Michy: ⁓ Mitti Parfum: ⁓ almost like movie, Bollywood movie thing, right? You don't really hear things like this, ⁓ but ⁓ we don't anything about each other. We didn't know either one of us existed, but happened to have chosen the most unexpected of locations to come and study. ⁓ None, and I ⁓ none of the that ⁓ I knew of the place that I lived or grew up in. For that matter, I had even heard of Minnesota. They all knew New York, they knew Texas, they knew San Francisco. And North Dakota and Minnesota are two of the most unknown places, territories, uncharted lands. And we happened to choose those two states to come and study in. So whatever happened almost feels surreal and... Almost the Bollywood movie I tell everyone. And then it took us or it took me leaving the country to go and start elsewhere in Canada for her to find me whilst living a parallel life or geez. Through a random dating app. Exactly. And when we started to chat more and more, we realized we were always living a parallel life in the same states, same cities, same markets, same... Michy: you Mitti Parfum: doing same things on some specific weekends which was scary it's like almost like you have a stalker for last 15 years you just never met him and then four months into dating we just we just decided to get married I do not subscribe to that sentiment I want that on the kids Michy: ⁓ my goodness. Mitti Parfum: It was so, I think, a surrender pity. Like we were supposed to be together all this while. We were living two parallel lives, we just never met. And we also have pictures from back in the day when I was in Boston, Quincy Market, in front of a specific tree. And he was right there maybe 10 minutes ago. Michy: ⁓ my gosh. I mean, definition of like red string theory where you two have just always been connected and just met at the right time when it was, when it was right for you to meet you met. And I love that. ⁓ my goodness. Guys, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. For those who don't know who you are, can you please introduce yourselves? Mitti Parfum: Yeah. Absolutely. I am Rudimol, the founder and creative director of Mitty Parfum. And I'm Nirav, the perfumer and also logistics expert of Mitty Parfum and the in-house best coffee and tea maker. Michy: Very important job. You keep the wheels turning by making the coffee. Oh man. Josh: Very important. Mitti Parfum: Yeah. Yep. Josh: Thank you for joining us tonight. As we, you know, we did quite a long series diving into the big meaty issues with perfume as an industry, because we feel that that is deserving of critique. And we said, you know, a good palette cleanser would be embracing all of the joy and whimsy in perfume. And ⁓ when Michi and I started talking about that and I was like, well, who should we bring on? Michi was like, we have to talk to Mitty. Michy: Thank you. Josh: We have to bring them on. So thank you for joining us. Michy: Yeah, I have to say just knowing you two has brought so much joy to my life and then your fragrances even more so. So I think I don't think any brand fits this bill better for me right now. Mitti Parfum: I you guys are far too kind. It's only Thursday and might tear up after the end of the, by the end of this interview. yeah, I don't have, I don't really have any makeup on. So you will see my tears if I tear up. Michy: you Listen, I don't have any old fashions in me, so hopefully I won't be crying this time, but you know. This time, yes. Although I don't know, Leia might make me cry at some point. Josh: This time. So you had this kind of, like you said, Bollywood movie almost of this beautiful development of your relationship and your kind of tether to one another. What brought you to scent initially? Mitti Parfum: So scent, to be honest with you, was always a way of life. Like, for instance, I still remember the first thing we woke up to was carnations and flowers being put into a plate to offer to the deities in the morning. And when that entire ceremony took place to the kind of spices that you would be subjected to when you walked into the mom's kitchen. Michy: Thanks. Mitti Parfum: I honestly think subconsciously, scent or fragrance of one way, or form has been so intertwined in everything that we've lived. It only took us later adolescence to recognize that that can be put into perfumery. You know, it's kind of an experience of, aha, Eureka, OK, I can capture that. Michy: Okay. Mitti Parfum: At least that was how it started for me standing behind my mother and holding her sari. She's a fabulous cook. One of these days when we go to India together, you're to have to eat some of the food that she makes because. And so same for my mother and all both are I'm blessed. Let's just say that. Michy: Thank ⁓ Mitti Parfum: ⁓ And then I got into mixology in college and mixology was a natural gateway for me to take flavors and fragrances or head towards fragrances through that. And by this time we had already been steeped into different kinds of French fragrances, Indian athars. ⁓ We've had agarbattis or incense sticks through and through the entire childhood. So by the time I reached mixology For me, it was almost combining everything from cooking into the world of cocktails. And that was an eye-opener for me with my love of collecting perfumes by then, of what perfumery can be. So I started tinkering into perfumes. And that was my insight into or entry point into the world of perfumery. Michy: you Mitti Parfum: It was something very similar, right? As a ritual, centers so deeply embedded, integrated in our lives since our childhoods, we don't even realize that. it is, it's a bottle, right? Like only after maybe when I was 16, 17, I'm like, oh wait, I can actually buy a perfume bottle. We did see a lot of those back home or I did as a, on a dresser. You know, my parents had dresser, they had their own sense and I was just, you know, spritzing the way out of those bottles. But it took me, I think, maybe 16, 17 years to realize, ⁓ OK, I can start buying my own stuff. And when we both met, we had a very deep shared interest in scents that for our second or third date, I remember going to different boutiques in Canada, just trying to split and understanding what he likes and if he likes my scent. In fact, Scent was a big driver for me in choosing him as a partner like his body smell and vice versa. More so for you. So Mike called me a little shallow when