Pekji Perfumes: The Turkish Renaissance.

I'm glad to welcome Pekji to the world of fragrance. An exciting indie line from Turkey made by that multi-talented individual called Omer Ipekci. Musician, graphic designer, photographer, food-lover, calligraphy's freak, couch philosopher, hardcore Louis CK's fan, perfumer and, most of all, a good friend. Someone might be led to think I'm biased towards this brand because of my real-life friendship with the guy behind the line but, as a matter of fact, I hadn't been excited by a *properly-indie* line since I discovered Slumberhouse back in 2011.

Pekji is all about tradition and modernity paired together, about honesty and no-nonsense, no compromise, about substance and style as opposed to just style, about craftsmanship but, most importantly, Pekji is about good fragrances and good people, not shallow luxury.

Holy Shit

Holy Shit!



Yes, this is exactly the first thing that comes to mind as soon as this fragrance touches your skin. Just like Cuir 6 and Odoon (both from the same line), Holy Shit takes a theme and push it to the limits. I could try to dissect this fragrance into notes but it would honestly be reductive as the main charm of this composition relies on its incredibly evocative power. Ancient woods, a stable where you played hide-n-seek as a kid, a subway station in a metropolis, a catacomb, moldy walls, smoke, incense, animalic notes, oxidized metal, art, sacred art, modern art, traditional art. People, sidewalks, dried herbs, wrinkles on your mother's face, your father's hands, craftsmanship, joy, pain, love and hate.



There's nothing even barely similar to Holy Shit and, beside being two completely different fragrances, its evocative and striking power is only comparable to Norma Kamali's infamous Incense. If you like unique and *hardcore* stuff, this is something not not miss. For any reason. An iconic fragrance from a true pioneer.



Bravo!

Rating: 8.5-9/10

Cuir6

Cuir6 opens with a rough, assertive and unapologetic blast of smoky leather that feels like an assault to your senses and leaves no room for compromise.  A foghorn of smoke with a claustrophobic and yet mesmerizing character. Something I could only relate to early Swans' music. It's modern and primitive at the same time, rough but not simplistic as it actually relies on a classic bone-structure. It takes a while to Cuir 6 to properly settle down as the opening is quite brutal but once the middle phase and the base break in, it's time for gratification. An old-school patch / labdanum driven masculine with a multifaceted leather component provided by birch-tar, ionones, castoreum and boatloads more of leathery paraphernalia.

Forget about trendy aromachemicals, forget about overly polished leathers, forget about *leathery* stuff. Cuir 6 is the primordial magma of leather. Cuir 6 is the hyper-leather.

A few keywords to have a better idea on which ballpark this stuff plays in. Think about Le Labo's Patchouli 24 minus the barbecue accord and with the vanilla brutally toned down. Tauer's Lonestar Memories minus the amber. Lisa Kirk's Revolution without the urban feel or an *ungroomed* version of Mad Et Len Black Aghan. Ok, think about all of the above and you're still far from the real treat you will experience with this fragrance.

Striking, straight to the point and absolutely unique. Leather freaks you've been warned: this is holy grail stuff.

Rating: 8.5/10

Eaumer

If there's something I learned from Pekji's fragrances is that there aren't good notes and bad ones but only either a good use of them or a bad one.

Eaumer opens with something I perceive as citrusy-green. I guess a mixture of green notes, petit-grain / neroli and other fizzy things. It immediately makes you think of an Eau De Cologne but, at the same time, it doesn't feel *retrò* or *old-fashioned*. Intstead, because of its gasoline-like undertones, it's reassuringly modern and even edgy if you want. There's also a jasmine component thrown in the mix that together with a chlorine-like kind of ozonic accord, enhances the overall airy character of this fragrance. It sounds challenging but, honestly, it's anything but. Compared to either Holy Shit or Cuir 6, this is definitely on the *easier* side of the spectrum. More versatile, easier to like and more *tradionally* perfumey especially during the amber / vetiver-driven drydown. It's basically a fresh fragrance with a twist but whereas most other similarly themed fragrances fall either on aquatic or flat white musky synth kind of stuff, Eaumer is vibrating, alive and extremely satisfying thourhout.

Very Good!

Rating: 7-5-8/10

Odoon

Odoon is the hyperwood. I can't think of a better start for describing Odoon than the incipit of the fragrance's own ad copy. Odoon is indeed the hyperwood. The quintessential woody fragrance. It's smoky, creamy, dry, sweetish, dusty, angular, smooth, deep, fresh, warm, rounded, edgy, earthy, clean, dirty…it's wood in all its facets and it has umami too. As simple as that. Think about either Wonderwood or Wonderoud with even more woods and with a thicker and smokier bone-structure. There's a hint of something floral somewhere but it's just a refinement while a resinous vetiver base enhances the general *woodyness* to the maximum. 

A no-brainer for woods lovers.

Rating: 8-8.5/10

Ruh

Ruh is most probably the crowdpleaser of the whole line. A very solid take on the oriental-rose theme. It opens with a decadent but not overly opulent jammy rose accord immediately joined by the most realistic and vivid green cardamom note I've experienced in a while. There's a transparent quality to this opening that preserves the fragrance from taking the *heavy* route. Saffron is perfectly merged to rose providing a dark yellow / orange hue while a roasted coffee accord together with oud play baritonal notes. The fragrance revolves around a benzoin / amber bone structure with woody notes thickening the base.

Immediately likable, smooth and effortless in its beauty. A piece of work that reeks of perfection.

Rating: 8.5/10

For more infos about Pekji Perfumes, click here.