Before venturing into perfumery, Chen Wang ran a neighbourhood café in Shanghai for more than ten years. With Cottee, she now continues to explore her fondness for simple pleasures, travel and memories through a first collection, Traveler’s Plan. To tell us about her upcoming visit to Paris, the founder answered our questions in a deliberately elliptical style, revealing just enough to make us want to take a closer look.
Interview by Guillaume Tesson
How would you describe Cottee in a few words?
Cottee is a small brand that strings together little things that may not necessarily be very useful, but that make people happy. Before Cottee, I ran a neighbourhood café in Shanghai for more than ten years. In fact, my very first fragrance was born in that café. My first perfume collection, Traveler’s Plan, is inspired by the cities I have visited and the little stories I brought back from them.
What made you want to take part in the Asia Perfume Show in Paris?
When it comes to travelling, everyone can decide to go a very long way simply for their own pleasure. When it comes to work, however, sometimes we need a little push! The Asia Perfume Show gave us exactly that and provided a good reason to come all the way to Paris.
What are you hoping for from this edition?
We hope visitors will come and spend some time discovering our space and Traveler’s Plan. We’ll be sharing photographs, stories and… our perfumes, of course. Perhaps one of these will bring back a memory of a journey they have taken themselves. More than anything, these are the kinds of encounters we hope to create.
What new products, projects or creations will you be presenting at the show?
A story from the 78th parallel north and a bottle of cold air brought back from one of the northernmost cities in the world. For now, I won’t say much more…
How do you see perfumery and the fragrance market evolving in Asia at the moment?
If even a small, rather quiet company like ours manages to meet so many people who appreciate what we do, then things must be moving in a pretty good direction!
If you had to sum up Paris and the Asia Perfume Show in just one word, what would it be?
“Hello!” Some people may already have come across Cottee somewhere in the world. For others, this will be our first encounter. So, to old friends and new ones alike, we simply want to say “hello”.
