I was sun-lounging at Heideglühen one endless summer afternoon when a stranger asked for my name and my nose. “Flower Boy,” said the pheromonal communicator, real name David Lucas Roelen. He was referring to one of his handcrafted signature scents. Aachen–born David is the founder of the eponymous fragrance house D.L. Roelen, for which he ditched a successful advertising career in London. Made from Turkish perfume oils and concocted in southern Germany, each of his five fragrances is wonderfully ambivalent – moss and cannabis, mint and smoke, citrus and cedar. My favorite, “The Door”, is an homage to Berghain: animal musk at the base with a latex heart and berries on top. Berlin’s club culture is only part of a recipe which also includes a spritz of soft masculinity and a dash of post-pretty femininity. Were he still in advertising, he might use the term “unisex” but ultimately, the interpretation is yours. “D.L. Roelen is about individual expression,” he tells me. “There is no brand story. I want to start conversations.” This is not just an empty mission statement – every bottle comes with David’s personal phone number. (Text: Christian Näthler / Photos: Louise L. Lindgren & D.L. Roelen)

Christian Näthler is a writer, editor and translator who explores chance encounters and the way we live.

D.L. Roelen fragrances are available online.
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