About Me |
Hello and Namaste! I am Anjali Vandemark.
I am an artisanal perfumer and handcraft perfumes in small batches from my studio on Bainbridge Island, WA in the U.S.
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I source materials from the best suppliers around the world and choose the finest oils and essences from India, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey and more.
In a true artisan tradition, I handcraft all my perfumes--I design them, compound them, then I allow them to age and mature before bottling them myself.
I am a self-taught perfumer and spent several years exploring and studying perfumery. I developed a keen nose for scents and a deep connection with fragrances very early on.
I was born and raised in India. One of my earliest memories is being around my grandmother. She owned a small block of real Mysore Sandalwood. For special ceremonies, she'd give me the very important task of making Sandalwood paste called gandh―a word that means scent.
I would grind that precious block of wood on a sahan―a special stone meant for just this purpose. For days afterwards my fingers would stay perfumed. My soul is forever imbued with the divine scent of Sandalwood.
In my family, we gave special attention to fragrances on various festive occasions.
Every year, my father and I would go to a small, artisan perfumer in an old part of town. We'd buy expensive attars for our guests. Attars are handcrafted, artisanal perfumes made by centuries-old process and sold mostly as soliflore extraits.
Mom would call the aggarbatti-wallah at home. He would bring two bags full of the various brands of incense from all parts of India. Mom and I would spend a long time smelling and evaluating them to select the very best. Mom would burn guggul & raal―resins from the local Sal trees and perfume the house.
The best part for me was going to the flower market. We'd buy Jasmine garlands that we wore in our hair. Kewada flower was a luxury afforded only once a year. Mostly we would buy marigolds that I strung into garlands.
My vision is to create perfumes that are unique, artistic, and infused with my cultural heritage; perfumes that are the
essence of beauty and ancient art.
I hope you find as much joy in wearing the perfumes, as I have found in creating them.
Namaste, and thank you for visiting.
Photo Credits: Thamizhpparithi Maari ― Garlands | Biswarup Ganguly―Mallik Ghat Flower Market | Product photography: William T Vandemark | Other website images courtesy of Pixabay
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