2012 Indie FiFi Award Finalists and GIVEAWAY!

Thank you Jeca and Fragantica!!! I will love to share my experience when trying them!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love niche perfumes and not smelling like everyone else!

Whoopee!!! Thank you, Fragrantica!

Congratulations to the winners! ;o))

I would love to sample these perfumes! I am addicted to perfumes & I love trying something new, unique. The FiFi Awards is really nice because they give independent perfumers a chance to shine. :) Wonderful!

I think the Indie FiFi Awards are a great way to draw attention to independent perfumers and gives the much needed advertising, I should imagine. Of the ones mentioned, I have only tried 5 of the perfumes mentioned above, but I'm grateful for independent perfumers as they are the ones keeping the art of perfume alive.

Some say a picture paints a thousand words but for me, a beautifully crafted perfume creates a thousand pictures and stirs within many more memories and imaginings. Niche fragrances are living art forms that transcend time and place and allow the creator to touch people's senses and emotions in a way that neither music, dance, literature or visual art can do. As for our other bodily pleasures, food and sex, where would they be without our highly evolved sense of smell? I thank all the great noses out there for endeavouring to create wonderfully unique scents that continually amaze, delight, inspire and challenge me.

Where I live there are not many independent niche perfume brands and, loving perfume as much as I do, it's almost impossible not to dream about getting to know this whole new world. I know somewhere out there there must be that special scent made for each of us.

As soon as I started getting interested in perfume I gravitated towards Niche fragrances. I've had the good fortune to travel a lot, and the niche scents I've tried seem to be very adept at capturing the atmosphere or "feel" of a place and time. Most of them are very evocative and adventurous. That appeals to me and I can't wait to see the results of these awards as well as try as many more Niche perfumes as I can!

I blush admitting this but I'm a niche virgin. My love of fragrances is one that has lasted a lifetime but my knowledge of niche fragrances is relatively new. Due to the state of the economy, I will have to wait with baited breath for an opportunity to try out these award-nominated gems.

Thanks to the Fragrantica community and this article I have a reference point from which to use when I am able to delve into the extraordinary world of niche fragrances. It is amazing how these perfumers are able to create olfactory works of art; quite frankly, it confounds and intrigues me how it is done.

niche perfumery for me has a great advantage - it doesn't have to(and what is better - it doesn't strive to) struggle to appeal to a large number of people, which allows them to be a lot more original than mainstream brands will ever be .. hence, many people who are sick and "tired of the newest by..." can still find interesting fumes to wear and stand out from the crowd.. separate awards - absolutely yes!

there are so many scents i want to try. Indie? They are the real art of scents

Although I`ve sampled a lot from the world of niche`s, there`s many from the list of nominees I`ve never smelled. The Fifi award is a great oppurtunity to discover these, sometimes, hidden gems that comes without a huge advertising campaign.
I miss Sonoma scent studio and Mona di Orio on the list though.

These fragrances are priced to be exclusive. I had the idea they were down market from Dior, Givenchy et al. They are not. They are above Bond No. 9 on price point.
That said, if Bois 1920 Come L'amore speaks to you like no other- $220 may seem a comfortable price to pay for a scent you will wear with some exclusivity. Your scent, unlike CK frags, will not be in everyone's closet.
I noticed several of these finalist perfumes have civet in their top notes. Is this the real deal civet? Perhaps these frags are exclusive for their ingredients?
Though most of us will never own these scents, I'm happy these perfumers are aknowledged for their art.

I so want to try these!

The beauty of indies - be they film, wine, or fume - is that one can create something wonderful for its own sake without the pressure to dumb it down to meet a market projection. Whether it is a success or a flop, we are likely experiencing something that is pure and a labor of love. I am very happy to see this recognition in the FiFi Awards.

I love how these fragrances (and demands) are differentiating beyond simplistic categories along prescribed gender stereotypical lines. There is so much more variety to identity, preference, and whim of the moment. And feminine and masculine, in their truest sense, are not anchored to biology. There will always be a place for the usual suspects (many of which are fabulous in their own right), but they conjure up but a few of the many faces of the divine.

As a reader of many perfume blogs I'm aware of a number of indie perfumers and niche brands and have sampled from some of the nominees, though not yet from the finalists.

I'm really glad to see the addition of this award as a way of getting the word out to perfume wearers who aren't very aware of these scents or who wouldn't otherwise be motivated to seek them out. It's like the buzz that can happen around the small indie films that get an Oscar nod -- "oh, I guess I'll have to check that out."