it comes to this, but I apologize to everyone ahead of time for saying this, but there are many moments where someone's Michy: Okay. Thank you. Mitti Parfum: fragrance has put me off so much that a person is no longer a part of any of my circles of my life. Because it doesn't happen. And I know I'm fumbling right now and I apologize beforehand, but yeah, that's the fact. But second of the big reason, both of us even went to the next stage of like, okay, maybe this can work. This is more than just a date. Yeah, that's when I knew she was my girl. Michy: Yeah. No. Was there ever a point ⁓ or have you always decided that this was making this brand was something you were going to do together or did it start separately and come together? Mitti Parfum: was always a together thing. And for was more of a passion in the beginning. But when Rithima saw that I was able to make perfumes, she brought about a force of positivity. it ⁓ was, you know, when you're doing ⁓ as a passion, you don't really too much on, we make this into a business? We both come from business, but I'm business families. So. ⁓ I naturally should have been in this foresight that, I know the skill, let's make a perfume product, let's bring it forward. But it took me marrying her for her to see that I could do something of that sort to then kind of get that bug into both of us. And then we almost had this, I still remember that we couldn't sleep that night the second we had listed the LLC. And we were like, it's real. It's actually real. It's no more. We will do one day. It's here. We're doing it. So, yeah, tomorrow's the day. It always started together, right? He's somebody who cares about sensory. Michy: you ⁓ Mitti Parfum: things, textures, smell obviously. And I'm somebody who was like the creative force. So when we had our workshop, a perfume workshop together, ⁓ which was by the way facilitated by him at our kitchen dining table, he helped me make my own perfume. That was a date night idea. We were not even thinking of starting our own brand. We just knew we love perfume so much. We would take candle making classes. We were just Michy: Thank Mitti Parfum: do a lot of random date nights around scent. And when he helped me make a scent where I was in my own world of imagination, it was like a whimsical night, I remember that night, I knew we have to do something about it. So when the creative force, you know, met his sensory vision, we're like, we have to do it like there's no way we were too passionate about this to just. Michy: Thank Mitti Parfum: Let him die as a dream. And have you heard she does not stop from her passion. My beautiful gorgeous wife, she is a force. ⁓ She is she has in the beginning, to be very honest with you, she had she had so much passion for business. It was enough for both of us and more. So it was that that contagion was within me because of her. I think there was a lot of passion to share. Josh: for sure. Michy: you Mitti Parfum: our story, our culture, ⁓ and where we come from. We just didn't think that it would, ⁓ we would have to find a website now, find somebody to design, find somebody to, how do you like ship things? What? Like it was all on the go pretty much. Michy: Yeah, A plus date idea, by the way. And, you know, gentlemen, take note. That's how you want to woo a lady or a man for that matter. Just make candles. Make them a fragrance. Josh: It's a really just special story. ⁓ As you sat down and you finally said, okay, we're going to do this. what does that creative process look like when you're working together? Mitti Parfum: I say this jokingly that she's my reflection, but to be very honest with you, ⁓ it starts off with words and without getting too technical. ⁓ And I only say this because I might ramble off into the details and the details of it. ⁓ But words have this innate power when they when they are written down from your mind to your page. And then when you read them out loud, picture they paint from whence they were said to once that was written, I think it is so strong and so powerful, at least for me, they come out in the form of poetry or verses or stories. And when I reread them of what I've written down, it shows an entire picture of textures, colors. fragrances, materials, all just within itself right there. ⁓ Many times does not make any sense. Many times I take it to her and she's like, yeah, no. But many times when I do kind of start getting into making the first iterations and I take it to her, ⁓ the reflection of ideas and Michy: Thank you Mitti Parfum: how she goes about not critiquing, but improving on some of these things. She is a true, true evaluator of my work in a way. She is the silent backbone of this entire company in a way that she evaluates and guides me down the right path, knowing the pulse of the industry as well. And she tells me that, okay, this is too niche. You can keep this for... Michy: Yeah. Mitti Parfum: MITI Labs. by the way, that's also something that's very exciting. I want to share with you guys. This is the only time. is the first time. I have a lot of experiments I'd like to bring forward. But in this process, the first stage is me writing stuff down, ⁓ imbibing what I've written down, hearing them, putting them into a sort of feeling. And then Michy: Ooh, please do, we'll get to that. Mitti Parfum: going to the raw materials, making the first modification, going to her. She's the first round of evaluation of what happens to that particular mode and how it goes from there. But ideally, that's where it starts. But I want you to share your side of it. So I have to play a dual role. of both a creative director and how do I also wear hat of a consumer, right? So I'm somebody who loves art and stories. So I'm always also thinking does that justify the story that he was trying to give because sometimes you're probably in the maze. You don't know what's happening. So I am trying my best to keep that aerial view of the maze to see if it helps to know. Is it giving textures? Is it giving colors? Is it hitting me? Also, another thing I always think about, am I able to wear this in real life or is just gonna be a collector's bottle sitting at my dresser? Right, it's very hard sometimes to play the role of both creative director and a consumer, but I guess I signed up for it. So it's fun because sometimes, my opinion matters until it doesn't matter, right? Michy: Mm. Yeah. Mitti Parfum: