Heritage
A house, in its own words
Anka Kuş Parfüm emerged from two decades of interest in fragrance, with Ali Erkekli establishing the house in Melbourne in 2018. From the outset, the brand positioned itself outside the conventions of mainstream perfumery, creating compositions that reflected personal creative impulses rather than commercial trends. The first releases appeared in 2019 with Absinthe-Minded and Jezebel, both of which signaled an interest in fragrance as a form of layered storytelling. Ismail Efendi — The Rose Bandit (2020) followed, continuing the brand's exploration of narrative-driven scent. The subsequent years saw a rapid expansion of the catalog: Betwixt and Between Extrait and This Ember arrived in 2020 and 2021 respectively, with Ambre Destan and Misk'ul Hareem adding further dimension to the collection. This Ember attracted wider attention when it was named a finalist in the 2022 Art & Olfaction Awards, a recognition that placed Anka Kuş within a broader international conversation about experimental perfumery. Erkekli appeared on the Olfactive Melbourne Podcast to discuss his approach, offering perspective on his journey into perfumery and the philosophy guiding the house. Vétivérité arrived in 2023, and The Long Red Cloud followed in 2024. Each release reflects a distinct creative direction, with the brand avoiding the trajectory of a signature style in favor of varied and exploratory work. The consistent thread across the catalog is a commitment to composition as a considered art form, not as a product category. Anka Kuş approaches fragrance as an ambiguous, layered experience rather than a solved problem. The brand resists the idea that a perfume should be easily described or immediately agreeable, favoring compositions that invite deeper engagement over time. Rather than pursuing novelty for its own sake, the house selects materials and concepts that challenge conventional perfumery conventions, exploring the spaces between comfort and disorientation, smell and memory. This position reflects a broader philosophy of treating fragrance as a medium for ideas, not merely a consumer product. The brand has noted its willingness to work against commercial pressures in service of creative integrity, maintaining a practice that values depth and complexity over broad appeal. Recognition from the Art & Olfaction Awards with This Ember affirmed this direction, acknowledging a fragrance built on ambiguity and layered experience rather than straightforward pleasure. The catalog demonstrates an ongoing conversation with the boundaries of what perfume can be, each release an opportunity to test and expand those limits.