In episode fifty six of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the founder of Vilhelm Parfumerie, Jan Ahlgren. 

Born just outside of Stockholm, Jan shirked very early ambitions to play either tennis or gold professionally in favour of more artistic pursuits, moving Paris to model- during which time he secured a contract with Chanel.

From there, Jan became an interior designer, fashion designer and leather accessories designer, respectively. It was during his time designing leather handbags that Jan truly fell in love with the art of parfumerie. Inspired by the way 18th century glove makers used to scent their products, Jan met with renowned perfumer Jerome Epinette and fell deeply in love with the process of developing fragrances. 

It was then, Jan tells me, that he realised THIS, parfumerie, was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life- and so, Vilhelm Parfumerie was born, a fragrance house placing as great an emphasis on design as it does on scent. Vilhelm is, genuinely, unlike any brand I’ve come across, somehow striking a balance between futuristic and 1920s inspired- something Jan tells me is completely intentional. The early part of this year saw Jan relaunch the brand into the US market, and today, a mere 5 years after launch, Vilhelm Parfumerie is available in 24 countries. 

 

This episode was, of course, recorded remotely, as is the nature of 2020, so if you would prefer to read the interview I have made the complete transcript available on glowjournal.com. 

In this conversation, Jan and I discuss his early affinity for fragrance as inspired by his grandfather, the relevance the idea of Pierre Cardin in a spaceship has to his brand, and why he feels perfume houses globally NEED to start focusing on their carbon footprints. 

You can read this interview now at: glowjournal.com/interview-vilhelm-parfumerie-jan-ahlgren

Follow Vilhelm on Instagram at @vilhelm_parfumerie

Stay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemkwatts and @glow.journal, or get in touch at [email protected]

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