Chikara was such a classic example where maybe it's just me, I'm not into aquatic sense. And it was too early in the stage where I was still learning to play the role, the dual role of both consumer and director. And according to my judgment, I'm like, I don't think it's going to work. And guess what? It turns out to be our best seller. Wow. Michy: Yep. Mitti Parfum: So, you know, it's, important until it's not important. I'm so glad he did a great job at just sneaking Shikara in at one of our pop-ups. And I was very happy to be proven wrong. Then now she is, ⁓ we discussed about this one avenue where I can let loose all of the fences and come up with as niche as I want to go as crazy as I want to go. We're coming up with something called as Mitty Labs. Michy: Yeah. Mitti Parfum: where a very small batch, the plan is to release a very very small batch of ⁓ accords that I was playing with that are deemed ⁓ too niche or to out there to be released to a select few and it will be 25 to 50 bottles of 10 milliliters and that's the max we're gonna go and see how that reception is and if people love the outlandish ideas out there we might continue the second month and the months forward but yeah Mitty Labs is something of it's my sandbox. Michy: Yeah. ⁓ I love it! Can you tell us what some of these strange chords might be for your first run? Mitti Parfum: So I have this chord of... It's a wet curtain of cord. You've had a glimpse of it. You've had a glimpse of it, but it was way back when. So that's the first one I want to go with. It's the wet curtain of cord that you get in summertime. It reminds you of fresh cut grass, but not in a green way, in a way that is more anise-like. And it has... Michy: Okay. Mitti Parfum: It has almost like a wet cinder block kind of a feeling to it. I'm not. And the funny thing is I'm not even playing with Petra Koran this it's a different accord. It just makes you feel as though it's raining outside and the rain has come through and hit the curtains. The curtains have gotten wet and the wind that blows in. It kind of welcomes you into the summer. Michy: Thank I was watching Josh's face when you first said it and I was like ⁓ yeah okay ⁓ we're into it into it. ⁓ Mitti Parfum: Laughter Josh: Yeah, I love all the weird stuff. I have a whole shelf of just mushroom perfumes, so like, wet and dark and damp is where I go. Michy: Yeah. I love the way you've you found a way to work together even through differences in taste and directions and finding a way for each of your voices to really be shown throughout the fragrances. I think that's that's really beautiful. Mitti Parfum: ⁓ nice. Michy: think that there's a kind of trust that exists in your work because of your relationship? Mitti Parfum: 100%. I think that's where it all started, right? not just because I thought he makes great perfumes, but also because I know he brings in such a balance of mechanics, frameworks, building systems. And especially he coming from an engineering background, that really helped us. So I know this is not my strong suit. I just leave it up to him to figure out the whole logistics operations, right? Building something from scratch in terms of ⁓ Even setting up our lab right where we're right now, he did all of that himself. So I know I can just, you know, focus on other departments like design, creative, ⁓ studio, or, you know, other things. I know he's got it. And that's coming from such a deep trust that actually came from our relationship of like, again, like I've known him for close to three years now. And it took us some time. to get to the brand building, which we had no idea we were going to do that. But because I trust him with his decisions, I don't question that side at all. So I know he's got it. I never have to go get my car oiled. He's got it. I never had to even work on laundry sometimes or. Michy: Yeah. Mitti Parfum: Dishes. Dinner. Oh, dinner. Right. I know. Oh my God. Okay. I think I think the biggest one is I've in last three years, I've not made a cup of coffee for myself. I can't believe this is going to get captured and recorded on on audio now, but yeah, I've never had to even make my coffee. I have no idea where sugar and coffee are anymore, but that's my job. I love making the best coffee and I love the best thing I do is a ritual of making coffee for us. And if anybody knows, like if you can trust somebody with your coffee, you can trust him for your life. Josh: it is lovely and we have so many great questions about this, but also I can just tell this episode is gonna spark a lot of arguments with our listeners. Cause they're gonna be like, what do you mean? You don't even make me coffee. She hasn't had to make coffee in years. Michy: ⁓ And you know what? It should. Because everyone deserves that. Oh my goodness. I was gonna say that I want a pitch for Josh because Josh has been looking for their Perfect Coffee Send for a long time. you know, yeah. Josh: Good. Right. Michy: Metzingerz! Josh: I don't think it's crazy, I just, know I can feel, I can smell the coffee perfume I want and nothing matches that. Nothing meets that expectation. Mitti Parfum: Is it now I won't get too deep into it right this moment Josh but is it more realistic towards the coffee or is it more impressionistic towards the coffee? Josh: I want a photorealistic bitter coffee and incense. Mitti Parfum: Mm-hmm. I think I have something. I I have an accord that I was... yeah. As soon as it goes on, gonna go away. Josh: Yeah, because, yeah, everything goes ⁓ so sweet or really milky or to on that like abstract cafe and not coffee. Michy: Yeah. also how often do we hear people tell us the story of why they just started a brand is because they couldn't find the scent that just is exactly what they wanted Josh. So I don't know. I'm just saying. Josh: Yeah. So with the talk of this innate trust that you have in each other as a relationship, but as well as a creative duo in the brand, do you feel like you push each other in the creativity or do you stabilize each other with your own ambitions? Mitti Parfum: That, so we have both of our natures are the, we have a classic case of opposite attract. And I say that because I'm the one who does not mind giving hours and days for an accord to mature. And I find that while it's time is important, the time spent towards doing something is a lot more important. So the slowness of the entire process