The man behind the face: perfumer and colleague Chester Gibs
Chester Gibs is a multi-disciplinary artist born in The Netherlands and of Indonesian descent. Growing up, he noticed that his home smelled different from others, and these familiar notes became one of the roots of his olfactory explorations. Chester graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam in 2002, from the Painting and Drawing department. Since 2016, he has combined his love of drawing, music, and olfaction in a variety of projects. His primary practice is drawing, and scent has become a portal into his imagination.
"After years of collecting perfumes, I realised that I was drawn to them for many reasons, but most of all because scent can influence my state of mind. It can evoke memories, shift emotions, and open up a space for imagination. This connection between scent and the inner world has gradually become an important part of my artistic practice."
The perfumes that shaped Chester
"I have a small perfume collection at home, including many perfumes I bought at the Perfume Lounge before joining the team in 2020. Some perfumes I fell in love with there are Musc Tonkin by Parfum d'Empire, with its vintage dirtiness; Moon Bloom by Hiram Green, an enchanting and very natural tuberose; and Anubis by Papillon: dark smoky rituals in a bottle.
Other perfumes that are dear to me include Xeryus by Givenchy, Chanel No. 19, Lonestar Memories by Andy Tauer, Sailors by The ZOO and Habit Rouge by Guerlain.
Sailors: Where the adventure began
I bought Sailors at Perfume Lounge in 2018, when master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel came to present his brand, The Zoo. The scent captivated me right away. It's an aromatic fragrance with aquatic notes, and Sailors never bores me. I love Laudamiel's idea of remixing Cartier's Déclaration for Men like a DJ would, and Sailors is the result.
A few years after The Zoo event, I spent several weeks working in Christophe's lab in New York. By 2024, Christophe and I had each created a fragrance for Annindriya. That's why Sailors holds a special place in my heart: it was the beginning of a real fragrance adventure.
Reunited with an old love
Xeryus by Givenchy was launched in 1986, when I was sixteen. I secretly had a few women's perfumes in my collection, and Xeryus was one of the first "men's fragrances" I bought. The moment I saw the beautiful black Art Deco bottle, I was sold. I simply had to have this creation by perfumer Alberto Morillas. The black colour and the shape of the bottle gave the perfume an extra touch of mystery.
Once the bottle was empty, I lost track of it, and I couldn't find the Xeryus I had loved so much anywhere. Until years later, when my brother surprised me on my 50th birthday with a full vintage bottle he'd found at an auction. Reunited with my teenage crush!"
From collector to creator
"When I started experimenting with fragrance creation, I quickly realised that whatever I created had to be personal. Otherwise, there was no point for me. My love for spices and colours hopefully shines through in my perfumes.
Annindriya's CEO Tanja essentially gave me carte blanche for my creation for her brand. The result is Walk With Me, a perfume full of movement and contrasts. I think it is both uplifting and comforting, while remaining distinctive. The kaffir lime in the opening is a reference to Indonesia."
Taking incense to Bali
"For New Niche's Before The World Moved Again, I wanted to create a tropical incense. Many Western incense perfumes can feel gothic and church-like. I wanted to take burnt incense to Bali, where it is used in the Canang Sari offerings.
I think that when creating perfume, or any other form of expression, it is important to stay true to your identity: to stay true to your soul."