Skellered forms the ‘dusk’ of the PROPER YORKSHIRE trilogy that explores the olfactory wonders of a Yorkshire Moor in summer over 24 hours.
Compared to the trilogy’s ‘dawn’ and ‘day’ this scent has a darker inspiration, exploring the destruction of the moorland by fire, either by nature or man made circumstance.
The charred and burning grasses, woods and barks reflect both harm to and renewal of community by the narratives that shape both. This ties back to the collection’s exploration of how our perception of Yorkshireness and Britishness are defined.
My intent for this perfume was for the audience to see beauty where best efforts were made to remove it (note the contrast of Patchouli and Neroli to say the moorland will grow back). Using bitter and pungent ingredients (note the Ho Leaf and Sage) unwanted by fragrance trends, I made something elevated and structured you can take to an office or formal occasion.
Design intent
Artistically I wanted the smell of burning woods and aromatics, using sharp and bitter ones to achieve the effect of charring. To add complexity and outline the destruction and displacement of the moor’s diversity (echoing the legacy of British colonialism), I used a mixture of spices (Cinnamon and Ginger to recall the East India Company), and a muted citrus and floral each.
PROPER YORKSHIRE used ‘The Secret Garden’ as inspiration to explore what Yorkshire is and Skellered focuses on the who and the why. These tie directly to the inciting incident of the book (the death of Mary’s parents from a cholera outbreak) and how the new people Mary encounters (in particular, meeting Martha and Dickon) lead her to do some soul searching and positive growth.
Personally, I wanted to explore the literal and figurative nature of scorched earth in relation to the themes and details above. Of misunderstanding, through the selection of unwanted/seemingly benign ingredients to reflect the power of narrative. For example, in the Secret Garden none of the adults had an interest in or good thing to say about Mary. Yes she was unpleasant but at the root of this was neglect, which only the Sowerby family seemed to notice or care about. But nuance; much of this neglect was preoccupation of caregivers with their own traumas and fears. Mrs Medlock wanting to keep her job; Mr Craven’s unresolved grief; Mary’s abuse of her Ayah and the power structures that had forced her into service in the first place.
Scent memory // actually smells like
Skellered smells like the geosmin of a moor’s log or blanket bog at night, mixed with the smoke and heat of wildfire fuelled by the moor’s dry sticks and grasses. Skellered smells distinctive and powerful; it doesn't need the Grojsman accord found in most high street perfumes.
The opening of Skellered smells like a dry leaf mixed with pungent sage and a subtle unsweetened floral. The heart and heat of the fragrance smells like smoked wood chips with a dash of citrus rind, and supported by a base that smells like deep and damp and musty earth.
Hoped impact & legacy
Narratives shape and define a community, by extension excluding those outside it. When we intentionally and maliciously or lazily exclude, or even when exclusion is perceived, our community is preserved but over time comes into decline and disrepute. We also unwittingly create silos of adversarial communities that come to lack a shared understanding or common ground. At worst this can lead to resentments and harms against the community that cast out.
Skellered is a fiery aftermath and also a tragic warning, that communities can be protected without excluding or harming others (or being subject to same).
Skellered | 50 ml Ginger, Mandarin Perfume
Damp humus and habitats underfoot a dry felled bark, on a herby hillock hiding from the sunset.