is my strong suit. And rightly so. That's the reason why I love cooking. I love mixology. love making perfumes. Perfume is my passion. And at the same time, I'm OK realizing that smelling the roses along the way is an acceptable way of living life. On the other hand, my wife, my gorgeous wife, Michy: and technology. Mitti Parfum: she is a tamer of chaos she sees chaos and she dives head in that gives me time that's absolutely your thing and i am this i'm this person who's going to be i i look at chaos and i say is it worth it he's a man of system yes and i'm a woman of chaos i'm the storm and he is Michy: . Mitti Parfum: the calming ocean. Right. And in fun fact, right, we have in Hindu mythology, we have Shiva and he's married to Shakti. Shakti. Shiva is a Hindu God and Shakti is the Hindu goddess. Michy: Thank Mitti Parfum: And they both not just empower each other, but also balance each other. And I truly feel we are, ⁓ we personify them a whole lot ⁓ where we do bring a lot of balance, but we also like to push each other a lot. He's always thinking of, for example, space optimization. And I'm thinking of time optimization. Efficiency is something that comes very naturally to me. So I'm thinking, why haven't you done 50 boxes in 20 minutes? Like why haven't you 50 boxes? Why is there just five? Also, loves and enjoys the process of folding, packing. He takes true joy in that. And I'm thinking, oh my God, we're like late. We have to ship them. Michy: Yeah Yeah. Josh: Thanks Mitti Parfum: You know, I'm thinking about five things ahead because I'm running at that speed. Yeah. It's absolutely a give and take. But many days we find ourselves pushing each other in the most positive manner. ⁓ Yeah, long story short, we do. Sorry, I was going to go ramble in a completely different direction. Yes, we do. But we need it, right? I need somebody to slow me down, which he did a lot of times at Fumed as well. People may not have noticed that. I'm feeling all the chaos he can see through me while I'm there at the exhibition and he just comes, he'll hold my hand or he'll just hug me or he'll just exchange eyes and I know that, OK, I can breathe. Michy: Yeah. Mitti Parfum: It's okay. We got it. Benefits of giving the best bear hugs. Michy: I think honestly for me that the joy just exudes off of both of you and off of your fragrances so much that I going back to even when we first met when you know right at the beginning when you had just launched Mitty and I had put out a call to offer indie brands that I would do photos product photos for them for you know ⁓ rights exchanges and I think By the time you had messaged me, I had already filled up my allotment for the month. But there was just something, and I had never smelled the fragrances, but there was just something about both of you and something about the way you were putting yourselves out there that made me think like, no, I really want to work with these two. Like, this is something I want to be a part of. And I think others feel that and see the joy that just exudes off of everything that you do. ⁓ And I appreciate you both so much for that as well. is there, where does joy have its place in the day to day for both of you and in your creation of Mitty? Mitti Parfum: Joy has ⁓ such a definition everything we in its own form. ⁓ To be honest, and I don't know if this is TMI, but we have a secret language of when we get an order and we get ⁓ giddy as a child. ⁓ ⁓ I mean, I opened that door, so might as well, right? So we have, ⁓ you know, in our night of vibes, we were constantly working on something else. And ⁓ in the midst of conversations, I get a ping on my phone, order requested. And if it's a discovery set, we go with the, you know, the whole. Michy: it. Mitti Parfum: It's the time to disco. if it's the full size, then we just do the happy dance. So, you know, things like this for us in our daily life for Mitty is it's joy transitions to just receiving the order to for me, it's the pen of the week when I'm writing the notes for folks in their personalized notes and Michy: you Again. Mitti Parfum: my fountain pens, I take too much of joy in writing that with a pen. ⁓ For me, it's a lot of because I'm managing our social media. So it's a lot of like reading comments, getting messages, waiting to come back home to see it with him. Like we watch some review videos together or I make him read, hey, look what she said or what he said. Like, look, there's a story for us and this is what they're ⁓ expressing. And it's just such little joys which we never knew are coming our way, which we never signed up for. most rewarding part of sharing it with somebody who you know who I love and I've built something. ⁓ It's almost like raising a child. It's like your you know your child has an A grade in school and then you can't wait to go and tell your spouse hey by the way you know they got a they got a great grade at school something like that. She's my lady my personal lady whistle down. I do not go on to the social media as much as she does. Michy: percent. Thank Mitti Parfum: So whenever she hears something new or she does this, I almost have my own Bridgerton almost every evening sitting in front of her, chatting with her. And she gives me the lowdown of everything that's transpired throughout the day. Not in a gossip way. No, not in a gossip way, but in a news. Very graceful newsletter. Yes, in a very graceful way. Michy: I don't think we've ever had an interaction where your love of fountain pens has not come up at some point. Mitti Parfum: Yes, guilty as charged. Guilty as charged. Michy: Have you been wearing your black fountain in honor of your fountain pens? Mitti Parfum: You know, Chris has yet to give me my signed bottle of black fountain. Michy: ⁓ Chris, Chris we have to have a word from you. Cultus Caori. Josh: Call out Chris. I, it's so delightful to hear the way you two work together. I am now, anytime I buy a disco set now, just so you know, I'm gonna be like, like, yeah, I'm gonna do that. ⁓ You know, it's lovely to see that you have these like moments, especially as you're building this brand and as it's growing. What are some of the small moments that feel Michy: Yeah. ⁓ Josh: just as meaningful as big milestones for you. Mitti Parfum: the very first, very first review that we had received ⁓ on TikTok, we were on our way India for, it was a very important journey and we were