up and coming in the industry”. Now we are doing so much more. A theme I use as a guiding light leading TFF, is always that TOGETHER we can achieve so much more. Together, we take action with measurable results.

All of the Notables from 2015-2021 participate voluntarily in the Notables Think Tank.  We utilize this forum to ideate, brainstorm and formalize strategies. We are forever grateful for their willingness to share “off the record” as well as formally so we may have reality checks on all topics and initiatives, including our own TFF performance.

Our goals remain even more steadfast as we take action and focus on nurturing talent via mentoring, college outreach and TFF’s signature event, Masterclass. We will reach out to  colleges and universities across the USA as alumni, to share that fragrance is a career path, and incorporate information on our website, social and more.

Most importantly as you can read in their own words, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is our #1 commitment. We are dedicated to an even more diverse Notables as our community grows. Other key topics about educating consumers regarding naturals and sustainability will be evident in 2021.

This Accords allows many Notables to share their perspectives of this special role at TFF. We are grateful to all of them that were able to meet our request based on their demanding schedules.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

December 2020

TFF Masterclass is an important event, as it is a major element tied to our objectives of nurturing talent and contributing to our role in fragrance education. On December 15th, the Masterclass with Leonard Lauder was an extraordinary global event for all of us in the fragrance community. Over 2000 tuned in live the day of the event. Since then, more than 1000 have tuned in to watch on our website to enjoy this hour of personal storytelling and major insights.  

For Accords December edition, the timing is just right to share even more from Leonard Lauder as we all experience a year end like never before. While we are challenged during this global pandemic, there is no better time to pause and reflect on personal and professional growth as well as the impact of fragrance in the world. This unique opportunity to learn first hand from Leonard Lauder how he grew up from his childhood highchair to the CEO seat in the boardroom is recorded in his recently published memoir, The Company I Keep.

 On a personal note, I was greatly honored to have and share this conversation with Mr. Lauder. I have reconnected with so many in the fragrance world who enjoyed and valued bringing this discussion into their living rooms, conference rooms and board rooms. The heartwarming reviews and gratifying feedback continue to arrive in my email and on Instagram, but please continue to share, as we conclude a year where we all learn to grow together. Mr. Lauder himself generously let me know that the wrap up of the program with  Louis Armstrong singing “What a Wonderful World“ was very moving for him. I join him in saying it is a wonderful world thanks to people like you!

Wishing all of you a healthy, safe, peaceful holiday season and  looking forward to a better world together in 2021!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

November 2020

It was my great honor to moderate the first virtual Creatives event on November 20th for an audience of more than 1200 viewers. All of us gained insights into the creative process & the special bond between Frédéric Malle, Perfumer Publisher & Carlos Benaïm, Master Perfumer, IFF.

This event was, as we all say during this global pandemic, a big “pivot” from the original 2020 plans. When the perfume publishing house held its September Perfume Summit in Paris, Carlos was not able to participate in person. So I was inspired to define TFF Creatives as a celebration of Frédéric’s 20th anniversary of his brand with him in New York City & his star USA Perfumer Carlos. Up until a few weeks prior to the event, our plan was for the three of us to have a discussion in person at the brand’s Madison Avenue boutique. Once again a plan had to be adjusted as we could not meet in person. I must admit we were all disappointed to not be physically together, but the virtual event was possibly even more meaningful, as we appreciated getting together after months of separation. The kinship between Frédéric & Carlos, based on their friendship & creativity together, is so in sync, the discussion was truly inspiring. Our locations may have been separated by miles, but the warmth was palpable & for me it was so smooth a conversation that it flowed naturally. I was merely leading a conversation that was part of an ongoing exchange spanning decades.

This edition of Accords contains several subjects highlighted during the event in more depth, as well as additional content. As April Long, our editor, spoke with Frédéric & Carlos separately, they had even more to share that is unique to each of them. Also we were delighted to include a few other star perfumers of the Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle brand: Dominique Ropion & Maurice Roucel to add their insights as the 20th anniversary celebration continues.

Our last topic was how fragrance is integrated into our current  lifestyles & its overall future.  Frédéric and Carlos shared respectively an increased presence of fragrance as soothing, comforting and transportive plus  a redefined and expanding ingredient palette used in new perfumes. All of this will be revealed by young talented perfumers, leaving us with much to look forward to indeed!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

October 2020

At the September TFFAwards webinar, I announced our new important objective: to grow and expand our community to include diverse members. We have made great progress. We added new benefits for indie brands based on our resources. We have reached out and met new indies and discovered great new brands who align with our mission. They join us to inspire the world to discover the artistry and passion of fragrance. 

