November 23, 2017 Meet the Maker — reassembly
Meet Josée Gordon of reassembly, the Maker behind the Trouvaille Fragrance.
How would you define who you are and what you do?
I’m a creative person, a dreamer. I create fine fragrances, tonics and potions, and have a company called reassembly.
Can you tell us how you got to where you are today?
Spending time with oils, resins and tinctures is something I’ve done for many years. My mom used aromatherapy and other healing modalities when I was growing up, and we were raised with a holistic view of our health and well being. She would wear a really beautiful rose otto essential oil, distilled by a friend, as a perfume.
I think I started my essential oil collection when I was 15 or 16. I loved to collect and research them. I would wear them in conjunction with vintage french perfume my Grandma would give me, observing how the different combinations would shift and change shape on my skin. Later, making fragrances for friends and family became a side project, and later still, it started to gain a little cult following.
What does your typical day look like? Do you have any routines or rituals you find important?
I am best when I can ease into a day — maybe go for an early morning swim or ride my bike to my studio. I get admin stuff and emails out of the way first, so I can get on to the fun stuff — creating and making. I get my hands into it every day.
Rituals for creating scent are locking my studio door and having quiet so I can get lost in a/the story and hearing/feeling the scents guiding me. I am lucky to share a studio space with my husband and other creative people I love, so everyone is doing the same thing. It’s a productive vibe. Also, we bring our dog to work, so it never gets too intense with lots of great stress relieving moments like throwing a ball around or having a laugh about something.
After work we might make some food, I like to play piano when my husband cooks. If I still have energy I may go to a yoga class, moving meditation works for me. I take a bath almost every night with my detox luxe bath salts — they have hot mustard and ground ginger and organic apple cider vinegar and they really unwind muscles and melt away stress from the day.
How would you describe the Trouvaille fragrance?
It is fresh, elegant, sensual and comforting, calming. It is a touchstone.
What was involved in creating the Trouvaille?
I sat down with Truvelle goddesses, Gaby and Julie. I wanted to get to know Gaby and her vision for the scent. We all smelled a lot of scents and discussed influences, mostly inspiration from travels around the world. Gaby was fascinating because she had a very clear vision that she sort of knew she would know it when she saw it, or rather smelled it. Based on Gaby and Julie’s favourites, I came up with three different fragrance visions but had a very clear feeling it would be the one that ended up being chosen. I was inspired by and chose ingredients that reflected Gaby’s story and travels, as I feel that she really embodies the modern woman she creates for.
How would you describe a perfume oil and how it interacts with the body/skin?
A perfume oil is such a personal and sensual application as the scent stays close to the wearer’s skin and really melts into the skin and becomes one with a person’s chemistry.
Your favourite place to travel to?
Do I have to choose just one? I love to travel! I actually love to travel anywhere. I recently went to Florence and Milan and it was incredible. But I love to go to the mountains for the weekend too.
The one thing in your closet you wear the most often?
Jumpsuits. I like getting into one thing and feeling invincible.
Trouvaille launches November 22!
To learn more about reassembly, visit them online.