both very stressed. And this was just the time when we had started ⁓ venturing out and selling our perfumes ⁓ and ⁓ Our first review had dropped on TikTok. Our very, first. And we are boarding our flight to India. And ironically, we were also going to go to Punech the first time ever during our trip. So the synergies were just there. We just didn't know and expect a review would come in right when we have we have boarded at this point and we have occupied our seats. And then a TikTok message pops up and I'm like, okay, let's just watch whatever. What a big deal. And next thing I noticed I was tearing up. I still remember who it was, what they said, which perfume they tried. I remember everything so vividly. And I made him watch and I couldn't stop sobbing for like the next, I think for an hour. I couldn't believe what just happened. And that made our... Indian trip that much more meaningful and special. It just it touched home. Whatever. It's like whatever we set out to do, the message is finally getting through. We didn't expect it to. To translate that well, and it wasn't. You know, whilst it wasn't winning the Art in Old Fashioned Awards or being featured into a magazine, this one was more important. Stuff like this. It still is. it, this is what got us goosebumps and gives us fuel to wake up every morning, fight the good fight, make sure that we give everything we have to this and bring about the products that we do. And even furthermore. Yeah, little moments, but like big, big impact. Yeah, like for instance, at Fumed, we met David, who is in love with Mohe. ⁓ We met him at Scent Explore and then we met him again at Fumed. I kid you not, the words that we shared, ⁓ gives me fuel to do this art, to put in everything I have in this. And there are so many more folks. ⁓ I'm even, I know, it's it's those small moments that culminate together to come see smiles on everyone's faces and the hugs, my God. Hugs, lore. Every single hug that I've given, every single person has been, ⁓ I put my soul into it and I feel the love. Every small thing like that is nothing short of an award-winning thing. Michy: Thank see. Thank Yeah, this is I told I told you guys this story, but I think it's it's worth repeating on the podcast. But recently I had a gentleman come into the store who was born and raised in India and he came in specifically looking for another brand, another Indian owned brand to smell. And we were mostly out of stock of them. So I directed him towards Mitty and he I mean, not only did he purchase a bottle, but he became so emotional smelling through all the fragrances and he pulled up a map and he was explaining to us how each fragrance reminded him of a very different region of India and he was feeling so homesick in that moment and he I believe he picked up he picked up verisaut because it's the one that reminded him most of where he grew up and I just loved watching how much you know, people are connecting not only on social media, but to see it in real life. Somebody feels so connected to what you're doing. I think it's, it to me, it shows just how important the work that you're putting out there really is, especially for the representation that, you know, you're filling this gap that really doesn't really exist in mainstream perfumery for people. Mitti Parfum: that means so much and Virasat has had a lot of emotional reactions from a lot of people. for a very similar reason. was also at Fumed that we saw somebody had a very similar reaction and just I'm like, I'm not supposed to cry, guys. Like I was cheering because she was. And yeah, it was I was in disbelief just to see that in real life. And the funny thing is we haven't the first five that we made. It was Michy: Thank you. Mitti Parfum: in ode or homage to where we came from, who we were. It was to our motherland who made us. ⁓ We don't say that to people, but when people smell it, it takes them back. And I think there's nothing better or bigger compliment to me or to her to have made this lineup that if our vision translates even beyond the words, even before the words come in. So I think we must be doing something right. Michy: Yeah, I think it's a really great hallmark when people can pick up on your story without having to look into the notes and without having to look into the copy. If they're immediately connecting with it, I think you've achieved something really, really special. Far beyond, then, this smells good, this doesn't smell good. You've built connection there. And ⁓ it's true. I think. Josh: What are? Michy: We were all very emotional during during fumed. was just such a big giant love fest. I think it just felt so good to like be around all everybody all the time. But sorry, Josh. Mitti Parfum: Yeah. Josh: ⁓ I agree though, I know the Sunday afternoon I had to leave to get my train and your table was still so crowded. I was like, I can't get to them, they're real busy. I'll talk to them in a couple weeks. Michy: ⁓ man. Mitti Parfum: Thank Josh: ⁓ But that's a good segue. What are some of the stories being told in Mitty Parfum? Mitti Parfum: So we'll start with the very first one. Virasat is the name means lineage or heritage. And this was my attempt at trying to capture the ages and ages of wisdom and stories that have been passed on from generations to generations being captured into a bottle and bringing that to the forefront of today. Michy: Thank Mitti Parfum: the person today wearing it and how they would feel wearing it. it just it's an ode or it's a thank you more than a note. It's a thank you to you know, for bringing us to here to now. Then we have. Shakara Shakara was Shakara absolutely surprised me even when I when I made it to when we brought it forward, Shakara was. a piece of memory from our childhood where you'd be on a wooden houseboat and in the morning time whenever you open the curtains or you open any of the tapestries to welcome the day you would get these moments of freshness from all around you. and specifically Shakara is a wooden boat on ⁓ the Dal Lake in the Kashmir Valley. It's a very special place if anyone ever gets an opportunity they should go visit and it's going to be an unforgettable memory. So when we got that over here when we went to the Bethany beach in Delaware and we stepped on to the beach in the morning I still remember it was Michy: Thank you. Okay. Mitti Parfum: the wind that got me back home when I stepped