For a limited time, we are offering one-year memberships to indies whose overall USA brand footprint has considerable growth potential and to whom we can provide guidance. These entrepreneurs have progressed in their brand development and are now in the position to benefit as TFF members. In addition, we also reconnected with those brands that had contacted us in the last year who had not applied for membership due to constraints on either side.

In this edition of Accords, we feature extraordinary creators of fragrance brands, each with unique identities: Teri Johnson of Harlem Candle Company, Matthew Herman & David Kien of Boy Smells, and Brianna Lipovsky of Maison d’Etto. Each of their stories clearly indicate that they are on a trajectory to fragrance success. While we have met them in what appears to be the early chapters in their journeys, they all clearly are open to a future of growth at a time when there are many unknowns. But this we know for sure: their creativity, resourcefulness and first-class candles and fragrances make us proud to welcome them as new members into our fragrance community.

Starting today we will welcome these and other new indie brands, highlighting them all in our weekly newsletter Noteworthy and on our TFF Website. 2020 has brought us so many challenges, but this is proof positive that TFF is embracing the best we can be together, with diversity, equity and inclusion as our guide.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

September 2020

This year’s 2020 TFFAwards celebration was a live webinar with over 2,000 attendees in our global audience. We joined together as a fragrance community with an exciting host and presenters who all shared their passion and personal perspectives of fragrance. There was great anticipation leading up to September 10th when we announced the winners of 25 categories for 2020 TFFAwards.

In this issue of Accords, we are featuring the finalists & winners in two categories that, like all other award categories, represent our TFF mission: to inspire the world to discover the artistry and passion of fragrance. They are Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year & Indie Fragrance of the Year, which are in limited USA distribution. One finalist in each category was not included here as timing and other constraints affected their participation.

These are very important awards that are judged by those with expertise specific to the categories, who have not created any of the entries. They judge independently and anonymously from each other. For Extraordinaire, the fragrances are presented “blind” and coded without any identification for confidentiality. Voting criteria focuses on the juices’ design, signature, creativity, and quality. For Indie, they are fully identified with packaging, marketing, and judged by other experts on creative factors of the juice quality, as well as presentation and packaging.

While I am frequently emphasizing the achievement of reaching TFFAwards Finalist status, you can all more clearly understand that significance as you hear from the perfumers and creators themselves in Accords today. Next, you definitely should experience the fragrances themselves on your own. I am proud, both personally & professionally, to bring you these extraordinary individuals’ stories whose inspirations are thoughtfully delivered to you by our fabulous Accords Editor, April Long.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

August, 2020

For this edition of Accords, I am excited to announce our 2020 TFF Awards special host and all the award presenters.

Inspired by her new book, A Woman Makes A Plan, we are thrilled to announce our host will be Maye Musk, international author, dietitian, and model. Maye is a woman of many accomplishments, whose determination and positive outlook drove her to overcome many difficulties & build her own path to success. Maye is truly a role model and shows us that age is not an obstacle but an attribute.

While in prior years, our TFF Awards red carpet was filled with many celebrities from outside the industry as well as insiders, this year we proudly have a star line up where all presenters are highly engaged in fragrance and are active TFF members today. These fabulous presenters will be streaming in from a wide range of USA locations which include their homes, music studios, ateliers, and even a horse ranch. The presenters all share our passion for fragrance and will explain their personal perspectives on fragrance.

ANNOUNCING…… The exciting presenters of the TFF Awards 25 categories are: Two music icons who are both Grammy Award winners and Kennedy Center Honorees: CHER, the one and only who is also an Oscar and Emmy winning, multi-platinum recording artist, actress, and humanitarian;  Lionel Richie, singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, American Idol judge and philanthropist; three extraordinary fashion designers Francisco Costa, Wes Gordon, and Jason Wu; multi-talented artist Rebecca Moses; international polo player Nacho Ignacios and his photographer wife Delfina Blaquier; plus entrepreneurs Chris Collins, Rob Smith and recording artivist Mila Jam. Not only are these fabulous friends of TFF creative forces, each in their own special style, but they are also leaders who GIVE BACK and stand up for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the new TFF initiative which has an action plan I will present myself on the webinar.

Looking forward to September 10th with all of you in the audience when we celebrate all the finalists and announce the winners!

