Luxury has lost meaning over time, and that which used to be rarified and extravagant simply has become a marketing term to refer to something mediocre or as in the case of many mass-produced perfumes, simply toxic.
​

​
​One only has to walk into the ground floor of a typical brick-and-mortar department shop to become inundated by the raft of headache-inducing scents to realise how "luxury" for many people is defined by the labels of brands that market these perfumes as imaginary catalysts for sexual desire.

True luxury is something that is uncommon and unique that is rooted in artistry; something that sets a standard and often has a pervasive history of tradition or a break away from tradition.
​

Nicholas Jennings, Founder of Sharini Parfums Naturels in his South of France workshop. Nicholas only uses organic, eco-validated ingredients free of petrochemicals and toxins.

There is something that I've always admired about artisans, because they take time to carefully craft something that other people might take for granted or may not even be aware of its existence. I had an opportunity to talk with an artisan parfumeur, Nicholas Jennings who creates fragrances from the South of France on a world heritage site near Montpellier. Nicholas is the founder of Sharini Parfums Naturels, which produces small batches of perfumes from organic, natural materials. Many commercial perfumes that are produced for the luxury market are often inundated with synthetic ingredients and chemical toxins that appear in a very long list of ingredients which might also hide toxic ingredients that are simply listed as "fragrance" due to an oversight in the law in which companies do not have to list the specific ingredients as they are considered trade secrets.

However, this is not the case with Nicholas' perfumes. All his ingredients are listed for full transparency and he only uses natural and organic ingredients which are eco-validated.
Nicholas had studied in the UK and moved to France fifteen years ago when he spent a summer on a biodynamic farm. He learned the basics of distillation, and it suddenly became a revelation to him as he studied the way perfumes were made in the 18th and 19th centuries that this was something that he felt compelled to pursue. There was something about getting his hands dirty with the actual process of gathering the flowers and the plants in the field that lead him on a journey to which he is still on today. Whereas, most other perfumeurs macerate plant and flower oils for 3 weeks, his process takes around 8 months to produce the oils he uses for his perfumes. He uses old techiques to extract flowers and does not use petrochemicals and parabens as preservatives, which is a common practice in many commercial perfumes.
Nicholas tells me of his philosophy on perfumes, in which the ones he produces are meant to be delicate and intimate, evoking emotion and memory, as opposed to the overpowering scents where one can smell someone from 5 metres away in the street.
​

​His perfume philosophy is similar to his food philosophy, in which it was his choice to use natural ingredients with no pesticides and consume only good, healthy organic food. "Sometimes people have a tendency to overcomplicate a perfume- and the simplest compositions with the best ingredients make the best perfumes." One of Nicholas's favourite ingredients is a vintage sandalwood that is 16 years old.
​

​My personal stash of a couple of my favourite Sharini perfumes. Some of Nicholas Jennings' perfumes are only made in batches of 25 bottles.

His workshop or atelier in the South of France resembles a medieval chamber with a rustic aesthetic. As Nicholas gives me a video tour of his workshop over the internet, he shows me all the limited edition perfumes which are not on his website, such as Vanille & Cacao, and other perfumes, such as the one made fromAmbergris in which only 25 bottles had been made, and have all sold out. Ambergris, although not a vegan ingredient, is one of those coveted materials of parfumeurs around the world, which is made from the vomit of whales and has had a rather colourful history in previous centuries as people found the material on the beaches to use for perfumes due to its alluring scent, and it wasn't until the last century when it was discovered where it actually came from.

Nicholas tells me more about one of my favourite perfumes, Musc D'hibiscus, something I used religiously all spring and summer. Musk typically originates from animals, but for this particular concotion, Nicholas used a botanical musk from hibiscus flowers in which he had distilled all the hibiscus seeds himself in his workshop using an 8-foot tall, 200 litre alembic copper distillation apparatus.
​

​An alembic copper apparatus is typically used to distill ingredients utilised for perfumes and wine.