onto Bethany Beach. So Shikara is a bridge that bonds so many worlds together. ⁓ It's just, it's like the wind traveled through the entire geographic locations and brought us here. But yeah, Shikara is that. then, Roo is the meaning of love. What could love be and transpire into? ⁓ It's that thing that doesn't yell that I'm here. It just sits on you and just wants to hug you and when you've come close to a person with roux on it just It loves you back It is that comforting hug that we miss Mohi is an absolute playful enchanted perfume. It's kids being Kids courtship in the midst, relationships budding. everything that a young kid would feel growing up when they find the other person and want to have a chat with them. And then lastly, Ronnie Pink is the duality, absolute duality of being an adult. Michy: Thank you. Mitti Parfum: ⁓ my god, I still love bubblegums. And Ronnie Pink, it just brings about that bubblegum and then the velvety luscious musky note towards the end. just can't, I can't stop thinking about Ronnie Pink because it was the latest one that I made and, ⁓ sorry. He wears, he wears Ronnie Pink a lot. I love wearing Ronnie I love Ronnie Pink. Michy: Ha ha ha ha ha. Yeah. It's delicious. You did a phenomenal job with that one. And I knew it. When I first smelled it, you sent me a sample last year and I was like, this is going to be your biggest seller. That was an immediate yes. Mitti Parfum: Yeah, absolutely. So for me, just to answer this super quick, right, the stories that matter matter matter and will matter to us is also two brown kids who are supposed to be in a corporate world. By virtue of having Indian parents, you are supposed to either do engineering or become a doctor. Michy: you. Mitti Parfum: So it was important to also have some representation, given that I am married to a perfumer. It just made sense to do that. Also, it was born out of a little bit of an identity crisis, in all honesty, because I felt like we're living such a dual life, right? Being brown people living in the country, a little bit more Indian for America and a little bit more American for India. like, accept, embrace both the cultures. So I always think, right, can cultures coexist? Can I have two different homes? I still struggle with this answer when somebody asks me, hey, where's your home? What do you mean? This is my home. I, you know, I stay here, but home is also back in India. So can I truly have two homes? So Miti is truly for somebody who can have more than one culture. who is still in the transition phase, who can have multiple homes, who understands that you have stories tied to so many places and it can be more than just one country or one state. Michy: does that sort of hint at where we're going ⁓ the ⁓ few fragrances coming? Mitti Parfum: Yes. So we have never formally shared this, but what we worked on before is chapter one, paying a tribute to where we come from, which is our homeland, India. Chapter two, which is in the works currently, yet to be announced dates. That's going to honor who we have become and who we are becoming, which is more contemporary and paying attribute to the states, which is also our teacher. It's like being bringing forward all those beautiful memories that shaped you in becoming an adult and celebrating every small thing that you learned along the way whilst you grew up in this wonderful country. So the next line is going to be, it's going to take us to a time when we were younger, I still am young, but we were younger, I'm just kidding, getting older now, but still adult enough to make the most important decisions of our life. Michy: the job. Mitti Parfum: from that to here now in the present. So that's gonna be the next lineup. No dates yet, no dates. Michy: I can't wait. No dates. We won't tell anybody. Except everybody who's listening. Josh: I can't wait. Mitti Parfum: We're getting a lot of information on this podcast, by the way, guys, which we generally don't share. This is fun. I ramble. So I don't know if I've given enough or less, but yeah. Josh: Alright. Michy: I'd love to say that I'm pulling it out of you, but you're just letting it go for me. ⁓ Josh: But we've had three different occasions now where someone has spoken something into existence in an interview and said, well, now I've put it out into the world, so I have to do it. And that is a great honor that we have to hold that for you. Michy: Yep. Yeah, we're very excited to see what chapter two is going to be like. ⁓ I mean, clearly you are doing a very good job at balancing this, but how do you protect your relationship from it just not being just about the work that you're doing? Mitti Parfum: Thank you. ⁓ we're still learning. We're still learning. That's a very tough one. Remember the Friday date nights I was talking about? That doesn't happen anymore. Michy: Yeah. ⁓ Yeah Mitti Parfum: Because every time we try and go out on a date, which was like, let's try a new restaurant or try something new. Five minutes in, I kid you not five minutes. And we're like, ⁓ by the way, I got this email from this retail store. What? What? We're not supposed to talk about this. Yeah. Yeah. But it is a constant effort for sure. It is. We're still learning on the go. That's something that we haven't figured out. And I think like any couple that gets into starting a business together, we too shall, you know, kind of peak this mountain along the way. I don't really have, I wish I had a philosophical, brilliant answer to it, but I'm absolutely at a loss of words because I haven't attained anything in this. I will say though, this year has been slightly better, meaning maybe we got two dates in a quarter versus last year was we forgot to celebrate a lot of things. this is, ⁓ we have a big learning curve and if there's any advice out there, please send us our way. you get. Michy: So what I'm hearing is I have to start texting you on Fridays and making sure that you two are doing date night. Josh: ⁓ last little section was kind centered around this idea of ⁓ joy is often kind of viewed as something really loud and expressive. ⁓ But you've woven this much quieter, grounded form of joy into the work that you've done. But I would say it goes deeper than that. You've brought a real sense of love into everything you've done. the stories that you've created, the brand that you're building, the community that you're in is just so full of love. And