The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Lithuanian fashion designer Juozas Statkevičius (born Josef Statkus) commissioned his eponymous fragrance in 2004, working with French perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin. Rather than building a commercial fragrance line, Statkevičius approached scent as an extension of his fashion philosophy, singular, considered, unapologetically his own. The decision to work with Pellegrin, whose portfolio included work for Hermès and Diptyque, reflected a commitment to a single artistic statement rather than an expansive portfolio. One fragrance. One vision. One collaboration.
The structure Fabrice Pellegrin built here rewards attention. Coriander and jasmine open, clean, almost brisk. But incense arrives within the hour and doesn't ask permission. What makes the base unusual is how the sweet and resinous elements reinforce rather than compete: vanilla amplifies the benzoin, both of which lift the frankincense rather than bury it. Patchouli keeps everything honest at the drydown, grounding the warmth in something dry and slightly dirty. Cashmere wood is the quiet luxury, present without being seen, felt without being named.
The evolution
The opening is coriander and jasmine, bright, aromatic, with jasmine threading through the entire composition like a voice that never quite disappears. Then frankincense arrives. Not gradually. It takes over. The warm amber base of vanilla and benzoin builds underneath, but incense becomes the conversation for the next three to four hours. As it settles, everything compresses into something close and soft. Vanilla and cashmere. Patchouli that stays near the skin. The drydown reads as warmth itself, intimate, certain, the kind of presence that outlasts the evening and still there when you wake up.
Cultural impact
Wearers describe it as the scent of someone who walks into a room and doesn't need to announce themselves. It occupies a specific space in the niche amber-incense category, resinous and warm like Amouage Epic or Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, but more intimate than those heavier statements. One reviewer called it 'the ultimate unisex fragrance.' Another noted it feels more organic than the CDG Incense Series, with a vanilla-pine drydown that lingers long after others have faded.