"I am not trying to make perfumes for 2 million people. I don't feel a need to please everybody; I only make small batches, around 500-600 bottles at a time." In addition, Nicholas explains to me that there just aren't enough flowers to produce 2 million bottles of the same perfume, which is why "luxury" brands always use synthetic ingredients. In the modern day fragrance industry, the majority of the cost goes into marketing and communications and the actual product does not take more than 3% of sales prices. Once you take out the marketing costs and the packaging, the perfume would probably actually cost around 50 cents.
​

​Nicholas Jennings in a field of lavender as he takes samples to gather for his new batch of ingredients for his perfumes. He macerates his plant and flower oils for 8 months to create a more sensual, evolving fragrance whereas the other parfumeurs only typically macerate for 3 weeks.

The majority of Nicholas' clients are people who stopped wearing perfumes and dislike commercial perfumes. He also produces personalised perfumes that require a 2 hour appointment in his workshop. Many people just walk into his workshop randomly, and ask about his perfume process which he will happily explain to people who are unfamiliar with the artistry involved in producing these rarifed, subtly intoxicating scents.
Nicholas tells me that he has no aspirations to build a big business. "I want to make good, quality things, focus on the artisan side of perfumery, and by being a small scale independent producer, I get to be actively involved in all the process and still have enough time to enjoy a leisurely life."

We talk a little about that parable about the Mexican fisherman and the American businessman and how there is this cultural belief towards putting a life on hold to sometimes work unhappily to save up for a retirement that might never exist.
​

​Outside of his workshop, Nicholas spends a lot of time on his 4 acre land, plays music and spends time with his 2 children. I ask him if his children will one day become heirs to his perfume heritage? "I don't try to impose my work onto my kids, I rather try to get them excited about things, whatever that may be."

Nicholas Jennings, working on a custom fragrance for a client at his South of France studio.

Currently, Sharini Parfums are available in 17 organic shops as well as on its modest website. "I suppose they could be available in more shops, but I'm not interested in reselling and margins." As much as there is a creative side to the art of parfumerie, there is a rigorous, scientific side based on chemistry and formulation of ingredients. All his perfumes are registered, logged and meticulous in its attention to detail. "Like wine, I have a grand cru (good years)," Nicholas explains wistfully, "sometimes a particular year will produce more exquisite lavender (or another flower or plant) than another year."

​By Sierra Choi

​For most people who have had the pleasure of raising animals, pets are considered a part of the family. Everyone has a story about their family's first pet. Mine was a goldfish and a tabby kitten that I waited months to receive. When I was young, I began lobbying my father about getting a family pet. I began telling him animated stories about how families were better off if they had a pet, such as a kitten (which was what I wanted) and that having a pet enriched the lives of the people around them. My father had dogs his entire life and was resistant to the idea of getting a cat; however, due to my persistence, we eventually got an American short-haired tabby kitten. One of my earliest memories was when I had fallen ill with a high fever and was immobile, my kitten slept next to me, comforting me. My mother told me after I had woken up from my 48 hour feverish sleep that my kitten refused to leave my side and slept next to me the entire time. My pet and I were inseparable. I was 8 years old then.


​​
It has been said that when young children have pets early in their lives, they develop emotional intelligence more quickly than children who aren't exposed to animals. There is something unsaid, an unwritten communication that happens when being around animals at a young age. I think a lot about having a pet is that one starts to learn about the welfare of another being, and being responsible for another being other than oneself represents a great duty and responsibility. One starts to think outside himself or herself, and it begins a journey into communication that goes beyond words.
​
Recently, Joanne Wilson, a New York angel investor who goes by GothamGal wrote in her blog about cannabis oil for pets and how THC is an incredible pain reliever and attitude adjuster for our beloved animals. I previously wrote about Joanne Wilson here: Be Bold. She says that she began doubting the pharmaceutical industry and their marketing campaigns in the last few years:

​An interesting fact is that most of many pets' ill ailments are directly derived from their food and water source. Pet food are often produced from contaminated, low grade products that do not pass as food that can be sold for people. Hence there is an unending source of recalls for pet products on a monthly basis that might shock some people. 