like it's infectious. We've been smiling this whole episode. you know, what do you hope people encounter when they're smelling Mitty? Mitti Parfum: want them to feel at home. just it sounds so cliche when I say this that I want them to feel at home but I think so in in in Hindi we say meaning in literal translation our guest is like our God and In saying that, what we mean to or what we intend to say is we wish to make our friends and our relatives and our guests feel so at home by giving them the utmost amount of love and happiness and joy. And that's the same kind of joy I want folks to feel when they use our perfumes. It's just happiness, the grounded feeling. It's one of those... It's just pure joy. I can't, I can't... Michy: Thanks. Mitti Parfum: say any more than that but I'm sure you have a more eloquent way of saying it. I wish I did but I feel like for example for Ronnie Pink right I feel every perfume is communicating a different message for example our latest launch Ronnie Pink has it's such a message and I can see people who resonate with that I can just tell sometimes right off the bat this person is going to love Ronnie Pink because Michy: See you. Mitti Parfum: It is even for me when I use it, I'm the days I'm feeling super bold, the days I feel like I want to make a statement today, right? I feel accepted around my surroundings today. I wear running pink when I want to be like shy and introvert and little. in my own shell. wear Roux. So I hope the perfumes are able to tell that story when they wear. They feel accepted that day in that moment. You can have multiple boots throughout the month. So I feel if somebody wears Ronnie Pink, they feel okay today it's my day. I'm gonna go rule the world and wear block prints on prints. I don't care. You know, so something that it creates a bubble around them and they feel they're very safe. And that's exactly where they need to be. Michy: So moving ⁓ into our closing ritual, what does joy smell like to you now? Mitti Parfum: You have such amazing questions. These are very, very deep questions. Very deep questions. Joy for me smells of meeting her when she's back from work and hugging her and the fragrance of her body that just makes me feel like I'm at home. That's joy for me. I was going to say something similar. I'm sorry. So I have a problem guys. I can't sleep at night without this person right next to me. Michy: Thank Mitti Parfum: There are times when he is working in his lab till 3 a.m. and he thinks I'm asleep, but he also knows I'm not. So he's texting me to check. don't respond back because I just can't sleep until he slides into bed because I think it's the smell, the same smell that actually got us closer. So it's literally just his smell. I don't know how to say this and... Michy: Thank Mitti Parfum: It's not even the smell of perfume that lasts on his body for like 12 to 15 hours magically. have no idea how. Maybe same food. ⁓ But literally his skin smell. think that's, for me, that's joy, Aside from my few perfumes that I use here and there. Yeah. Michy: I think we've might have single-handedly ⁓ probably convinced all of our listeners that whatever their relationship status is right now it's probably not meeting expectations. Josh: Yeah. Yeah. Mitti Parfum: you Michy: You too. ⁓ Josh: like, ⁓ this is so beautiful and so lovely and it's disgusting. Mitti Parfum: We also get into a lot of creative conflicts, guys. Oh, For the record. Oh, yeah. It's more rosy. Yes. There's a lot of design creative conflicts. Yes. Just for the record. Yes. But you know what helps? And I think this is everyone should use this. When talks and conversations fail and you need to break an argument. This is just a theory and hypothesis. It could be wrong. Josh: Hahaha Michy: you Mitti Parfum: You should start talking to each other as though you're talking to babies. I don't think you can be mad at each other when they're talking to babies. Babydumb breaks everything. Yeah. It's, it's, hard. I've tried it. It works. Michy: So you just do baby talk when you're in an argument? I don't know if that would work with everybody. I'd probably get seriously angry. Mitti Parfum: better. He starts cooking. starts to cook really good food. How can I fight with somebody who's making me like delicious fish curry? Like what? Michy: Food is always the answer. Josh: So what are some scents that are bringing you both joy? Right. Mitti Parfum: Right now, the smell of... It's a faint woody smell with a hint of rain, ⁓ lighter than the Petrichor. It's the smell of evening setting and the sun setting in. It isn't even cold. It is perfectly balanced. And it's that gesture of walking on a path, looking up into the skies and just taking a nice long breath. It's that mother nature's lull that you get when the day is just setting down. That is the smell that I, it's, it's absolute joy right now. think they also mean like what are the sense, smell, breath. Michy: Doop! Ha Josh: I love that, but yeah, also if it's like something, a perfume. Michy: Yes. Mitti Parfum: You guys know we did not rehearse anything. No. Josh: Good, that's the point. Michy: That's great. ⁓ Mitti Parfum: I think I am obsessed with Black Fountain right now, of Kaori. is one to really... Oh, Melon Masu. Michy: Mm-hmm. Mitti Parfum: absolutely phenomenal ⁓ I haven't had an opportunity to get my bottles yet but I'm speed dialing Chris after this and I'm telling him to send me or I'm gonna go drive up to his place and pick it up yeah yeah we should do that I think we should do that so yeah those two are absolutely setting on my mind right now Michy: No. Yeah We should just group FaceTime him and yell at him. Mitti Parfum: along with JK's closet perfume. He has the one that you gifted me, I forget the name of it, Humidor. Yes, humidor. Fabulous. It just works on me hand in glove. Hand in glove. So good. That was mostly for Christmas gift. Yes, that was mostly for gift. Michy: Mm-hmm. Josh: cubidor is a perception. Michy: It all thing with doors. Yes. It's so good. Yeah, A plus choices. Mitti Parfum: Yeah, I am currently wearing Parfum's Obim. So I had a chance to meet her at Fumed and she gave me a few samples and I think that's going to turn into... Michy: Mmm, yes. Mitti Parfum: full size so I'm old-fashioned right now it's a little bit pine like sponge sugar. I love that on my skin and also another one that I'm really loving that we got