Josh: back if you are just joining us. This is part two of the invasion with stealth. Michy: Welcome back. ⁓ Stéle: everyone! Hey John! Welcome, welcome back! ⁓ Josh: ⁓ This is our first two-part episode, but there's just so much to cover, so thank you for sticking with us. we were about ⁓ the standards we make for ourselves, both ⁓ as consumers creators, ⁓ what is the rarity? What is the worth ⁓ of something we want to purchase? ⁓ There's also around ⁓ the creativity around the branding and the marketing. I think this is an area where maybe you can give some advice to people who are aspiring. what happen if people stopped rushing and just trusted their creative process? Stéle: it's ⁓ you tell a lot of people ⁓ just stop. ⁓ That's something to be ⁓ And you tell a lot of people on already. So it's literally there, there are two ways to approach right there to conversations to be had when it comes to creativity. Some people are constantly dimming their light, they're dimming who they want to be, they're trying to fit into things. And you know, and the thing is like, it's not wrong in a way, because I always say middle ground is a very hard category in general. ⁓ When something's a little bit of that, little bit of this, little bit of this, it usually stays a little bit of everything. Now, when something has a really bold statement or is very definitive, people are able to grasp what it is and what's happening over there. They're able to see it and say that is that. And unfortunately, we as human beings need to be able to see and define something. You know, when you meet someone, you're able to assess who are they? What are they? You judge them by the skin color, by their dressing, by their outfit, by everything. As much as you want to say you don't, but that's just a natural inclination. And I think with any form of creativity, right, you can expect to be judged and let your creativity be ruled by the judgments, or you could say, this ⁓ is how I feel in this space. Now again, if you can't translate that, if you can't translate, let's say your creative art in fragrances to the visual element of it, find someone who understands who you are and what you wanna show. And then when they do make it, you can... you know, go with them, go back and forth and kind of present it and put something that you really believe in. Now, that being said, you should think of strategy. You should think of how you should think about how you are perceived, but you should also think of who you are and show people that don't be afraid of who you are. Die on your Hill, you know, don't say that I never took a fair swing and therefore I failed. Take a fair swing, take a risk, go all the way there. And then if you failed, at least you tried properly. Yeah, I think the fine line, and I think it's a personal journey to figuring out how ⁓ you as an individual creator, whatever you're doing, respond to this. being able to negotiate the space between the idea you have in your head and getting it out and in the sense of a product, right, versus ⁓ art, which it's hard because fragrance is product and art. So it makes it a little bit more difficult to give this recommendation here or this kind of advice. But I think there's a fine line negotiating between the idea that you have in your head and the responses that come out from the peers that you share it with before it becomes the final project, right? I think it's... and I'm speaking from personal experience, it's hard to get lost in the, even though like the peer feedback from the people that you trust, right? Cause like, are you just asking the people that are just gonna tell you yes for the feedback? Are you asking people who are like gonna be super critical of you, right? Like I think there's probably like a ⁓ even mix that you can hopefully find of those. friends or peers that are going to give it to you straight and all the people who are also going to just like light you up a little bit and you know, like, like keep you keep you on your path. But at the end of the day, it is something that you are creating alone, whether it's a brand with freight of fragrance or the fragrance itself. I think at one point you have to just decide that you're going with your gut and you have to just trust yourself to the very end. And think that that's the hardest part, I think, of being creative. Now, like we were talking about in the previous episode, then starts the other aspect of the creative. process where you're actually going out to go and show and express that creativity that you created to people, right? The bottle, the marketing, the photo shoot, the copy and the way that you tell the story of the fragrance. that probably is something more that then becomes the super personal experience that the creator or the creators of the fragrance or brand ⁓ would be more responsible for. And I think in that case, I would really, really spend ⁓ all of your time going with the story that you want to tell and standing by it. I think there's so many consultants and so many people out there that can help you, guide you on your way for that. But at the end of the day, that's the story that you're going to have to tell and you're going to have to be the representative of. So you will need to be very comfortable with it. show that and a lot of waste your money too so yeah be careful yeah a lot of people are just but a lot are also very very smart and and and very very valuable to people because not not everyone can do everything no but but i would say don't gloss over anything that would be my biggest piece of advice don't gloss and that's matt always told me not to do it either because i'm very quick but Michy: Yeah, very true. Josh: you Stéle: Don't gloss over everything, stand on everything. Make sure everything is clarified, make sure everything's right, make sure