We expect to give our pets the best care and products, but often we believe in the hype of cat food and dog food, which can often be contaminated with viruses such as salmonella, listeria and monocytogenes and substances such as plastic and elevated copper levels and excessive salt. In addition, many pet food products have carcinogens as preservatives which are also used as pesticides. Substances such as ethoxyquin, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are present in commercial dog food and not regulated by the federal agencies for pet consumption despite that they are not approved for human consumption. In addition, other cancer causing substances such as propylene glycol, ethoxyquin, TBHQ and propyl gallate may be in your pet's food. These are substances that probably should never be ingested by humans or animals alike.
​
When I spoke to my veterinarian, he informed me that cancer was the number one cause of death in pets outside of accidents. He had seen numerous cases of aggressive cancer in the pet population which grew rather rapidly. It is not a surprise since many pet food products contain carcinogens that pets would suffer from a high rate of cancer.

In addition, clean water is also important for our pet's health. Water is what removes toxins from our bodies, but tap water is often treated with chemicals to prevent bacterial, fungal and viral growth, and this has negative effects on the health of people, in addition to pets. Many major cities are notorious for its contamination with parasites in its tap water, and this adds much complexity to the issue of clean water sources. We should only drink from clean, water sources, such as spring or bottled or filtered water, and in a parallel manner, our pets also deserve the same clean, drinking water.

People with their pets on the London tube. London is one of the most pet friendly cities in the world.

One of my favourite eCommerce sites is the UK-based PetsPyjamas. It's a travel booking site and pet shop in one. There is a free concierge service and one can book dog or cat-friendly travel holidays on the site, in addition to having a pet shop in which you can look up specific nutritional supplements for your breed of pet.

I think one of the hardest thing for pet owners is going through the rigmarole of having to book travel that allows pets, but this site is already pre-approved. Although, it's currently limited to the UK, I hope PetsPyjamas will expand to every nook and cranny around the world- which would simply make it easy for travelers who don't want to leave their pets at home on family holidays.
​

Fall Lookbook at PetsPyjamas

PetsPyjamas has a Fall Lookbook for pets, PetPoints for purchases and travel and a social networking site. It might seem a little over the top for some people, but as beloved members of our families, shouldn't they deserve the best?

​By Sierra Choi

​
​Last week, an investor and lecturer at UC Santa Barbara, John Greathouse, received a lot of backlash from writing a piece in the Wall Street Journal that encouraged women to gender neutralise their online presence in order to avoid "unconscious bias". In other words, he advised women to hide their gender by using their initials online and in their social networking profiles in order to avoid sexism from recruiters, hiring agencies and VCs.

The op-piece, Why Women in Tech Might Consider Just Using Their Initials Online, created a flurry of responses from women, mostly negative, about how patronising it was that an investor was suggesting women should hide their gender and further elicited an apology from John Greathouse saying that his statements were "insensitive."

However, what he was suggesting is not actually a new idea. In fact, it's been done for centuries.
If we examine history, women have hidden their gender by using pseudonyms since the beginning of time. From 11th century Japan, the Tale of Genji, which is historically known as the first recorded novel in the world, it was revealed to have been written by a noblewoman and lady-in-waiting who used the pseudonym Murasaki Shikibu. Other women who used pseudonyms included writers such as George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), George Sand (Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin), the Bronte Sisters (who used the names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell). However, these women were just the tip of the iceberg.
​

Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin, otherwise known as the literary icon George Sand, wrote her books under a male pseudonym during 1800s Europe.
​

Shakespeare's plays are filled with gender-bending women who dress up as men to get ahead in society. Julia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594), Portia in The Merchant of Venice (1596), Viola in Twelfth Night (1600), and Rosalind in As You Like It (1600) all don a masculine disguise. Even in contemporary media, in the HBO series, Game of Thrones, Arya Stark dresses up as a boy to avoid recognition of her identity and family name.
​

The Thinker (Auguste Rodin, 1902) at the Musée Rodin. It has been theorised by many art historians and critics that the brunt of the work of Auguste Rodin was actually produced by Camille Claudel, as all of Rodin's sculptures have her signature style of exquisite detailing in the hands, face and muscles.

