Time is fleeting, we never seem to have enough of it, we know it’s precious and yet we also have to wait for the right time for things to happen. Esxence 2024 heralded in an auspicious moment for Manos Gerakinis – and for me. Not only was it the first time we met, but it was also at this event that Manos met the perfumer with whom he would work on his latest creation, Amandus, which he recently launched. Time has special meaning to Manos, and after reading this article, your sense of it will never be the same.

Fragrant Beginnings

Q: Tell me how you got started and what prompted your interest in fragrance.
Manos Gerakinis: Fragrance has always been part of my identity. As a child, I was surrounded by scent—my mother wore beautiful perfumes from Dior and Guerlain, and my grandmother kept her vanity filled with treasures we weren’t allowed to touch.

I moved to London where I studied finance and history, and then I worked at Harrods in London in their bespoke department. Many of our clients were from the Middle East, where fragrance is deeply significant, and Harrods even sent me to the UAE to learn about their rituals of customer service. That experience shaped my understanding of perfume’s cultural importance.

Later, during my compulsory military service in Greece, I realized that fragrance was a way for men in identical uniforms to express individuality without words. That insight inspired me to create a scent for myself—what became Sillage Royal in 2013. At first, I thought it would be just my personal fragrance, but people began asking about it. I made 100 bottles, and they sold. That was the moment I realized this dream could become a business.

Q: What are the guiding values and philosophy of your brand?
MG: There’s something very strange about perfume, a type of mystery that intrigues me. For me, perfume is an art. Perfume must express something—an idea, a memory, an emotion. Some people may like it while others won’t, and that’s ok.

I believe in slow perfume, like haute couture: artisan, limited production, each bottle infused with soul. I always say, “The soul is not mass produced. There’s a piece of my soul in every bottle.”

It takes time, patience, and passion. I also say, “The risk of not taking a risk is greater than failure itself.” I believe that if we don’t take risks, there is no evolution.

Q: Is there a Greek sensibility in fragrance?
MG: Greece offers mythology, nature, history—all rich sources of inspiration. But infrastructure is lacking, which makes it hard for Greek perfumery to develop sustainably. There’s also a need for education, so people understand why niche fragrances cost what they do.

For me, imperfections are beauty. Perfection is boring—it’s man-made. Fragrance should have soul, originality, and passion. Imperfection represents the human touch: it shows that someone truly worked on creating a perfume, poured effort into it, and while it may not be 100% flawless, that is exactly what makes it unique.

Q: What are the strengths and challenges of running a perfume brand that carries your own name?
MG: The greatest strength is freedom—I can create exactly what I want. For example, for my ten-year anniversary, I worked with the Greek perfumer Vasiliki Psatha to release a vetiver fragrance simply because I love it, even if it’s not fashionable. The name Sillage X references my first fragrance and the X is the Roman numeral for ten. Here, we were inspired by very classic men’s scents from my childhood but we made it modern for today. It may not be the trend today, but it is timeless and will come back around.

The challenge is accountability. Every single bottle that leaves the studio is something I’ve personally touched. Every success or failure comes back to me. But I like that—it keeps my mind sharp and my creativity alive.

Where Vision Meets Execution

Q: How do you approach the creative process?
MG: Inspiration comes from everywhere—Greek mythology, nature, childhood memories, the sunset on an island. Right now, I’m working on an almond-based fragrance. Almond trees remind me of my childhood, but they also symbolize love and family traditions like candied almonds at weddings. That idea evolved into Amandus, which comes from Latin meaning “worthy of love.” It is also close to the French word for almond, “amande”. I am working with the perfumer Sofia Bardelli who I met at your workshop at Esxence two years ago! I like how it links my Greek brand with Sofia as an Italian perfumer through a classical language that belongs to both cultures. I also think of the Greek myth of Amygdalia, the young woman Zeus transformed into an almond tree. Her tree blossomed in the heart of winter when her beloved returned to her- a story of love, endurance, and beauty in unexpected moments. That myth gave another layer of meaning to the fragrance.

It's very important for me to work with perfumers who understand what I want to achieve. There’s a moment when you are talking together and everything just clicks. That’s when I know that, together, we can develop something very special.

Q: How do you balance wearability and originality?
MG: I believe creativity should never be sacrificed for fear of making mistakes. If the fragrance isn’t successful, you can always take it back.

I follow my instincts. Trends change, but authenticity lasts. Sometimes a fragrance might not sell immediately, but that doesn’t mean it lacks value. For example, Methexis, my fig-based perfume, wasn’t expected to succeed, being that there are so many fig fragrances on the market. When I asked perfumer Chris Maurice to create a fragrance around fig, he told me he didn’t like fig at all. Yet he ended up making one of the most praised fig perfumes on the niche market. As one Fragrantica reviewer put it: ‘I am a big fan of fig in perfumes, but I had reached the point where I thought there was no need for another fig scent. Then I tried Methexis — and it blew me away at first sniff.’ That’s why it resonates: it surprised even the fig lovers who thought they’d seen it all.

My life is about creativity and originality, if I didn’t have that, what would I be?

Q: At Esxence you revealed a project where you created a fragrance for a robot. How did that come about?
MG: That was one of my most unusual and exciting challenges. A researcher from Australia approached me about her project involving robotics, and together we explored how scent could help robots interact with humans—for example, alerting a blind person to their presence.

So I was commissioned to create the scent for the robot. It was very difficult because I had nothing to base it on, no prototype. If you remember, the robot looks like an ancient Greek statue. It got me thinking of the myth of Hephaestus, the god of fire, who was creating a maiden in his workshop. So I started to create the story of the robot! It was created in Australia, so what ingredients come from there? I thought it should smell metallic, otherworldly. I used an overdose of cypriol and sandalwood to get the effect I wanted.

This wasn’t a commercial project but an artistic, ethical exploration of technology, humanity, and scent. Now we hope to give a robot the ability to smell – to detect gasoline or smoke for instance. The project has opened up fascinating questions about the future.

Beyond Markets: Making Connections

Q: Where is your brand now, and where would you like to be?
MG: We’re present across most of Europe, in parts of Asia and the U.S. My next focus is the Middle East, but it’s not for the immediate. Building relationships takes time and it is crucial in that market.

Q: What role do digital platforms play in your strategy?
MG: Digital channels are vital for storytelling and connecting directly with fragrance lovers. It’s a way to be in touch with customers and it’s a place for them to share their moments with the perfumes. As a small brand, we rely on that community engagement to share experiences and build awareness.

The Outlook for Niche

Q: What are the greatest challenges and opportunities for niche perfumery today?
MG: The industry has exploded—when I first visited Esxence in 2017, there were 250 brands; now there are more than 450. It’s crowded, but also exciting because people are curious about niche fragrances.

Authenticity is what matters most. No matter how many brands come out, no matter how saturated the market is, if you have something original to say, eventually people will understand and you will stand out. Brands that have a genuine voice and integrity will endure.

Q: Your site says: “The only real luxury is time, make yours fragrantly memorable.” What does time mean to you?
MG: Time is precious. We don’t know how much time we have in this life. Too often, people give it to those who don’t deserve it, or spend it on work they don’t love. I try to focus on quality time—with family, friends, nature, and, of course, perfume.

Perfume is about enhancing life—making moments more memorable. I once had a customer tell me he wore my fragrance Immortelle and a woman stopped him just to ask what he was wearing. That’s what fragrance does—it creates connections that might never have happened otherwise.

Manos Gerakinis reminds us that fragrance is more than just a luxury—it’s art, philosophy, and a way to experience life more deeply.