ZIYP: Borut, we know you as a fashion designer but a few years ago with the opening of the TOP perfumery, you turned to the world of perfume fragrances. When did your love for perfumes first appear?
Borut: My passion for perfume started very early. In fact, an enchantment to different scents has long been nurtured in my family, since the time of my grandmothers and grandfathers, through to my parents. It obviously peaked with me even if I was working extra in the cosmetic niche industry. I still follow domestic and foreign fashion events as much as possible, and I continue to collaborate on certain fashion shows.

ZIYP: How did you come up with the idea of opening a niche perfume shop in Zagreb?
Borut: I have always been interested in unusual, different scents, fragrances that many people do not have, the ones you need to try hard to get, scents which intrigue with their story, smell, special ingredients... Somewhere near the end of my teenage years I bought my first niche perfume and ever since then, that love just grew stronger and stronger. Although it used to be an idealised vision, today it is as realistic as possible because I have the opportunity to testify absolutely everything related to a specific product.

ZIYP: Can you give us more details about which brands can be found in perfumery, and about their specifics?
Borut: In perfumery, we present approximately forty brands, primarily because of their fragrant DNA. Here are some examples with explanations: Escentric Molecules - because they were the first to start the new wave in the world of perfumer by presenting fragrant molecules in a modern way. The Byredo brand impressed me with its wearing capacity as well as Scandinavian aesthetics. Aesop's functional face and body skin care has an apothecary ‘touch’. Xerjoff's rich and lavish Italian fragrances or Profvmvm Roma essential oils have been brought to perfection in their beauty. Roja Parfumsis known as one of the most luxurious fragrant brands (the classic line of perfumes cost up to 3000 Euros). Juliette Has a Gun, a wonderful (mostly feminine) scent that sends you into a niche world. Naomi Goodsir - different and uncompromising (the best perfume award in France for the year 2017). Unum and Sauf who are immersed in the Christian sense of smell. Kemi, SoOud, Xerjoff Oud Stars are all fragrances that take on the aromatic Arabian aesthetic theme.

ZIYP: How do you choose perfumes that will be available in your perfumery?
Borut: I choose the brands first and foremost as they are interesting and appealing to me. Ultimately, it’s the domestic audience that makes a judgment on the success of a particular brand in our market. As it has been for now, my ‘nose’ has not made that many mistakes.

ZIYP: Your fragrance recommendation for the spring/summer 2018 season.
Borut: This year we’ve already had hot weather and summer is just about upon us. I suggest wearing airy fragrances that refresh and spread a pleasant freshness around us. There are various options:  scents with different citrus fruits (bitter orange, yuzu, bergamot ...), clean scents (fragrances inspired by the imaginative scent of purity), floral scents (iris, gardenia or something completely different ...), mild fruity scents, etc. Ultimately, I think it is for everyone to choose what they like - don’t follow trends blindly.