The more perfume lovers who experience the individuality, quality and creativity of these brands and perfumers, the more pressure there may be on the mainstream to produce a wider range of interesting scents. And, with the internet they're not really too difficult too access and most independents and niche brands have reasonable sample ordering programs on their websites.

Of course, aside from broad publicity, it's also important to see the independent or small niche brands get deserved recognition and reward from their colleagues and the perfume industry.

I'd love to be a sample winner and continue my experience with the creativity and quality of indie perfumers.

so finally Odin has been noted..i have two bottles of their Odin 02 which is a strange mixture of heavy fruity and light spicy notes

Wow, there are so many scents that I've been wanting to try. It's difficult to find many niche brands, but they have so many hidden gems!

One of the things I love about niche perfumes is that they tend to be more original - the don't seem to feel the need to follow trends, and the ingredients are often finer.

Going down the list, I recognize so few of the perfumes. I have become more discerning in my purchases as time goes on. And, I seem to be going to greater lengths to attain hard-to-get juices.

Fingers crossed on this draw!

It's so pitty that I can't find these perfumes to try in my town....

now this is yet another good excuse for new samples :)))

Awards for indie perfumes is such a progressionist feature in the FiFi awards. The image indie perfumes conjure up in my mind..... an inspiration that is 'sketched' into a perfume, using quality of ingredients, the attention that goes to making each little bottle, hand blended by someone so passionate that their passions and stories ooze into the juice. (I have all these crazy images, in my mind making of a celeb perfume is where Coty-like giant buys a celeb, hires a perfumer who in spite of what he thinks has to come up with what the celeb's demographic would like, which is then mass produced, is an instant hit and fame of the perfume fades away into bargain bins just like the memory of the scent or the celeb themselves!)

I am very much for accessible perfumes that everyone can get their hands on and try. But the way it becomes accessible is by recognition by the industry, by people in the know, not by mass production. Take for example the nominees and the finalists. I have only tried a few but now that I am introduced to so many masterpieces, I am keen to try them all!

As for how the winner will be judged, that must be a mammoth of a task! Another image in my mind... the panel of judges wearing each of the finalist perfume for days, sniffing themselves, experiencing how the perfume progresses, how it lasts, what it makes them think of, what poetry they'd come up with, writing down their thoughts, comparing notes...... wow that does sound like fun!

It is a relief, frankly, to see that FiFi has an indie award category. I, too, have sensed a rampant lack of imagination in new fragrances. Anything that shakes up the field and brings attention to smaller businesses is an A+ is my book. Love it, and I can't wait to experience these indie favorites!

It is wonderful that Indie perfumers are being recognized and honored in this way as a reminder that beyond all of the mass market advertising campaigns there are still people around who care about the *art* of perfumery!

unfortunately,I haven't got a chance to try any of finalists nor nominees perfumes where I live.but indie FiFi award is a great chance for less popular perfumeurs to introduce their products.what impressed me much,is that most of finalists are unisex perfumes,which would be a right step to clarify that scents don't have any gender!
Siberian Snow has a very nice name and I think it would be my face(though I don't feel snow would smell like woods,flower and green notes!)
o6 amanu,though a strange name,but the smelling shouldn't be strange for me,as it's close to my culture.
some of the other nominees like secret garden and nectar of love seem to be very interesting too.

I wonder who are the judges and how they judge? In my opinion, perfumes are so personal and subjective, who has the right to say this is better than the other?

I am not personally acquainted with each house listed, but I know some of them and I am happy to see them as finalists and nominees. It's also fascinating to see so many independent parfumeries and indie houses among the nominees. I am a huge fan of DSH fragrances, because of their wide range, originality and quality. I am also excited to see Vanille Insensee listed as nominee, it is one of the best vanilla fragrances out there, in my opinion. D.S.& Durga is a house I am particularly interested in, but their perfumes are out of my reach, unfortunately; but maybe someday I will test them, especially that Siberian Snow! I haven't heard of Marc Atlan before, but I now am very curious - Petite Mort reminds me of each and every day of my life ;)

I'm happy to see independent perfumery is starting to gain more and more importance and popularity. Indie perfumes are often the most unique and revolutionary fragrant creations, closer to art (as perfumery should be) than to marketing strategies.

I wish I could be able to attend this event, but in the impossibility of doing so, I wish good luck to all the finalists and may the best one win.

Also, thank you Fragrantica for the giveaway!

I think they had a really hard work to choose finalists out of all. I believe there are all beautiful perfumes that all deserve attention.