everything, every corner is folded, every single piece is where you need it to be. Don't expect that this is good enough. Never take this is good enough. You shouldn't have to ask that, it should be good. If you have to ask if it's good enough, it's probably not good enough. ⁓ But that's still being said. have faith in what you've created. Believe in it. It's strong, it's powerful in its creation. But there is a bar and you have to set it high for yourself and you have to set it high within your ⁓ creative process. And everyone can peak themselves. You can always grow. I see it even in the three years that we've been doing this. Some of the perfumer-led brands, if I saw the first thing I smelled, till now, it's grown. And even creative directors, you see where they've come from things they've, know, know, creative directed, right, where it started and how amazing it is now. ⁓ Definitely there has been an evolution when it comes to there's an evolution that can be had when it comes to creativity. And it should be, it is very important. People are Michy: Yeah. Stéle: rushing to the finish line with half baked products and I know it's exciting to get it out there. It is really exciting to do this. is exciting. The market will be here for you. If you're making something real, it will be here. ⁓ If the world ends, it won't matter if you're here today or tomorrow, right? So make it right. Put your heart into it. Put in the time. And if it's real, it will happen with time. Michy: No. Yeah. We talk a lot about ⁓ how much we love the story behind a fragrance. But do you think that ⁓ as a brand creator, should you be able to say or write exactly what your fragrance means? Or do you think it could get to a point of being obnoxious in some cases? Stéle: Yes. It's a personal choice. ⁓ I ⁓ think everything ⁓ that we do ⁓ when it to putting out there can be as obnoxious. And think, sure any any musician, any, know, whatever. ⁓ Michy: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Stéle: has that one moment, I've had it a billion times. So I'm just like, who the f**k is gonna care about this? Like, you know what I mean? Like, you know, or like, what the hell am I doing? You know, but then you, but then you go back and you're just like, you know what, but I, I want to put this out there. I want to show people this idea or this thought or something like that. And like, life is short, you know? Like if I don't do it, I'm going to regret it. So I think. Michy: Yeah. Stéle: I'd encourage people to do what feels right for them, no matter what. If that's who you want to be, then maybe that's your brand. Maybe that it's the most obnoxious stories you can imagine for fragrance. But if that's who you are and that's what comes out, that's what it is. And you're going to be the best at that because that's natural to you. I think if you're trying to be that and you're not that, everyone will see through it. Michy: Yeah. Mm. Stéle: You know, if you're the person who likes to write two sentences and that's what you thought about it. And then maybe one day when someone brings you on a podcast or you get interviewed or are speaking about it in private one-on-one conversation, suddenly the full idea that you had deep down inside comes out, then great. They've got a special moment and that's the time that you've revealed that part of the story. But unfortunately, and fortunately, I think like, yeah. It's part of it. obnoxious stuff is part of, but a part of all. I don't know what to say. I will say that if it's not obnoxious, I don't want it. I say my ears need to bleed when you leave the pitch. need to not want to hear a word you have to say again. If not, you are not serious. You are not committed. You have to be annoying as fuck. Why? Because you have to believe this to death. If not. Michy: hahahaha you Josh: Bye. Michy: Yeah. Stéle: You're in the wrong neighborhood. that and you don't believe it, then you can see through it. So it has to just be the natural presentation of your natural ⁓ expression of what you're doing. Michy: Yeah. Josh: Yeah, I think about the way, there are two brands that immediately come to mind that are the polar opposites of this level of obnoxiousness and detail. Like there is idle. I adore them. I have tracelessness in my cabinet, but this whole idea of post perfumery and no notes and like that can come off very obnoxious if you're not into that presentation. Stéle: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Michy: Love them so much. Stéle: Right. Yep. Yep. Michy: Yeah. Josh: It's very minimal really in the way that that comes across. But then you have ⁓ a brand that's relatively new to you all. And I'm very excited to smell it, Damn Fool, where each perfume has a story. And it has so much going on with it. But again, if you're like, well, does it smell good? You will find the story obnoxious, this link of detail. Stéle: Yeah. Right. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. Michy: Thank you. Stéle: Right. Yeah. Right. Michy: Yeah. Yeah, I tend to agree. I ⁓ think that we have a sense of community because we're all so obnoxious about fragrance. And so if it's not obnoxious, I agree. I don't want it. Stéle: Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. because it's like, like we're all, we're all living our lives. We're all, we've all got all these things going on, right? Like it is a nice escape to come and talk to people about these things and, and the stories that go along with them, the personal stories we have of like, when we discovered a brand or we were at an event with a brand or we met a founder, you all interviewed and, Josh: Yeah. Michy: Mm-hmm. Stéle: founder or a perfumer, you know, like there's just so much that goes into it beyond that part that I think it is a nice escape to have elements and topics of these things to talk