Heritage
A house, in its own words
The story of KV by Kateryna Vel'menko begins with its founder's unusual biography. Vel'menko grew up in Ukraine, where her first sensory associations with scent were likely formed. She later spent years living in the Middle East, a region whose olfactory traditions, from oud to rose absolutes, have profoundly shaped niche perfumery globally. The experiences accumulated during this period inform certain choices in her compositions, though she has not publicly specified which fragrances carry these influences. In 2024, Vel'menko relocated to Italy and established her brand in Milan, a city that houses some of the most respected artistic perfumeries in Europe. The brand officially launched on February 20th, 2024, at Art Parfums Milano, a curated perfumery on Via Santo Spirito known for representing independent and niche houses. This venue choice signaled Vel'menko's ambition to enter the market through specialist retail rather than mass channels. That same year, she released eleven fragrances, an unusually prolific output for a debut collection. The brand appeared at ESXENCE 2025 in Milan, one of Europe's premier niche fragrance trade shows, and was featured at Pitti Fragranze, where Vel'menko discussed the inspirations behind select fragrances including A Bit Hazelnutty. The name KV functions as both initials and brand identity, a compact signature that reflects her preference for direct, unadorned expression. For Kateryna Vel'menko, perfume is not an accessory or a luxury commodity. It is, as she has described, a living extension of the self. This framing elevates fragrance beyond its functional role as a pleasant scent and positions it as a form of autobiographical expression. The eleven 2024 releases each carry names that function like captions for specific moments, moods, or cravings. One Mojito for the Road evokes a particular evening and its associated sensations. A Bit Hazelnutty recalls a specific gustatory pleasure. Not a Morning Person speaks to a universal morning resistance with wry specificity. This approach resists the traditional classification system of perfumery, where fragrances are sorted into families like floral, oriental, or woody. Instead, KV asks the wearer to engage with the narrative behind each scent. The brand mission statement refers to Vel'menko as both creator and curator, suggesting an intentional division of labor: she composes certain works herself while inviting other perfumers to contribute their interpretations of shared concepts. This collaborative model produces a collection that sounds coherent in theme but varied in execution. The philosophy extends to accessibility. Vel'menko has chosen names and concepts that invite identification from the first reading, lowering the intimidation barrier that sometimes accompanies niche perfumery. The brand name itself, KV, offers no explanation and no translation, leaving interpretation entirely to the wearer.