I am a little torn about this, though niche perfumery gives us some treasures and tries to dp a very good job that fact that they are unavailable disappoints a lot of people. I have been curious for many of them yet impossible to have my hands on, well the prices are very high too, understandable though as they use the best ingredients as far as I know.. Yet it is admirable that there is an award t support this work because more than work it is really a form of art.

I honestly don't quite know how to respond when I see awards for independent perfumers. I've never had the privilage of sampling anything from most of these houses, so it's hard to feel the apropriate enthusiasm for the FiFi Awards, but it is great to see them getting recognition for their works. I have to admit that when I see niche houses coming out with such amazing blends I feel rather frustraited at the lack of availibilty. I suppose part and parcel of this lack is what contributes to the overall exclusivity of niche brands. Either way, I cannot wait to see the winner this year. Judging mostly off of notes, I already have my favorite in mind that I'm rooting for, but I wish each and every entry luck.

I have to be honest and say that I'm not familiar with many of these brands except for Min New York which I know to be a hair care company for men. I was not aware that they had any perfumes. I'm also familiar with Eclectic Collections as I did own one of their perfumes. I was very satisfied with the quality and the scent itself was really good. I'm also familiar with Smell bent here through this site. Little by little with events like these I gets to expand my knowledge and that's when curiosity arises. I think is a great that we get to be informed of what is going on in the fragrance industry. This is a great opportunity also for these companies to get notice and for people to realize that great work, love and tremendous effort has been made by these individuals to present to us their work. I will like to wish the finalist good luck and I'm very curious as to who will be the winner. I will be very a happy soul if I get the privilege of winning these samples of these hidden gems.

Thank you! I am interested to know who they chose and what fragrances sound really different. I think its a good way to explore other niche fragrance lines. Sadly in Australia, we don't get much chance to try these fragrances - thank goodness for internet & Fragrantica!!!

Although the pricing and accessability are at times frustrating, I also think that the limitations of niche perfumes are a great part of their charm. Because they are so exclusive, people have the urge to seek them out and enjoy them fully, whereas people would be less fascinated with mainstream perfumes that they could simply grab off any shelf. Both types satisfiy their own group of fragrance lovers, but niched scents definately pocess more artistic value. Makers of niche perfumes strive to create unique quality scents that express a certain meaning, while mainstream fragrances aim to please the general public.

I never even knew perfumes had awards! I have now gone back and reviewed winners from previous years to help me decide on new samples to order. I am excited to find out who will win this competition. I haven't tried any of these finalists yet, but I have sampled a number of the nominees and found some I really love.

Interesting. I personally have not smelled any on this list but there are some that look to be very interesting (and I've been on a rose kick for the last week or 2)

As to how they would choose one above the other, I can only guess they go by whats in them, how they smell (structure) though smell is totally subjective an all (but then again most contests are!!!)

Searching out the niche perfume brands and reading up on them is the ultimate fun in detective work! Everyone needs to be recognized and congratulated for their hard work and dedication to creating memories for all of us who enjoy the world of perfume. Good luck to all - I can't wait to read more about the nominees and I hope to enjoy some of their scents myself.

I am interested to see who will win this! I have only smelled Siberian Snow out of the five finalists, which was actually launched in 2009 but was reformulated and relauched in 2011. Honestly I like the old version much better so am surprised it made it into the top 5. And Staghorn Sumac is not a finalist but I think it is beautiful and deserves to be. I am interested in all the others. Thank you fragrantica!

I would really love to comment at least on one of the listed perfumes, but unfortunately (and honestly) I have no access whatsoever to any of them!!
Well, in theory it is great to have niche perfumery besides big Maisons which I have already commented before, have fallen pray of marketing geniuses and lack of taste.
I sincerely hope that there are enough true artists and artisan perfumeurs to carry on the torch for the next generations!!

What a tough competition this was! It must have been hard to choose just five from so many great scents. I have not had the opportunity to try them all, and of the five finalists, I have tried only Cuirs, but it is an amazing scent, and I have tried other perfumes from the four finalists. They're definitely a talented bunch!

Best of luck to the finalists and to all our contest entrants. :-)

I think the Indie FiFi Award for independent niche perfume brands is amazing. Indepedent perfume brands sadly are not be as popular as brands like Juicy Couture, Thierry Mugler, and Dior, but they're just as great, if not greater. I'm happy that those perfumers, who work oh so hard, are being recognized.

Like jeca said, I believe that all of the perfumers are passionare about their craft. You can tell by the amount of work that they put into their fragrances. For example, I love, love, love Smell Bent fragrances. They're fun, different, a little crazy, but unique! And they also smell really, really good. If niche designers got the same attention as mainstream designers, they would be really popular as well. I would personally love to try all of the fragrances.