about beyond just like, ⁓ I love that, you know, like, so I ⁓ think it is, I think it ⁓ does make it a lot more enjoyable. And I think it does Michy: Yeah. Stéle: give us a sense of escape from ⁓ you know, are just kind of like the more like mundane parts of our lives, I think, at least it has for me and us. So said, speaking of Idle, like ⁓ they it up with every. Michy: ⁓ yeah, so good. Stéle: Like, if you look at the packaging, the braille on the boxes, everything is just... It doesn't feel like an afterthought of like, you know what, everyone really likes that. It's going back to what we were talking about in the previous episode, right? Like, it doesn't feel like a tack on, it feels natural to the identity of the brand. It feels like an extension of the story. Josh: Mm-hmm. Michy: Yeah, it's very intentional. ⁓ it's Stéle: And they're from your neck of the woods, right? I thought they're Detroit, no? think West Coast. Josh: I have never figured out any information on them because they are very minimal. Stéle: Sounds right. Mysterious. You are very minimal. You're right. They're one of the first few brands that we brought in, I think, or maybe second round when we were really starting to look for things. Yeah. And still I'm staring at them over there. Yep. Michy: I love that. Yeah. They were actually, they were one of the first brands on my first visit to Stel that really stood out to me. And I had messaged them because I was so taken by the whole concept and they were just incredibly kind and incredibly sweet and very, very supportive of small creators. So I have a special place in my heart for them. And not to get sappy, like we talked about like feeling like this perfume is an escape. And I say this all the time that for all intents and purposes, working a second job on top of being a mom and being a content creator, taking on a second job should feel overwhelming. But literally every time I walk into Stell and whether this be on a Sunday, on an evening, just to come pick something up, the space that you guys have curated is just so calming and so welcoming. And it feels like it does feel like my escape from reality every time I get to be inside those walls. And I think a lot of people in the community feel that way. ⁓ You know, because it feels like purposely you've designed it this way. It almost feels like a house of worship when you walk in. So it's it's got this, you know, I just want to commend you for being able to create a space that feels like that and feel so welcoming, not just for me, but for so many people in the community. Stéle: Yeah. ⁓ Thank you so much. it's funny when we're in the back and we hear people laughing. It kind of always makes me happy. I don't know why. know. It feels like I want to see that. I want to see people happy. want see people leaving with smiles. I want to see people enjoying themselves. I to hear like Acyllian talk to someone for three hours about... I don't know. Michy: Yeah. Stéle: like I'd be annoyed why he's not doing something. He's putting away. like, that's awesome. That's it. I've said this once and I'll say it before. I appreciate you saying that so much. People, when everyone tells us that it gives us the energy to keep going because it is a lot of work. not, we have obviously like a large team that's like on the sales floor and all that stuff. And just such an amazing group of people. Michy: Hehehehehe ⁓ Stéle: that we get to work with every single day. ⁓ But we are, you know, just kind of like the kind of sole, you know, people who are responsible for the kind of day to day, you know, all that stuff. So it does mean a lot when people, ⁓ it resonates with people and it makes them happy because it is just, you know, it's a lot of work, you know, like, to anyone who's opening stores or anything like that, just be prepared. It's a lot of work, but it's very, very rewarding. Like it's very, There's a lot of love in this community. I don't think we would have gone this far if it had just been ⁓ transactional in that sense. obviously it's a store, it's transactional. But I'm so happy that we have that. A lot of good energy and connections. ⁓ Both come from a corporate job, I came from a different kind of job, and it's just, it's different. It's nice to be in this community of people. ⁓ all the all the your whole crew midge comes in here. Drop names, but you all know who you are. Like literally like seeing I feel like it's like family and friends. Yeah, yeah. Very, very laugh and go through things. And even like when we drop when you visit, it's just like got to know you. It's just like you. Yeah, people that pop in. I've already seen you know, I've had this it's funny, I have this like couple They're not a couple, they're two best friends. One lives in Germany and one lives across in the country. they always meet, they met here, they met here last year and they bought a fragrance at the Williamsburg. This year they came here again and they bought a fragrance in the sew-up store. And I just was like, I remember them. it was just like, for me, it was like a full circle. Like this is the second time we're doing this already. And to just have that experience with both of them. And I told them, as cheesy as it is, you guys should call each other. And when you're in Germany, she's over there just spray it at the same time. But I know it's totally cheesy, I don't know. It would make me happy. Michy: Hmm. Josh: not to be the Barbara Walters here, but as we talk about the ⁓ of the art form and the community, ⁓ what point does working in perfume ⁓ being romantic and start feeling like a responsibility? Stéle: Hahaha Yes. Ooh, that's a great question. mean, you know, it's, funny. I always say sometimes it's just work. what? You know what? ⁓ the tariffs, package is getting lost. Like just like, it's like that kind of like