Sulékó Parfums Showroom: A Piece of Russia in the Heart of Paris by: Elena Knezhevich

The French perfume house Suleko, currently a collection of four perfumes inspired by Russian culture, was founded in 2013 by Anastasia Sokolowa, a descendant of Russian immigrants whose great-grandparents left Russia at the time of the revolution (beginning of 1920s) and settled in Paris. Suleko's glass bottles are housed inside porcelain sculptures created by Joelle Fevre and Anastasia worked together with Cecile Zarokian on all four compositions. This was the second time we met Anastasia, the first being at the Elements exhibition in New York; see also Sergey's thorough interview with Anastasia by clicking HERE. Albho is the Indo-European root of Lebed—the Russian word for 'swan.' Baba Yaga is a central character in all folk tales to scare naughty kids. Djelem is a perfume about the impulsive gypsy spirit and summer celebrations. Vy Roza "You are the Rose, beautiful Tatiana," from Pushkin's Eugene Onegin novel.

We met with Anastasia in Suleko's showroom in Paris where she does presentations and sells her creations; all meetings are by appointment. Anastasia believes that her perfumes require a personal introduction with storytelling, visual and tactile encounters with the beautiful sculptured flacons, and a cozy atmosphere of a neat Parisian apartment in a typical Parisian building. You can consider it a special perfume experience in Paris, a kind of tourist attraction for perfume lovers.

Anastasia divides her four perfumes according to the four seasons of the year, but this classification is very formal and might not work for you because they evoke much more than just a season.

Anastasia invited us to talk about perfumes in a manner she has always dreamed as an ideal way to first encounter a perfume. Another reason for our visit was the launch of new 10 ml purse sprays which are going to make Suleko perfumes more affordable. While the sculptured bottles are reserved exclusively for the Suleko showroom, the sprays will be sold in a few special stores and fashion salons where customers get as much attention as they need.

Anastasia designed the porcelain stoppers herself; she calls them talismans. You can purchase one of them together with a perfume refill bottle (plain, not sculptured) of 50 ml.

I loved the caressing touch of the stopper. Porcelain that is baked but unglazed has a lot in common with bread; it looks warm and even soft, and you instantly think of human hands, a special atmosphere, and the aroma of the room where ceramics are baked. The talismans are tucked away in stylish suede pouches of a gray color.

I shared my own experience with Suleko creations, but now I invite you to start the perfume tour again with me from the very beginning.... According to Anastasia's vision, your Suleko experience starts as soon as you enter the building.

It is important for her to show you a nice but typical Parisian house with beautiful entrance doors of intricate ironwork, carved railings on the spiral staircase, mosaic floors, and a typically European, tiny elevator. Suleko is a French perfume house, so first you need to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a typical Parisian house and apartment.

Anastasia was born and lives in Paris; she loves this city and knows how to show it from a Parisian point of view. The apartment is not big, typical for major European cities, but is full of light due to expansive windows. It is minimally decorated with some Russian paintings, art objects and books. We comfortably settled around the table with small cakes and were offered a cup of coffee prepared by our hostess.

There are many ways, more or less known and presented in city guides, how to spend your time in Paris. I would recommend visiting Suleko as a nice expience of perfume, talking and sniffing in a relaxed and pleasing atmosphere of a Parisian home.

Anastasia is a very caring host. Being Russian, I was quite prepared for Russia- inspired perfumes, but the way she talks and her romantic vision of Russia - inherited from grandma's fairytales and books - touched me and were quite educational.

We've learned about a new project Anastasia prepared for those potential customers whom she is not able to reach; this is a way for her to explain everything about her scents that she considers important. It is a Discovery set of four perfumes with the main raw materials for each of them. You will get it together with a special code to watch your individual movie on Suleko's website where Anastasia explains the perfumes (in Russian, French and English). If you are ready to purchase, you receive a 20% discount on a sculptured flacon of 50 ml.

We talked about perfumes, notes, people, Paris, perfumery in general and I enjoyed my time very much. I asked who are her usual guests. The majority of them are Russian descendants, visitors, or people somehow related to the Russian culture, but thanks to modern communication her audience has become more diverse. Anastasia already has her loyal customers, who change perfumes according to their mood without changing the house. For example, one loyal customer of Djelem came to get a cool, rosy Vy Roza because she fell in love and felt like Onegin's Tatiana.

My visit to Suleko salon has become one of the brightest memories I collected in Paris. My first encounter with Anastasia and her perfumes, during the turmoil of the perfume exhibition in New York, was very brief. Her way of selling perfumes, as she described it, at first seemed too complicated; after the actual experience, I must admit she knows what she is doing. I would never get such pleasure and attention in a store.

If you are planning your visit to Paris, my warm recommendation is to include the Suleko showroom in your schedule. More information can be found on Suleko's website.

Photos by Elena Knezevic