We are in the final countdown to the 2020 TFFAwards webinar which will be presented September 10 at 12 noon EDT. So if you have not registered yet, please sign up now at tffawards.org.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

July, 2020

We are very proud to share this issue featuring three inspiring entrepreneurs. Chris Collins, Shalini Kumar and Abigail Cook Stone each developed brands that are unique, as are their personalities. They are true personal love stories in fragrance. In the last few years TFF and I developed lifetime relationships with each founder that makes me so proud every time I catch a whiff of their fragrance and have a huge smile visiting them online and in-store. They are inspiring individuals whose brand stories exemplify our TFF mission and objectives.

As we have shared recently, The Fragrance Foundation is dedicated to our major new initiative to expand our membership and community with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. A major force within this effort is to nurture indies and amplify the talent of the diverse creative forces in fragrance, reflecting the entire USA population. We are embracing all new members, so it was fitting to bring these three unique stories to our audience. We look forward to many more joining us.

Our course of action and ambition is to broaden our membership, offering benefits including education, mentorship and connectivity within this exciting industry.

Enjoy the experiences shared in Accords and you will be inspired as am I. World of Chris Collins, Otherland, and Shalini each show what is possible in creating a fragrance brand. 

Keep your eyes on them and experience their scents as they are just at the beginning of their brand journeys to inspire the world to discover the artistry and passion of fragrance.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This edition of Accords marks the official launch of a major new initiative at The Fragrance Foundation: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Fragrance Foundation Board is aligned and we have dynamic, creative professionals who are dedicated to the importance of this initiative so we can move forward to formulate specific objectives and a plan of action. 

We are fortunate to share the stories of three accomplished leaders of change who will be instrumental at TFF as we define our goals and who will take on this important effort with us. We are confident their contributions will be key to our success in expanding our fragrance community. Julee Wilson, Jason Wu and Rob Smith are great talents who have already dedicated their lives and careers to make the world a better place through positive outreach and inclusiveness, each in their own way.

We ask that you all commit, stay the course, and take action with us to engage an expanded fragrance community. Let us together join in and contribute to our mission: Inspiring the world to discover the artistry and passion of fragrance. Our objectives remain steadfast: engage consumers, nurture talent, create content rich experiences, give back and insure all are welcomed and included.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

Illustration by: Rebecca Moses @rebeccamosesofficial

We are proud to publish this special edition of Accords, which offered TFF members the opportunity to share both professional and personal stay home experiences and inspiration. We will continue to ask for your input so that TFF communication continues its two way dialogue.

On a personal note, I too have made some self discoveries. AM is coffee time and PM is wine time. I can actually enjoy cooking chez nous with my husband and secure a table without a reservation. I have read books that would normally be stacked to pack on vacation and have watched meaningful films and television shows, counterbalanced by Schitt’s Creek. Fragrance has personally been my guiding light. Personal fragrances bring major joy and differentiate the days and evenings. Soaps, essential oils, and lotions, enhance all cleansing routines and every day cooking ingredients are the backdrop for candles and diffusers. 

The contributors to this special edition of Accords prove that we are truly a united community. While we are confined in ways we never would want to be, we have become more self aware and inspired, which will hopefully benefit us in the long term. The positive outcome of this extraordinarily difficult time will be how we emerge more resilient, better connected to all of the people in our lives and have clarity on the priorities that will guide us forward.

Please share your feedback on this issue and your interest in future content. We want to stay connected in scent and spirit with you all!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

Illustration by: Rebecca Moses @rebeccamosesofficial

This edition of Accords had to pivot, so we delayed its publication to bring relevance and unique content to you. We feature an insightful interview by April Long with our TFF creative collaborator Rebecca Moses, whose original project was The Fragrance Day, a collection of illustrations  based on scent families. Now Rebecca delivers to the world, on her own, a sense of global relevance and beauty at this difficult time. Rebecca has formed a Stay Home Girls community and movement which is inspiring!

For our Perfumers’ Q&A, we posed additional questions to 3 fabulous Perfumers who share their unique perspectives including those of the pandemic impact on their craft. 

Also, I share with you my TFF fragrance perspective based on my connection to the community. While all of us know that right now nothing seems normal, we join together to appreciate what is most important in the world: health, happiness, friends, family and the care and support for those most affected. On a lighter Accords note, please take some time off while we all stay home to enjoy visits on Instagram Lives from our creative fragrance world, light a candle, or spray a scent that transports you or creates your own sense of calm.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This edition of Accords is momentous for The Fragrance Foundation, and certainly for the fragrance global community. When Leonard A. Lauder gave me a resounding YES to be our solo featured guest, it was an extraordinary opportunity to bring spectacular content to our audience of readers in the USA and around the globe.  

