Joeri Hottentot, the face behind Van De Zotte, explains how and why he creates his perfumes.
I love developing products that tell a story. Or rather, products that couldn't even exist without the story. In these prosperous times we live in, where almost everything can be made or replicated, there's a great need for authentic experiences. Together with graphic designer Ferry Zomerdijk, we created our first perfume, MILLS, in 2018, to allow people around the world to experience what it's like to stand inside a traditional Dutch windmill.
Because scents are an enchanting way to tell a story.
I believe that scents and the olfactory system in general are heavily underrated means of communication between people. For example, I can show you a photo of a windmill or a Dutch polder, and you'll probably like it, but I can also let you smell the scent of centuries of craftsmanship inside such a mill, or I can transport you in your imagination to the middle of a polder field, among grass and herbs, and that can be truly moving.
And that's what scents can do.
My perfumes are my way of storytelling. They give you an olfactory experience of our national history.
