An interview with Stanislawa Missala owner of Quality Missala perfumeries in Poland.
Where does your love of niche perfumes come from?
As I really cannot tell where it comes from, but I think I was just born with it. Ever since I remember I’ve loved beautiful fragrances and flavors. I like to be surrounded by them, feeling myself better while having them all around me. Over the years I decided that I want to share my passion with others, helping them to discover scents and teach how they affect our mood, our life. That’s why I decided to open my first perfumery and this is how it all began. And why the niche perfume? I always loved art and niche perfumes are – in my mind – the true works of art. They are original, unique and created from natural ingredients. They are called niche, but I use my own different name for them, for me they are alive, bright. They are true.
In 1991 you opened your first boutique in Warsaw. How did you come to that decision?
The decision was not easy because those times were not easy. I had to convince my vision to even my closest friends, who approached the project with skepticism. Poland in early 90s of the twentieth century definitely did not look like the promised land for perfumers. However, I could see the great potential where others looked in disaffection. People expected changes in all spheres of life. After years of living in the grey they were longing for color, for a bit of luxury, for a substitute of exclusiveness. I decided to fulfill those dreams and surround the clients of my boutique with real luxury and not fake luxury. Such an atmosphere has filled my perfumery from the very beginning. The same atmosphere can be found in my perfumeries today as well.
How would you describe the customers of niche perfumes and Quality Missala?
In our perfumeries we welcome the admirers of beautiful and original fragrances and skin care products of the highest quality. For them, we import the finest fragrances, skin care and make-up from around the world. From our experience we know that once someone crosses the doorstep of our perfumeries, he or she will come back again. This is because our customers are people with high sensitivity and rich soul, open to the world of art and open to beauty. Their returns make us very happy, because we know that they are coming back to us and at the same time – to the world in which they feel best: the magical land of the magical fragrances.
How do you select high-end niche brands for Quality Missala?
Everything I do I do with my heart. In exactly the same manner I select the fragrances and other products for my perfumeries. Fragrance must impress me, that is clear. I have to feel its soul, and I know that there will be none if the owner of the brand has created it only for money. For me, the brand must have a story that reflects the passion and love of its owner. If it does and if it fascinates me and it is up to par with the fragrances I know, it will fit my perfumery.
How important is personal service to your customers?
Individual approach to customers – beside having the perfect portfolio – is the most important part of my job. Perfumes and skin care products that can be found on the shelves of my perfumeries are exclusive products for connoisseurs: people who know how to identify the best quality and appreciate the contact with it. These customers require the right approach. For them we create individual care programs to achieve the best results by using our cosmetics for the face and body. For them our professional consultants select fragrances so they harmonize not only with their preferences, but also ”ephemeral things” such as the mood of the moment. We can “dress in scent” according to the season, time of the day, occasion, and even clothes! Because a favorite perfume does not have to be one and the same for the entire life. It changes together with us and the awareness of this change is what we are trying to communicate to our customers.
Looking at your boutiques, how important is the interior design for the overall concept of Quality Missala?
Every customer is my guest, so I treat customers as if they came to my own house. Rich, diverse, luxurious and unusually composed fragrances are difficult to show on a simple table. I want to show the customer everything – the scent, its bottle and packaging as well as I want to tell the story of the brand because this story is very often a fairytale. That is why the entourage is so important to me: suitable furniture, proper lighting, even the music is chosen appropriately. My perfumeries are located in different places. Among them there is a luxury hotel and an exclusive fashion house, there are historic buildings located in the old towns of the cities and there is the most important place where my adventure has started: Quality Missala Perfume House in Warsaw. Even though they are very different from each other, they share one precious idea: my love to wonderful scents that I’ve been honored to share with my clients for over 20 years.
What qualities attract you the most in Puredistance?
In Puredistance I do like the purity and clarity of the product, its perfectly bright concept. All fragrances are elegant. They speak in the language in which they were written. They have their quality and as you know, this is the word that fits us perfectly!
How does Puredistance fit with the concept of Quality Missala?
Puredistance concept meets all the principles and values to which we adhere. It offers luxury, timelessness, universalism and the truth, which is reflected in the high quality of the products. Puredistance offers the opportunity to surround yourself with beauty – something particularly valuable for me. Over the years I found out that beautiful things – like paintings, furniture and beautiful perfumes – affect our beauty and its daily contemplation gives us wings and makes us better people.
If you were part of the Puredistance Team, what would you like to do and see this year?
From the perspective of my perfumeries, I would like to show Puredistance to the greatest possible number of people. I want them to recognize all I see in this brand and all that Puredistance fragrances are bringing: a stunning and timeless beauty. I wish the Puredistance Team more wonderful fragrances. Their presentation in my perfumeries will be an honor for my team and me.
How do you see the development in the niche perfume industry?
The concept of niche perfumes has become so attractive that, unfortunately, it is being abused. Every year more and more flavors and brands appear calling themselves “niche”. More importantly, the experience and the ability to identify and distinguish good quality fragrances and marketing innovations are likely to disappear from the market very soon. It is the matter of expert knowledge and honesty to the customers. Nowadays many of us live too fast and with no time for reflection. We quickly reach for a fragrance and even quicker realise that we cannot use it due to the high content of synthetics or its transience. Fortunately, in the same time we all become more and more conscious connoisseurs. That is why I do believe that good quality and true luxury will speak for themselves!