Monday, like I know there should be a more exciting answer to this. Right. But, ⁓ yeah, the, tariffs, the, like the admin of things and, and. Michy: Mmm. Josh: Fair. Stéle: I guess, I mean, we're really lucky. think that like our customers, whether it's like our kind of more friend customers that we see on a regular or just people who happen to pass by are very, very understanding about all that. And luckily we've never been like necessarily like thrown to the wall for like those types of things. I think people appreciate it, but yeah, just like the tariffs was a huge bummer because I, cause we're like global friend, you know, like we're going to find stuff. Josh: Right. Stéle: the Like, think the most that part is hearing Jake on the phone with, cause I do a lot of other things and all that, but with that, I'm just like, I just don't care. You know? Like, so like, yeah, maybe that's it. Hearing Jake on the phone, trying to figure out the tariffs. It's painful. Michy: Thanks. Yeah. Stéle: And I do it before any of the employees are in the store because no one wants to hear that. like, know, like, unfortunately, like, this is like the most boring kind of ⁓ thing, but to cut it short, like ⁓ all of that, we went through, unfortunately, unfortunately, like a lot of waves of all that. And like, everyone was just trying to figure out as they were going along. So you couldn't even be mad at anyone, you know, cause the rules and all that were changing on a daily basis. Michy: You Yeah. Stéle: So yeah, just, yeah, sure. The tariffs of it all, I guess. Yeah, money management's hard. You need to learn how to manage your money. At the end of the day it all comes down to dollars and we really want people to have a great experience and you know, so I guess that that part I ⁓ think is a little bit difficult ⁓ to find the balance and I've told this to lot of people to find the balance between. ⁓ the ultimate experience that a customer want and the most accurate like representation of a product that people are walking out, walking out, spending a lot, sometimes a lot of money on. So I don't know. If anyone figures out the right solution. Bro. Michy: I've I had somebody really ⁓ in a very catty way one day asked me or pass a comment like while they're really working to you to the bone making you spray all those perfumes every day because I had posted a video of me setting up the store in the morning and I'm like I actually love that part like it's one of my favorite parts of the day like I last week I I sprayed every single one myself and Stéle: Yeah. ⁓ my God. Josh: You Stéle: Yeah. Michy: I loved it because I'm like, need to, I got reacquainted with things that I hadn't sprayed in a while. And I honestly found the whole thing kind of relaxing. So, yeah, I love it. Stéle: I know. Yeah, I like it. I really enjoy it. As much as it makes me sneeze, I, because I want to smell each one, you know, because, know, there's so many, don't have that. Some of them you have like such, and this is an interesting with fragrance. think there's certain fragrances that I think y'all will probably resonate with this too, where you have that like photographic memory. I could describe you exactly what it smells like, like just like, you know, like I can smell it just like thinking of the name. Michy: Yeah, yeah. Mm. ⁓ yeah. Stéle: And then other ones where I do have to remind myself of it. And so when we're the ones responsible for guiding people around, it's good to have that refresher. But yeah, Michy: like rediscover things sometimes that I maybe didn't really didn't stand out to me the first time. I just this past Sunday when I was spraying through everything, I think I was so taken by Sonny 7 from a nude and so hopelessly in love with that fragrance that I don't know if I really gave the other two my full attention. Stéle: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Michy: I re-smelled Deep Dive this Sunday and I was like, wait a minute, this is phenomenal. And Thorny, what's the number for Thorny? Stéle: Sonny's Michy: six, there you go. Like also ⁓ absolutely incredible. it's, ⁓ you know, we're also of rediscovering all the time as well. Stéle: Yeah. Yeah. That's why I always say I've never seen a I did not like. ⁓ I mean it. If you spend time with it and give it a chance or wait another day, wait another week, you may like it. I think people definitely, there is definitely a caught up situation with fragrances. feel like a little bit too much people are too hard. They judge it too hard. They need to understand it too much. use their heads too much. They kind of like, there's too much thinking involved. Michy: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Stéle: You know, ⁓ scent, memory, any scent memory that was developed was not developed through thought. was developed through an emotional connection to that scent or a traumatic experience when you smelled that scent. So it has nothing to do with, with thought. And I see people always like spending a lot of time with it and like, just give it a chance, give it a chance, give yourself a chance. You know what mean? And, you know, this skin chemistry is true, but at the end of the day, Michy: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Stéle: Nothing's gonna smell good if you sweat in it for three hours. So keep it in mind too. It's part of it. Spray more, spray more and spray more and you'll be fine. Michy: Hehehehehe Yeah, nobody could have ever told me at the beginning of my my fragrance journey that I would love mushroom and dirt perfumes. Yeah, yeah. Stéle: I know. know. I know. Josh: love mushroom and dirt. So you've talked a little bit about the brands that you work with and given some advice on your perspective in the industry. You've also talked about your commitment to your customers and to the people who come into