Interview with Michael Ælfric Nordstrand

Postmodern Perfumer | Newsletter #10

Meet the Method Perfumer

Michael Ælfric Nordstrand is an innovative self-described "method perfumer", teacher, and multidisciplinary artist who brings a unique approach to fragrance creation. With a deep respect for raw materials and a passion for history, science, and the arts, Nordstrand's work is characterized by boundless curiosity and creativity. His expertise is backed by formal education, including an International Technical Degree in Fragrance Creation & Sensory Evaluation from the Grasse Institute of Perfumery and advanced studies at institutions like ISIPCA and Givaudan.

Matt Kaschel: Hi Michael. Thanks for taking the time to do our interview. From what I remember, there was some good news last time: you found an agency to represent you. What are you working on currently?

Michael Nordstrand: Yes, I signed with the Grace Agency in Paris earlier this year. Right now, I am working on projects for a number of brands, several of which will launch this year. For the moment, I cannot give too many details though. At the studio, we are in the modification round on a few projects as well, taking client feedback and nudging perfumes in the direction to fully achieve what they set out to in their respective briefs. I'm also teaching with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, at their Cloisters location, and there is programming to come at Met 5th Avenue as well.

One of the projects revolves around incense as a hero ingredient, one is inspired by a legend of the sea, and another is all about summer romances. I can tell those details, I think.

Matt: After working on or creating so many different fragrances, do you still get butterflies when a product is launched, or has it become the new normal for you?

Michael: I think it’s always exciting when a new creation launches. It takes so much effort and care to coordinate all the moving pieces that sometimes I’ve moved on to new projects, but that first moment when a perfume is announced is always energizing. I really enjoy hearing what people think—positive and negative. I’m fascinated by how everyone experiences fragrances in their own unique way.

Matt: You were trained at Givaudan, ISIPCA, and in Grasse. What are the most important lessons you learned at these institutions?

Michael: I think perfumery school, in many ways, was like any other trade school, in which the teachers are often also industry professionals. I definitely gained a lot of practical knowledge because of that dynamic, though in some cases, teacher perspectives could be limited by the confines of their work within larger fragrance houses or companies. Still, I'm a lifelong learner, and I believe that everyone you meet can teach you something. A great example I always mention is a teacher who discussed fragrance final concentration, as students largely work at 10% for their creations, but percentages in final product continue to climb due to perceived added value. This teacher told students, 'If you cannot make it work at 10%, you cannot make it work at all.' That really stuck with me in a number of ways! The most important thing I learned is that each moment is teachable, no matter where you are, and everyone can teach you something. I’m a lifelong learner.

Matt: Obviously, you learned how to make it work. Anyone who follows you on Instagram and LinkedIn witnesses one success after another. You are now represented by Grace, an agency for perfumers, and you are offering perfumery workshops with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. How did this collaboration come about?

Michael: And it’s funny actually. I went to do a workshop at the Cloisters and ended up speaking at length with the amazing horticulture team there, and I proposed a few ideas to teach with them. We started with a workshop and lecture on the Unicorn Tapestries, which was super well attended, even by some folks in education at Met 5th Avenue. They quickly asked about my feelings about doing a lecture and workshop series with them. I jumped at the chance as it was a lifelong dream to teach at the Met.

Matt: In April, you introduced Jake Eshelman as the creative director of your brand Mythologist. I know you've been working on it for quite some time. Now it seems your launch is not far off. What can you tell me about this mysterious project?

Michael: Yes, Mythologist has been long nascent, and we are really getting quite close. I hired Jake as creative director in April as I felt his vision and aesthetic were in perfect alignment with the core elements and values of Mythologist. I do want to also give a great deal of credit to the artist Matthew Hancock, who acted as ersatz Art Director and general designer extraordinaire from 2019 until January of 2024. He and Jake both have helped bring shape and substance to the brand; I’m greatly indebted to them both. As far as what I can tell you now, my aim with Mythologist is to bring my sensibility to the fore while also challenging and educating the customer. I don’t want simply to delight them—though I do want that also!—I want them to discover a new way of thinking about fragrance. It’s a lofty goal, but it’s an honest aspiration.

Matt: Does that mean you want to focus more on nuances and subtleties in your fragrances instead of the still strong trend to work with overdoses?

Michael: I think I am always naturally drawn to subtle shifts and nuances in every art form, even if I really appreciate minimalism and the gestalt of things. The word 'overdose' isn't one I personally use unless a composition smells disbalanced, but I know what you mean. I think the sort of Kurkdjian style of building a core structure of harmonized pillars for a fragrance and then lightly decorating with relatively minute doses of other materials is the next evolution of Jean-Claude Ellena's style, so I can understand and respect it; I admire Kurkdjian's approach even if I don't wish to emulate it.

Matt: What advice would you give to new perfumers who are still trying to find their own signature style?

Michael: Learn all you can, experiment often, and be willing to fail. In any skill or art we learn, often we emulate others first; for example, student painters often copy masterworks. So study a Kurkdjian formula if you like, and weigh it for yourself; perhaps even try to make changes to it so it suits your taste. In all this exploration, if you prioritize your own experience and aesthetics, your style will naturally evolve out of the choices you make as a perfumer. The hope, I think, for perfumers is having others experience their work, and I have found quite often that the first mention of style is in that context, coming from those experiencing the work. The short version is you don’t really need to synthesize something that will likely come organically with time and work.

Matt: What a great final word. Thanks for this inspiring interview, Michael!