I recall an art history seminar at my alma mater in which we had a rather heated discussion about why there were no great women artists in history? On the surface, it looks as if women were completely absent from the great works, but upon closer examination, women were there, but they chose anonymity and privacy over being public and known. If we look beyond the surface of "classic" works of art and literature, we will eventually discover, through diaries and correspondence letters what really transpired. It was well-known that many of the intrciate details of Rodin's sculptures were actually made by Camille Claudel, and that many wives or partners of iconic writers, were themselves the collaborative authors and editors who brought those books to life. What would D.H. Lawrence be without Frieda Lawrence? T.S. Eliot without Vivienne Eliot? Leo Tolstoy without Sofia Tolstoy? Thomas Hardy without Emma Gifford? F. Scott Fitzgerald without Zelda? George Bernard Shaw without Charlotte? Dante without Beatrice? W.B. Yeats without Olivia? Frederich Nietzsche without Lou von Salomé? There is an unending historical list in how women chose to remain private as opposed to being publicly known by branding their husband's name. As T.S. Eliot writes: History has many cunning passages.

Margaret Bulkley was the first female doctor and surgeon who served in the British army. She lived her life as a man, under a pseudonym, James Barry, so that she could be accepted as a university student and study medicine and surgery in the early part of the 1800s. She pioneered the caesarian section and was one of the most prolific surgeons in the British army. She was only discovered to be a woman after she had died.

But this phenomenon wasn't just limited to literary icons, it expanded towards medicine, business, the arts, pirates sailing all over the world, and even the military. Hannah Snell served in the Royal Marines in the 18th century and assumed the identity of her brother-in-law James Gray. Her unit was sent to capture a French colony in India in 1748 and she was wounded several times without her gender being discovered. She finally revealed her secret to her shipmates in 1750 and was granted an honourable discharge and a pension. Many instances of cross-dressing women as soldiers who eventually became decorated veterans during the American Civil War also gained historical recognition over time.

So why did women choose to hide their gender in history? It is more or less, the same reason why certain prominent people choose to hide their identity in society. Some people want to move into a sector that is male-dominated whilst others prefer and value their privacy. We live in an exhibitionistic era, but privacy in our era is gold, and can be equated as the same as freedom. When no one knows who you are, you are free to be everywhere. This is the same reason why many billionaires choose not to be public. They erase their online identity, do not have a social network that identifies them, and no one knows what they look like, or which companies and corporations they control.
​

Eric Blair, a UK covert agent, writer, journalist and critic wrote the landmark novel 1984 (published 1949) under the pseudonym, George Orwell to avoid political prosecution, like many writers of his era.

This allows people to live their lives without the intrusion of the media or critics from the populace or the government. Many writers during the turn of the century- both male and female, alike both used pseudonyms to actively avoid government prosecution and even in contemporary times, President Obama used a pseudonym to correspond with Hillary Clinton in her private email account according to FBI reports.

Therefore, what Mr. Greathouse is suggesting that women hide their gender is really not all that unusual. He uses the example that up until the late 1970s, when professional orchestras consisted of 95% men that it wasn't until they implemented a system of blind auditions in which a screen obscured the musicians' age, gender and ethnicity from the panel of evaluators that orchestras started to become equally distributed in all factors.
​

Cross-dressing women are prevalent in many of Shakespeare's comedies. Viola in Twelfth Night (first theatrical production, 1602) dresses up as a boy (Cesario) in order to get a coveted position at Duke Orsino's court.

Another woman from the recent annuals of corporate history, Erin McKelvey said she immediately received a 70% reply rate when she changed her name to a more masculine sounding one, "Mack". The issue of name bias was also brought to attention of former Prime Minister David Cameron who announced exactly a year ago in October 2015 that elimination of name bias is on Britain's political and business agenda and that two agencies: National Health Service and The Civil Service announced that they would implement name-blind recruitment processes by 2020.

Quite frankly, I like the orchestral blind auditions idea. Perhaps the way to pave that path towards a public perception of gender equality is to adopt a blind hiring process or funding process implemented by VC groups and investors to eliminate nepotism, sexism, racism and ageism from the potential pool of applicants in matters related to hiring at corporations or the funding of startups and for military positions. The plus side for investors is that they might potentially negate the 99% failure rate of many VC groups who suffer from "unconscious bias". It has been documented time and time again that a more diverse management group leads to higher returns at many companies; however, the hiring process for many companies do not abide by this philosophy.

Instead, there could be more criteria towards cultural fit, personality compatibility and shared or complementary skill sets that might be more valuable selection criteria than simply one's name, age, race, gender, education and background. I think this could be the beginning of an interesting experiment in how people might be hired in the future across all sectors.

​By Sierra Choi