the stores. Who do you feel most accountable? Well, what do you feel most accountable to? The brands, the customers, or the culture itself? Stéle: I just, I always want to better in whatever I do for myself, to be honest with you, it's going to be very selfish about it. ⁓ I just, yeah, whatever, whatever I ⁓ put out there ⁓ or create or, know, ⁓ whatever we choose whatever, I just always, I always want to do like. Not even one up myself, but just like, know, every time just a little bit better. Every time just a little bit better. So I feel like first of all, we owe it to ourselves because we've now, now at this point, two years, two, three years in, like we've, we've devoted our lives to this, you know, it's not just a side, a side hustle or whatever anymore. Like this, we've gone all in on it. However, The second after that, which I think is still us, but I really truly believe that SEL has taken a life on its own. And I know that like, we are the representatives, but I truly believe it's an entity that exists beyond us. I don't know if that sounds like too like out there or whatever, but I truly believe it does seem to kind of mean a lot more than just like beyond the two of us. So feel like we owe it to at this point, you know, everything that we do. Because it does mean a lot to everyone and it means a lot to us. mean, it's been our lives. So yeah, I would say myself and still. It's definitely the culture, the creators, the founders, the perfumers, the people who support us, the people who don't support us, the community, everything. It's everything. feel like it's I feel like a lot of us are here for, especially when you talk about this, you know, the four people in this room. Yeah. technical room is very much into all of it. We hold it dearly and therefore we will sometimes come off a little rough or tough. Yeah. You know, as one would with something that they really care about, you know, if we didn't care about it, we probably would be like bucket, but we do care about it. And I think it's I think there's a lot of people that care about this industry, even the ones that we maybe don't see it eye eye with. You know, they could have done what they're doing in a different industry, but they're not. You know, there's a certain, you know, even when you ⁓ look at a certain category of people that you may not want in this space, but they're here for what they want. They believe in this in their own right and they have a right to believe in this and they have a right to act in it. And you just hope that everyone does the right thing and the best that they can for everyone. Yeah. Michy: in view, what does mean to a piece of modern perfume culture right now? Stéle: It's a really good question. One that probably has many answers. Like I said, there's many parts to everything. But I would say one of the biggest parts is definitely community. I feel like the community is playing a very big role. I don't think we'd be here without... I don't think we'd be at the level we are at. Whatever level we're at, right? Like without it. Michy: Mm-hmm. Stéle: Like I said before, people gave us so much life from the very beginning. The brand partners, the customers, the people visiting the store, the people who wanted to work at the store and have been part of our family, it's given us a lot of life. The fragrance as escapism, as we talk about it, it started... Michy: Thanks. Stéle: with people maybe looking into something that was not there or maybe was there but was not highlighted. ⁓ And now it's become the primary. ⁓ People are finding themselves in a lot of these creations. And I think so too is in the space itself. People are coming to the space to have community, have connections, talk about something of... that everyone enjoys. shared topic. Interest. Perfumeries are becoming slight community centers and see outside of that you also see activities that come, you know, have the fragrance swaps which are amazing. have ⁓ different, you know, meet and greets that happen, different, you know, meet the perfumers that are happening inside of different kind of build outs. have the... the tours and there's so much. also like perfumers and brands that are meeting and you see then like months down the line the fruits of that work and those partnerships and stuff too, which is really cool to see. I think ultimately if you want it to be part of modern perfumery, it's more than just releasing something to sell it. It is about creating something that means something to people. And that can even happen in a mass market situation. You know, there are larger brands that manage to connect with people because they try to connect with people. And I think in order to be part of modern perfumer, you have to talk to people. have to talk to people's hearts. And there's many ways to do it, whether it's the materials, the creation, the sense, the stories. And it doesn't have to be small. It doesn't have to be full of fluff. You know, it can even be in a bro-y way. It even be in a story. It can be in a story way, in an emotional way. There are many versions to this, but as long as you're connecting with people on more than just a base level, you know, I think if you look at old ads, old perfume ads, it's just like sex and, you know, and going Which I love by the way. know, and panty dropping and all this stuff now. 90s ads. The 90s ones. vintage ones. Michy: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Josh: Yeah. Stéle: And that's fine. that doesn't today. That's not what people are looking at as perfume. They're looking at more is it is this my personality? ⁓ And people want more of a personality than I just want to get laid. And I think it it kind of shows and the work that really resonates with the community says something it has to say something. that's what we've and if you're doing that, you're