There is perhaps no one more qualified to answer questions about the perfume industry than Miriam Vareldzis. She began her career with a degree in architecture and interiors from the University of Oregon and a job at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, one of the largest architectural firms in the world. The story might have ended there had it not been for an adventurous career change and a meeting with one of the most successful figures in the fragrance industry: Ann Gottlieb. This meeting led to an apprenticeship with Ms. Gottlieb and eventually to a position as a professional fragrance evaluator at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF). Over the course of her career while holding positions in fragrance evaluation, product development, marketing, and sales, Miriam has celebrated success with Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Gap, Banana Republic, The Body Shop, Neutrogena, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, John Paul Mitchell Haircare, as well as a bevy of celebrity and niche perfumery clients.
After the launch of her line 40notes, Miriam's interest in naturals grew. I was at this time that she first began to delve into the origin of these magnificent ingredients. This curiosity led her to join Robertet, a French fragrance house and raw materials supplier.
Miriam visited Fumerie Parfumerie on the evening of March 10, 2018. At the event, Miriam introduced the Palette Naturals Collection—her collection of 100% natural perfumery blending accords—and guided attendees through a mini-fragrance training workshop. She also discussed a number of topics related to the fragrance industry including how to define 'natural perfumery' in the modern marketplace, transparency in the fragrance industry, how fragrance development and the industry itself have changed over the past several years and where the industry may be headed.
Check out pictures from the event below and be sure to sign up for our upcoming Fragrance Swap!