Our editor, April Long, and I sat down with Leonard for an astounding conversation from the preeminent beauty executive, whose relationships have enhanced all who know him. Every personal story and business insight he shares are truly life lessons that you want to capture in your mind, not only for business, but in your heart forever.

Please savor this Accords edition and share your feedback and comments with me, so this dialogue continues. Let us all look forward to when Leonard A. Lauder will be inducted into the World Retail Hall of Fame in April, and when he publishes his memoir later in 2020, reflecting on his life and career. 

Thank you Leonard for all that you have shared here and all that is yet to come!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This final edition of the year includes the visions from diverse perspectives! Wendy Liebmann shares exciting new dimensions of the ever-changing consumer and how the retail landscape is truly in an evolution. Ron Winnegrad is a teacher extraordinaire, and we are thrilled he shares his insights that have impacted so many of us who are lucky to know him personally, or through what he teaches us today. I know I am a better me, because of Ron on both an olfactive and personal level.

Our Perfumers, Maurice, Marie, and Olivier have provided us with a grand finale for this year with Q&As that are sure to inspire.

2019 was a huge year in the evolution of The Fragrance Foundation, and our ongoing  connection with the fragrance community. We are happy to report major results, as well as look forward to a fabulous 2020, right after these BIG fragrance sales days in the coming weeks.

A major 2019 accomplishment was the total revamp all of our communication in terms of strategy, and the debuts of Accords, our weekly newsletter Noteworthy and the new TFF website.  Look out for enhancements and newness to these communications in the new year! Our social media following continues to grow, and at 41,000 Instagram followers and still going strong. We will focus on reaching out to engage consumers in new ways in 2020.

Looking forward to 2020, there is much in the works! The Fragrance Day, Saturday, March 21st, 2020 will be bigger than ever. We have an amazing collaboration with a fabulous creative talent soon to be announced. Our TFF retailers are joining us across the country, and a new Madison Avenue Fragrance Week celebration will debut in March.  

The Fragrance Foundation is now officially expanding around the globe with new partnerships!

Welcome The Fragrance Foundation UK, which has well been established  for many years and joins hands with us. And Welcome to The Fragrance Foundation Austria, which begins their next phase in their evolution. 

Happy Holidays and New Year 2020 to all!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

Our November edition of Accords shares exclusive insights from our Circle of Champions 2019 honoree Carol Hamilton, on both a personal and professional level. Even if you were at the event on October 30th, there is so much more to learn about Carol. Did you know she leads the number one fundraiser on behalf of ovarian cancer research? Did you know Carol is the chair of the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard? These are just some of the major accomplishments of this petite woman whose stilettos definitely do not slow her down. She is a true a woman of action. Congratulations again Carol!

This month’s Perfumer Q&A continues to deliver imaginative responses with exclusive content from Perfumers Daphné Bugey, Nicolas Beaulieu, and Arnaud Winter. We’re giving you an insider look into the lives of perfumers, including their scent memories, their experiences smelling someone wearing a fragrance they created, the most rewarding parts of their jobs, and much more.

And now for the big news that unites the fragrance community – Power Pedal – our premiere Give Back event in partnership with NEXT for AUTISM. We are thrilled to introduce Trey Laird to the entire fragrance planet as the creative force who co-founded AArmy, where we will be hosting the event on December 10th. Although Trey Laird has been a creative force in the fashion, jewelry, and beauty world with great success, he is now in a new lane engaging consumers in the wellness space. Join us for Power Pedal to spin for a cause, and raise awareness so those living with autism may live fulfilling and joyful lives. Click here for more information on how you can register to ride or donate.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This October issue of Accords is very special as all of our content is provided by women in fragrance, each exceptional in different ways.

I am most fortunate to know all these women personally, each on a different level, so it is with tremendous pride that we share this exclusive content.

Mathilde Laurent is an extraordinary perfumer who is an exceptional creative force of nature. I was privileged to meet her in NYC when L’envol launched years ago, and attended the spectacular event in Paris when her cloud was premiered, but will sadly miss the exhibition later this month at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. However, every time when Mathilde & I intersect I feel a level of heightened awareness & inspiration, as I expect all our readers will as well.