you're part of it. Josh: as we turn kind of the closing of our time together, you know, one of the things that this, the through line here was that niche was interesting and then private equity killed that. And I think we all feel and see the pressure and the blood in the water that the same could happen to this space if we aren't good stewards of Stéle: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yep. No, very true. And I think that we all have a responsibility. I say all of us. It's all of us because it will take all of us. ⁓ And I guarantee this and I will ⁓ stake everything on ⁓ You will not what this becomes ⁓ if we don't it. You will not like it. ⁓ You know, all need to do is to know what it's going to look like is walk into any mainstream perfumery and look around and ask yourself, do you want to spend $500 on a $7 bottle? Ask yourself that again and again, because that's what you'll all be doing once they get rid of this. And this is something that they've been doing forever. Anything that looks good. Once it starts taking hold of the marketplace, they walk in and they buy it up. buy it up. Buy it any industry. With any industry. any industry. And then they Michy: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Stéle: basically tank it and ruin it. This is what they do with everything. And this is what they'll do with this. Now, there's a simple way for us to do this. There's a responsibility for the brands. I say responsibility for the brands is work with independent perfumeries. If you took the marketplace nationally, it would be in the high millions. I don't know what the exact numbers are. But I would say I would have to guess it'd be 30 to 40 to $50 million. If you're talking about the independent perfumery marketplace, work with them, find them. There's a lot more than we realize. There's so many more than we realize. Even us, like, you know, like, we learn of a new one every day. We learn of a new one every day that has been around for, ⁓ you know, period of time longer than, just like, they didn't just come out, you know? So it's like, it's very, it's very interesting. There's a lot more out there than we realize. And I think it's, it's very important. Michy: Mm-hmm. Stéle: And as far as consumers support independent perfumers, support independent brands, support their DTC support, you know, support can be a disco set. That is fine. A sample is support. I know it doesn't seem like much, but to that person, it's another reassurance to go on another day to the person running that brand. They're like, someone believed in me to give them $10. That means something to them, to everyone. And we have to keep on doing that. And then when you talk, ⁓ let's just say about perfumeries, it's be responsible, be mindful. Like, you know, a lot of times we'll be pitched by a brand and I'll be like, but you're right down the block. Like, I don't know that I want to do this to let just say, sad place that I know the guy or, you know, or passing relationship with them, but I don't want. to go ahead and do that. And I think that we have to be responsible for each other. Obviously, it's a marketplace. It's fine. Also, some brands can handle being in a bunch of stores. They have the momentum to kind of make it happen. But we all have to be like, know, we all have to, there's enough out there for everyone to make this work and to kind of have a viable path forward. And I think that as a concerted effort, can Michy: it. Stéle: retain this marketplace. We built this marketplace. saying the community has built this marketplace. There's obviously something that they want to take over, right? So if we built it, we can continue it and we can grow it. So I say as a community, we should embrace it. We should love it. We should hold it. We should nurture it. ⁓ Content creators such as yourselves and many others that we know are doing such an important job. They are. Every time I go on TikTok, I know I lot to say about it, but I also see a different creator promoting some random brand they found. And sometimes I think like, people say that to me, I'm like, where the hell did you find these guys? know, but I love it. ⁓ know, Mitchie, I was always impressed by you that you bought, before you worked here, you bought these random brands to talk about, which bring you no clout. They have less followers than you do. Michy: Mm. Stéle: It's that's what it should be about. You loved it. And you're like, I'm going to talk about it. That's also why people resonate, resonate with it because it's coming from a real place. And that's kind of like also, I hope is what, ⁓ Stel brings brings to the table as a brand itself, but also the people that we partner with and the people that are in our store and the people that like, ⁓ hopefully are attracted to our stores that they're, they're all coming from that. an authentic place. But I will say one more thing. Creators, know, the content creators, collect your coins, get your money from those people. But for every brand you support, support an indie brand. know, you know, the coffee shop, they give you the fancy coffee shops, they give you the coffee and they give you the cup of water. Yeah. For every cup of coffee, get your cup of water. You know what mean? Like, think every, but you know what I mean? Like, like you did. You got to make the money. Michy: Me. Yeah. Thanks. Stéle: make the money, take the money. The lights have to stay on. They to stay on. Josh: Mm-hmm. Stéle: And I was also to one more point, which I know is not on not talk about but shiny object syndrome, get rid of it. Get about it. I hate that fucking thing. In fact, like Mitchie knows I'm like, okay, they're too popular. We need to cut them. Not really, but kind of not right. A shiny object syndrome. I hate it. Like stop. Michy: Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ Stéle: chasing the one, the, you know. When did we all stop becoming alt and picking the thing that nobody liked? I still think it's fun to pick the thing that nobody liked. I don't know what to tell you. Like, it's still my brand. don't know what to tell you. Michy: Yeah. Josh: I mean, that's always been me. Michy: Yeah. Yeah. But you can see it so much in like fashion too. And like the the evolution of the the Instagram face where like everyone has started looking the same and dressing exactly the same. And, you know, it's, I don't know, I want I need to understand the psychology behind it. Because it's like, okay, yes, somebody can be beautiful. But why do you need to be beautiful in the exact same way somebody else is beautiful? Josh: So typically our closing ritual has been to talk about what we're wearing. It feels a little bit like you would be picking your favorites. So maybe what's something you hope when someone leaves stelle lingers with them more than just their purchase. Stéle: I mean, I think it's kind of like what we talked about throughout. Like, I hope they feel really happy when they leave, whether they purchased or not, whether they found something or not. I hope that they feel like they got a fun moment and I hope it felt like kind of 360. that's, you know, like the whole experience was great. And I hope that they maybe discovered something new and got excited, got excited by that. and maybe it inspired them in their lives, whether that's directly related to the fragrance or just like experiencing something artistic, inspired something in them that ⁓ is like, you know, something they want to create or something they want to do that maybe they haven't or something like that. I think that's mine. I hope they leave it a fragrance. But ultimately. ⁓ I do hope that they leave with a warm and fuzzy feeling. That is like such a key for us. We like for people to walk out with a smile. We like for people to have discovered. We like for people to stretch their thinking. I always love it when the least expected person, I remember when I started working in, when I was working in Williamsburg, I remember I had like a grandma with her grandchildren, the grandchildren were teenagers. And my shock was that the grandma bought Neanderthal and the teenagers bought like Lease or something. And I was just like, this grandma is a rocker, clearly. You know what I mean? It's just, you know, I can't remember what the kids bought, it good, but it was not Neanderthal. You know what I mean? You just don't expect. Michy: Hehehehe. Josh: ⁓ You Michy: Mm-mm. Stéle: know, would say this when you remove all the decision to it ⁓ and people are just guided by their ⁓ by their nose, right? When you all the thinking and all the noise and all the stuff. and you were just walking around and everything's presented equally and everything has a beautiful arrangement and everything is available equally, not as a something to be sold or pushed or no one's chasing the specific thing. You you don't know where you're going to end up and that's the beauty of it. And Josh, like I'll say like with the weekend you visited, you ended up in so many different angles that weekend. Like I can rebuild a profile for you from that weekend. You know what I mean? I would say it would be on the adventurous side, but you also like sometimes just neat, you know? And then sometimes you'll go for know, Prophet Elijah, you know? Like it's just, you know, from, love for Noah, but you know what I mean? It's not more, you know, there are more direct paths and then you'll end up there. And I love that. Michy: and Mm. and hehehehe Josh: You Michy: ⁓ Stéle: I think this is already a trend, but I hope that people don't buy things just because everybody else likes it, I guess. I said this before and all that, and it's repetitive, but for me, I hope that people find something that truly makes them feel whatever they were looking to feel out of that purchase, whether it's going through a breakup and want to become a completely different person or just like, wants just feel good before they go to bed and feel like nice and whatever. Like, I love putting on fragrance before I go to bed, like just feel cozy, you know what I mean? Like that kind of thing. Like, ⁓ I just hope, I hope that no one feels pressured to get something just because everybody else liked it. And they find, because there's so many of them. So I would hope that you wouldn't feel pressured if I won that. Michy: same. Stéle: somebody else like, but you really love that other one over there and you were like too worried to get it. I would hope that it never becomes a trend to just get, although I think it's already a trend. So I don't know, you stumped us. I don't know. I just talked myself out of the whole thing. So I don't know. Maybe you can come up with one. No, can't. I can't really because I would say, unfortunately, like every space that has a lot of money in it and this one being one that is very quite big in its economic. Josh: Ha ha ha! Stéle: know, impact, there's always a lot of bad parts. There's always a lot of parts that are not good and are very financially driven. And again, not necessarily a bad thing, but just a reality of how this cake is made. ⁓ You know, what we want to see less of, right, is maybe more less chasing, less shiny object syndrome, less ⁓ getting something because you were told to get it, less ⁓ you know, more discovery, more discovery, more exploration, more just trying thing, more believing in yourself, less of the, you know, the chase is something that very much concerns me in this industry and will lead to, it will lead to a self destruction at the end of the day. If we continue chasing what we're told to buy, we will end up with kind of a lot of pump and dumps and fear. Michy: Mm. Stéle: is no real