from Chicago recently was Absence by Rapture. It is it's like I don't know for me it's like a custard pudding like a vanilla pudding. Michy: Mmm. Ooh. Mitti Parfum: And it's not, I'm not a Gormon girl at all by any means, but that sent me have just ⁓ switch something inside. It's mango, vanilla, custard and honey. Yes. a milk. Yes. It was the same perfumers, clue perfumery. ⁓ Laura Laura's me. Yeah. So we picked that bottle. Yeah. Michy: ⁓ okay. Yes. I love her work. Josh: ⁓ okay. Mitti Parfum: Also another one that I want to mention is by Saint-Tranque, Salt. It's something that I'm enjoying. It's a little bit fresh. Do you like that, Josh? Michy: Mmm, yeah. Josh: It is one of the strangest perfumes I've ever smelled but I'm so enamored by it Because to me and I'm very curious if you get this from it That's one of the scent trucks not a lot of people talk about ⁓ salt I get the like metallic like chrome motorcycle vibe that they were going for and then I distinctly get juicy fruit gum For like 15 minutes in the opening Mitti Parfum: I'm going to smell that once again. I'm going to put that lens and I'm going to smell that once again. I could get the metallics like that, but maybe I need to see beyond the metallics to pick up on the juicy fruit gum. Josh: And then it becomes this really cool kind of sun-warmed musk. Yeah, but that weird opening with the chrome and juicy fruit, was like, I could, I see the vision of this like motorcycle in the desert with bubblegum. Mitti Parfum: Yeah. Michy: Thank Mitti Parfum: That's a very cool. Yeah. Are you a visual person Josh? Michy: what are the fragrances that you're wearing right now and loving? Josh: loving. ⁓ well, I was just telling, ⁓ Mitty when they joined, ⁓ that it's been a really good week. I'm having a good week. So wearing a lot of like really fun fragrances, which given what I have in my cabinet, fun doesn't necessarily come to mind. So like Asian bakery by Mochi Glow. ⁓ yeah. Who doesn't want to smell like a salty buttery roll? Like it's Michy: Yeah. So fun. Yeah. Josh: It's a good fun fragrance and obviously hot milk by Hilda Soleani. Michy: Yeah, that's a good one. I have been really surprised. think so going into Fumed, I knew what I was picking up. I knew the tables I was going to hit. But the one brand that really surprised me was the afters. I loved the bottle, but I had just not smelled it before. But it was very surprising. And to me is like the I at least said this on her post about it. It's like the anti-clean girl fragrance. Instead, it's like the stumbling home drunk, your lipstick is smeared, your eyeliner is running. ⁓ It smells like you had a cigarette and regretted it an hour later. But it's like, this was like boozy honey. I'm like, this is bringing me so much joy and smells so fantastic. So definitely a big shout out to them because I think they did a great job with that fragrance and really capturing what they wanted to capture. Mitti Parfum: We'd have to try that. We have to try that. Michy: It's fun. Next time I see you, I'll bring you my bottle. ⁓ I want to close out with the question of what does it mean to build something with somebody that you love? Mitti Parfum: I think it that you are you have no bounds on being vulnerable with the other person because the one thing that you will be figuratively is completely naked in front of the other person in your mannerisms, in your weaknesses, in your strengths. It will expose every single corner of you to the other person. And unless you feel confidence in your love in your you have to have faith in your love and you have to have that belief that what we're doing together is the right thing before one chooses to do that because believe me you there are some things that even I did not know that I do and It was it took her to bring that to surface to me For me to realize That's actually true. Yeah. So it's complete vulnerability. think if you want to be humbled ⁓ in your relationship, just build something together. Yeah. It rips you apart. It breaks you down. It collapses. It builds you together in a way that I feel like, like I said, it's like raising a child. I'm sure it's not for people who have kids, ⁓ but Michy: Yeah. Mitti Parfum: It does keep us up at night. I have learned so much about him. and about myself through him. I don't think I would have known if he didn't start something like this together. It's become so much more than just a brand, sales, metrics, analytics. It's none of that right now. It's just a... I don't know. It wouldn't have been the same if I just was building it by myself. It's a shared mission. It's a shared joy. It's a shared goal. And I'm so lucky to actually have him right next to me because I know that so many people who are dying to do something together with their spouse but because maybe they have different interests or different times or not available, you know, not available, they are not able to. But I'm just so blessed that we have a shared goal that we're marching towards and I wouldn't have anybody in this world to do it with. Moral of the story, do not stop giving surprise. activities on your dinner table to your girlfriend, your wife, you never know when you might both come to your wife or your boyfriend. You never know. You might come across that one thing that strongly bonds you together and something beautiful comes out of it. Michy: Please tell the people where they can find you, your social media is where they can shop your amazing products. Mitti Parfum: We can be found at mittiparfarm.com. Our Instagram handle is at Mitty Parfan and we're also stocked at Stel at New York City Perfumology in Philadelphia, the Whiff Shop in Eastern PA, ⁓ Ode the ⁓ Shop in Colorado. What else? Am I missing anything? One more we can announce. Yeah, go ahead. Since we're doing all the announcements and Reveals. Yes. The center. The center of order and experimentation in Chicago. Yes. We'll start it next week. Thank you so much. Thank you. Michy: Amazing. Congratulations. I love to hear it. Thank you so much for joining us today, guys. We really appreciate you. Josh: Awesome. Congrats. Mitti Parfum: Thank you so much for having us. The feeling was mutual and we all need to meet up again and continue the fume fever. Michy: Yeah, well, I don't know if my liver can handle it at this point. Bye, guys. Mitti Parfum: Laughter Josh: All right, thank you and we'll see you next episode.