AN INTERVIEW WITH
DREW COCKTON OF OWEN DREW
Wirral Life met with Drew Cockton, founder of Wirral’s favourite
chandlers “Owen Drew”, to discuss the company’s latest foray
into the world of perfume. Since its inception less than three
years ago, the brand has scooped a host of prestigious awards,
garnered international press – including a feature in French
Forbes – and has become an industry and celebrity favourite.
So Drew, tell us about why you’ve decided to create this perfume?
I have always been obsessed with fragrance. Friends will testify that
I have literally hundreds of bottles of perfume and aftershaves which
I have collected. I drive them mad in airport duty free, because I’ll
spend hours sampling everything whilst they just want to go to the
bar. I think my love of fragrance stemmed from my late Godmother,
Nuala. She was very beautiful and glamorous, always dressed in
powersuits and always drenched in a strong blend of Chanel No.5
and Chanel No.19 – which she called her signature “Chanel No.24”.
The smells of these perfumes evoke such vivid memories for me.
Since my journey in the world of fragrance, I have learned during
my research that our sense of smell is our most instinctive and has
the strongest connection with our memory. More so than our sight,
taste or even sound. The sense is directly connected to the brain’s
limbic system, where information and memories are stored.
What goes into designing a fragrance?
It’s an extremely lengthy and complicated process. Whilst my
partner Mike and I were able to start our business producing soy
wax candles from the kitchen table with ingredients sourced from
Amazon, bringing an Eau de Parfum to market is much trickier.
We wanted to make sure it was absolutely perfect before launching
as well – you only get one shot at this kind of thing. We visited a
perfumery in Grasse, France, where we worked on developing the
scent; first choosing a concept and then selecting different top, base
and middle notes. It’s a complicated science. Our customers know
that we only use the finest ingredients possible in all of our products
– they can expect the same from our perfume.
What does it smell like?
This might sound cliché but it smells different on everybody. Some
people say it smells floral, others spicy and some woody. It’s because
the oils we have used react differently to everybody’s skin. The
fragrance has top notes of Bulgarian Rose Otto – the most expensive
rose oil available, whilst the middle and base notes are those of night
blooming Jasmine, agarwood (a highly precious oil from the resin
of a tree in the middle east), Oud and Arabic spices. It smells very
luxurious. I am not really a fan of light, summery scents. I prefer
something stronger and more powerful. It might seem a strange
move to release this scent in the midst of summer but our customers
are loving it!
We absolutely LOVE the bottle. Where did you take your
inspiration from?
Thank you. Again, I was inspired by my Godmother. I feel like it’s
something she would have carried in her handbag, alongside her
Chanel fragrances. I also chose the bottle based on the fact it’s quite
“80s” in its style. I love the 80s. The fashion, the music, the yuppie
culture. I also love the black and gold – I feel it’s quite timeless. It’s
also rather androgynous – both men and women love it!
What’s next for Owen Drew?
My partner Mike and I are literally working 24/7 to develop and
bring exciting products to our customers. We have just released a
beautiful range of Shea Butter soaps and next on the agenda are
bath oils. We’re also super excited about our Masquerade Ball at
Thornton Hall Hotel on 21st September. Since our Autumn / Winter
collection inspired by the decadence of the Russian Imperial Family
(think gold, jewels, Fabergé eggs), we are calling it the “Tsarry Night
Ball”. For £85, guests can enjoy a 3 Champagne & Caviar reception,
3 course meal with wine and even a short ballet performance. Each
guest gets a goody bag worth £65 full of goodies. It’s going to be very
over the top! For tickets, we ask guests to email:
[email protected]
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