Thank you all for this great giveaway, Fragrantica. Be blessed. :-)

Good question! But maybe like any awards... partly prestige, eventually they choose one of those who made it up already anyway. I`d say any awards are like feast of lovers of that certain thing. I always think the same watching any music or film awards as well. There probably are some criteria but judged by people who are passionate each about something else and particular and all together by the same thing. If you said you are having 5 samples of those who didn`t make it into the first 5, I`d say hooray anyway! :D

Honestly I just don't know what are the criteria for choosing one indie perfume and rejecting another... They are all good and made by people who love what they do. They are independent, so trends don't work here, at least they all declair it. I can understand the competition between major players based on popularity in masses (they are in all stores, so people can smell). They invest money for people to know them... I will definetely ask about it at Elements.

I am really very curious for perfumes, which can beat Frapin 1697.. just cant imagine it. And do not tell me, that I am preoccupied:))))

I'm a blogger for niche perfumery only and my goal is to educate consumers about this artful, magical and wonderful segment of perfumery still not well known by them. Therefore, I fully support any initiative towards niche perfumes especially if it comes to recognize and award some of the best artists and their master pieces.
It would be nothing less than an honor for me, to share my experience after trying the 5 finalist’s perfumes and expose them to my readers.
PS: I’ve already announced and congratulate them in my blog!

Looking at the pictures of the bottles, boxes and brand-names I never heard of makes me feel curious and excited... Yes it would be something fantastic to have an opportunity to smell creations from the other side. Big brands are all around us and for my part I do enjoy them... For me it is an adventure to go check any unknown scent, to re-test previously disliked scent... always a journey. We all know what a treat it is during a busy day pass by a perfume store or pharmacy and test any scent! Not only busy mums know what I`m talking about :)
To have the opportunity to smell the best of independent perfumery. Wow! New planet to be discovered.

Just to update... this is really interesting and yes it would please me soooo much to win (wow!) but I see no reason why should anyone put down the big brands for that matter. I`m sure perfumers working for them have the same passion for what they do only just took the mainstream journey. For that reason they are not any less of artists to me.

First of all, I would like to thank Fragnatica and the organizers for the kind chance to win samples.
I heard about niche perfum brands 3 months ago, so I am a bit beginner. Even so I have a lot of niche samples now, and I am on the right track to be a perfum-maniac. But in the scents there are words, and there are a lot of fantastic memory and so more...
From the 5 fragrances above I only smelled the Carner Barcelona: Cuirs, and I found it quite good. It would be great to try all the 5 scents! :)

It will be interesting to see how one perfume can be selected from these five finalists, and would be a real treat to get to sample the five for myself. Good to see the increased exposure that Indie Perfumers are getting.

I'm pretty confident that the lucky Fragrantican winners will make it a point to review their samples so that the rest of us can get an idea of what the 5 finalists are all about. I confess that the only perfumer out of the 5 that I recognize is Miller Harris, but this giveaway could very well change that. Reading reviews at Fragrantica and other sites has led me to discover small perfumers like DelRae, Teo Cabanel, Illuminum and a bunch of others, so I guess what I'm saying is that this generous giveaway is a win-win for everyone.

Congratulations and best wishes to all five of the finalists, and with luck, we may be discussing them in the future in the company of people like Andy Tauer and James Heeley, two successful, talented perfumers who were "Indies" not so long ago.

i'm starting to test the waters of niche pefumes and they are unique and sometimes a little too different, but always a surprising experience. i like some of the smell bent fragrances i've tried. nice to see them in the running for an award.

I think it's great that the FiFi awards give independent perfumers get the extra attention they deserve. It takes a lot of courage to step out of the norm and fulfill that artistic vision of your soul instead of doing another boring mainstream frag just because that's what most people seem to spend their money on (probably because they just don't know what's out there).

I regret that these fragrances are mostly unavailable in my country. Hopefully this will change if awards like these create more publicity for the nominees.

I have tryed only Cuirs by Carner,it impressed me qiute a lot.They have great sampling program and will definitely will try it on me.
It's lovely that this award is given.It's great honour for the creators and it's way for showing more peolpe that they can find a treasure among the less popular brands.I have a lot of favourites from this category and I'm always curious about exploring the little universe of every niche and indie house I discover.

Edit: (semi) readily available where I live (sorry!)

I think it is fascinating that there is this 'parallel universe' of perfumery alongside the mainstream brands. So many scents, so little time!
Every year I pledge not to overindulge and I fail miserably every year...(-:
Of the brands shortlisted for this award, only Miller Harris is (semi) readily available. I'd love to try them all!