substantial future in that at the end of the day. And I think that's how the niche space got kind of killed because people did get fatigue. You know, ⁓ I need to get this. I need to get that. I need to get that. I need to get this. I need to get that. It's just like this constant. And it did kill me. And I wish it does not kill us. And I definitely think that there are bad actors that are trying to make that in play because it does make them very financially. You know, it it rewards financially and. Michy: Mm-hmm. Stéle: That may be good for them, but I think ultimately it will result in a lot of fatigue in the business, in the industry. And a lot of people leave. They will leave. And at the end of the day, that is not good for the overall trajectory of everything. You know, we don't want fatigue. We want intention. We want interest. We want curiosity. You want exploration. We want, ⁓ you know, people trying to break out of themselves. And the chase is really bad. Michy: Yeah. Yeah. Stéle: There is, if you look closely, you can see the institutionalized effort to keep it going. Josh: I saw your eyes light up when I mentioned what our closing ritual usually is, ⁓ I would be remiss not to go ahead and say let's do it. What is a fragrance that you have been loving lately? Stéle: here. Love this one. This is called this is set you and I think this one we just got this I'm still rough on the names. This is Friday night. Yeah. And it is basically there's it has a serial cord and it also has where Michy: Hmm. Josh: Friday night, my son. Stéle: Oh, there it is. It's called Tatami, and Tatami, guess, is like a sleeping mat, but it really means like hidden in the hay after a night out. So it has a Tatami accord, and it's basically like a sex mat, but it's not a sex mat, but I'm calling it a sex mat. But, yeah, yeah. It's like Friday 2 a.m., getting home after, it's your most sensual scent. It's got a Tatami delight accord, a boop. Michy: you Stéle: Blue Chamomile, Cereal Court, I guess that's for when you wake up and have cereal. mean, I don't know, if I'm getting home too young, I'm not getting up and having cereal, but Furball, some Cypress, Sandalwood, whatever. I love this one. In general, I'm loving this house. ⁓ Michy: If. Josh: love that bottle and that sounds like a great fragrance. Stéle: They are really nice. They're all very, it's funny, they're all very airy and bright, but they're absolutely well done and much more creative when you look closer. Yeah, they're awesome. Okay. Everybody knows me for always saying Forbidden Bloom by Mabella Rama. I just love that fragrance so much, but I'm coming up with something different today, which is Arabian Jasmine. ⁓ wait, Arabian Jasmine by Amer. Michy: Yeah. Stéle: The camera's not gonna autofocus. I really have been loving this one. Everyone always makes Jasmine a little bit like, more like tobacco-y, dirty kind of vibe. this one's really, really just very authentic to what I imagine in my mind as like walking by Jasmine and all that. yeah, this is I would say nobody does florals. Nobody does. We look so long for it. And there's so many beautiful like floral fragrances out there. But what I particularly was looking for, I mean, I love to grow flowers and do all that. So this is just really a favorite of mine that I've been wearing. Oh yeah, the Gardini. so good. Yeah, just so really, really beautiful. I didn't even know what Gardini smelled like. But I love it. Just a really interesting perspective on those types of florals that I feel just resonated with me. Michy: Yeah, that one and the Gardena. Amazing. I wore today, I wore the Nibiru Alma de Cuba. ⁓ God, this one. ⁓ there are several in this house that were truly challenging for me. ⁓ so I did not expect to love this one as much as I do, but it's so ⁓ Stéle: ⁓ my gosh, so I love that one. So good. Josh: Ha! Stéle: My God. Josh: You Michy: enveloping. mean, it's vanilla and tobacco and saffron and clove and it just feels so, it feels like a really big bear hug in a fragrance. Yeah. Stéle: ⁓ yeah. It's very it makes me happy. You Josh, you would like vetivirus in this house. Yeah, I it. don't ⁓ know if you should get a sample. I think we have it. think so. Yeah. Yeah. Michy: Probably. Josh: Okay. I'll have to check that out. I wore two today. I started the day with Poe by Arquiste. It is one of my favorite skin masks. I really love the way it dries down into that like amber-green, dirty marble feeling to me. And then as we started our conversation and into the night, I'm wearing Fleur Abstriate by Witch. Stéle: Collapse. Michy: Mm-hmm. Stéle: So that's a really, really beautiful. ⁓ Michy: So good. Josh: Yeah, I usually am not a Jasmine person. White florals are tough for me, but that like, the tea and the musk is a really lovely compliment to what lingered from Poe. Stéle: Yeah, it's very light, but once you get into it, there's a lot of layers to it, which I really appreciate it. ⁓ Did you layer the two, guess, a little bit? I'm interested with that. Michy: Yeah. Josh: Kind of, yeah, I I warp out at like 10 a.m. an hour, eight, 10 hours later, yeah. Stéle: Okay, maybe not. Michy: ⁓ goodness. Well guys, thank you so much for coming and chatting with us for so long. It was really amazing to sit here and go over all this with you. Yeah, I love you guys so much. ⁓ Stéle: Thank you so much. We love you guys. Thank you. We really appreciate the opportunity to let us chat for two hours about our thoughts. ⁓ Hope you don't only hate us after. Yeah, I hope everybody still is excited about Stell afterward. ⁓ Josh: You Michy: for our audience, if you've ever purchased anything from Stell, let us know. Let us know if you've ever visited Stell ⁓ and what you love. Yeah? Okay. All right. Bye. Stéle: Yes, please. She loves it. Thank you. Josh: All right, we'll see you next time. Bye.