I was lucky to win and receive the limited edition Build and Destroy perfume a couple of weeks ago and have been wearing it quite a lot since then.
Build and Destroy was created by Azzi Glasser in collaboration with James Lavelle, the owner of Mo’Wax records. The unique formula was created to scent the Saatchi Gallery as part of a Mowax Exhibition curated by Lavelle, with its notes of frankincense, myrrh, blond woods and vetiver oils. The collaboration extended to the contemporary packaging design, which merges art, music and British street culture influences.
My favourite quote from the packaging is: ” Happy are those who dream dreams and are willing to pay the price to see those dreams come true”.
Having known Lavelle for many years, Glasser has focused the creation of his signature scent, as an olfactory representation of his own DNA, which captures Lavelle’s personality and his strong perception in style.
“James has a distinguished style and presence that is quite overwhelming. He is unique, creative, edgy and very cool with an individuality like no other.”– Azzi Glasser
The notes of Frankincense, Myrrh, Pimento, Olibanum resin, Blond woods, Vetiver, Musk, Wood molecules blend beautifully and release a strong and vibrant scent that I feel almost in black and white like an old spy movie from the 50’s. It has a smoky and dark character and the subdued oud works perfectly in the background with the musks, incense and vetiver, creating a mysterious and distinctive trail of a dry and aromatic scent that lasts very long on the skin and releases its character slowly and almost quietly. It has a contradicting character, very much like the black and white movies, as the ingredients expose their character in turns and bring a different feel to the scent, initially bright and vibrant and then smoky, dark and mysterious. It’s a beautiful creation and I see it becoming one of my favourite scents as it includes many of my favourite notes combined in an ingenious and creative way.