Interview with Mert Guzel and Murat Katran, creative directors of NISHANE perfumes

Mert Guzel and Murat Katran started working together in 2010 and formally founded NISHANE in September 2012 and, nowadays, they are enjoying the encouragingly pleasant reactions of the worldwide niche perfume lovers towards their perfume creations shown as one of the best examples of niche perfumery. 

When did you decide you wanted to be a perfumer?

Mert Guzel: We are actually not perfumers, we are the creative directors of NISHANE. However, we try hard to train our noses and act almost as a half-nose during the creation stage of our new fragrance launches together with the celebrated perfumers.

How would you define the style of your perfumes?

Murat Katran: We try to address different moods and emotions with each and every new perfume that we create. Thus, the uniqueness and storytelling aspects of our fragrances could be defined as our style.

How do you find your ingredients?

Mert Guzel: We work with the most reputable sources when it comes to find the ingredients because it’s so crucial for NISHANE to present nothing but the highest quality ingredients to our fans worldwide.

What is your first scent memory?

Murat Katran: It may sound typical but I strongly remember and miss the smell of the cake that my grandmother used to bake for me whenever we visit them.

Tell us about your creative process.

Mert Guzel: Together with Murat, we first decide on the story we want to tell with the new collection to be launched. Afterwards, we try to determine the name of the perfumer with whom we believe we can carry out this project. We list down the perfume notes that we want to refer to while creating the new scents. Then, the voyage starts with our perfumer.

How long, roughly, does it take you to create a fragrance?

Murat Katran: It takes 11-12 months minimum since it’s a really challenging process to storytell with perfumes.

Do you have any favorites among your fragrance collection?

Mert Guzel: To be honest, I fall in love with any scent we create because I deeply connect with the story behind. However if I am to name a few, my personal favorites are Hacivat, Fan Your Flames and Afrika-Olifant.

How do you keep inspired?

Murat Katran: We feel blessed that we never need any extra motivation to feel inspired. Because we are highly into art in many forms, anything in life amazes and inspires us.

All creative projects have their challenges. What was your biggest challenge while working on your collection?

Mert Guzel: Time is our biggest challenge, really. Because we are hard to be satisfied with the end-result. There had been a lot of times that we had wished a day would last more than 24-hours.

What are your three favourite smells?

Murat Katran: Citrus fruits, Chocolate and Coffee.