our story

I can remember as far back as when I was a child being obsessed with fragrance. I used to go into the bathroom and rummage through my dad’s colognes on his side of the closet. I would douse myself in all the ones I liked the most until my brother and sister would get a headache from all the fumes and tell mom on me. I think it’s safe to say I’ve come a long way since then. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I was discovered in Sydney, Australia by my now friend and mentor at Sydney Fashion Week. I had had quite a few of the complimentary champagnes and was walking around dissecting fragrance notes from a local home fragrance range. Shortly thereafter I was hired by that woman for my talent. I remember thinking, “What talent? am I really gonna get paid to smell things?” I didn’t even know such a job existed. For me, it was no different from teenagers who get paid to play video games professionally. I had no idea this was a real job— let alone that people actually got paid to do things they loved. Over the next few years I privately contracted, designing for other major retail brands. I cannot stress how much I learned, how much fun I had, and how many great people I met along the way. But always, in the back of my mind, all I wanted to do was my own brand. I wanted to create a men’s range that was a throwback to an old school gentleman’s brand mixed in with some modern flare. A range that would remind men that high quality fragrance and high quality skin care were necessary, but don’t have to be overdone and froufrou and don’t have to put a dent in their wallets. I worked hard all day at my 9-to-5 job and then all night on my private label. It was exhausting. I’m a firm believer in sense memory. Every fragrance that I ever created was meant to take people back to a certain time and place that would be as special to them as it was to me. But with Blöke, I wanted each fragrance to represent the men in my life that truly made an impact for one reason or another. We all know these men. They represent milestones and turning points in the story of life. They’re the ones you count on, or the ones you love, the ones that you hate, the ones that made you laugh and even the ones that made you cry. I needed every single one of these men and emotions—no matter how amazing or unpleasant some of them may have been—to truly be able to pour my heart and soul into this collection. And I believe I have. — CHRISTOPHER VALIANTE

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