Laura Slatkin is an inspiration in a completely different way. She is in my terms a “Woman of Action” who sets an example to all who know her with her grace, style, intelligence & generosity. She is truly a Game Changer in the fragrance industry as Nest Fragrances has set a high standard redefining home fragrances & continues to grow. However, what also makes Laura a Game Changer is what she has achieved with NEXT for Autism. Laura is inspiring all of us in the fragrance community & together we are showing what a force we are when we unite to truly Give Back in meaningful ways.

Enjoy as well our Perfumer Q&As this month including 3 great women: Celine, Gabriela & Patricia who share their personalities creative points of view. 

Be on the lookout later this month as our website relaunches in a new modern format!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

Every year when summer draws to an end, I wish it would last forever along with la dolce vita… However, when we return to work after Labor Day, Fashion week begins, fragrances are launched, momentum builds and we are all back!

This September has begun with tremendous excitement on the runways, in the stores and touching us all on social media.

Accords brings that to all our readers with Jason Wu sharing his story of what lead up to his fabulous return to the runway. Carly Cardellino Vaccaro shares why fragrance is such an essential everyday accessory in so many ways.

The Fragrance Foundation has much going on for Fall.  Our new website will debut soon. In the next few months we will reveal our collaboration with a talented artist  and designer to bring Fragrance Day 2020 to new heights.

Autumn will debut our new Give Back partnership with NEXT for AUTISM, so we look forward to bringing new meaning to our TFF membership and beyond.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This issue of Accords features two men whose contributions to the fragrance industry are vast, from very different perspectives. Legendary fragrance author & expert Michael Edwards shares his own personal history as well as what makes him such an insightful writer about perfume history. 

Professor Stephan Kanlian shares his fragrance point of view and a look into the future as the FIT program he chairs reaches its 20-year milestone with an ever-evolving curriculum and accomplished graduates.

As we approach the end of summer, there is much excitement to look forward to for TFF members and  the Fragrance community!  

A brand new TFF website will launch in the fall, taking its cue from Accords and we will be adding new exclusive features to our weekly Note Worthy newsletter. 

Our partnership with NEXT for Autism, with Game Changer Laura Slatkin, will be integrated into all TFF events & communication. The activities will enlist participants from all of TFF and fragrance consumers as well.

Fragrance Day March 21, 2020 will rise to new heights with a new artistic collaboration and grow globally with TFF licensees. The programs & opportunities will be shared with TFF members in September!

Please join us for a fabulous Fall!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

Today we are happy to share this edition of Accords with a focus on the very important subject of fragrance education & a look at The Fragrance Foundation’s accomplishments and future, with insight from The Notables. For our Perfumer Q&A, we asked 3 of the 2019 TFF Awards winners about their creations and inspirations.

Although we are all taking vacations to relax and recharge, TFF is busy these summer months to work on exciting Fall events and major activations that will be shared soon. Keep up to date for these announcements in our weekly Note Worthy newsletter.

I hope all of you are enjoying a wonderfully fragrant summer!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

On the evening of June 5th, The 2019 Fragrance Foundation Awards took place at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theatre, with Jane Krakowski returning as our fabulous host. Over 900 people from the global fragrance community attended, as well as media and celebrities. We celebrated the outstanding accomplishments of the brands, perfumers and visionaries in the fragrance world.

The Fragrance Foundation celebrated 3 legends in our industry. Iconic designer, Tom Ford, received this year’s Hall of Fame award, Dominique Ropion, IFF Master Perfumer, received the Lifetime Perfumer Achievement award, and Laura Slatkin, Founder of NEST Fragrances received the Game Changer award. The Fragrance Foundation also announced its new Give Back campaign which will support NEXT for Autism, an organization founded by Laura & Harry Slatkin. The evening was a heart-felt night that was one to remember forever.

Also, as a historic first for The Fragrance Foundation Awards, the evening featured an exclusive ambient fragrance created by Dominique Ropion. The fragrance, called Fleurs d’un Soir, which translates to Flowers of the Evening, included orris root, rose, and jasmine notes.

Thank you to all of our sponsors who made the night possible — The Estée Lauder Companies, Firmenich, Givaudan, Hearst and IFF and all of our Silver and Bronze 2019 Sponsors.

A big thank you to everyone who attended to support The Fragrance Foundation’s mission – to inspire the world to discover the artistry and passion of fragrance.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Accords which features insightful and exclusive interviews with Tom Ford, Dominique Ropion and Laura Slatkin!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation