The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
There is something quietly transgressive about naming a fragrance Believe In Capitalism, as if the name itself is meant to provoke a double take before the bottle is even opened. SARANGHAEYO launched the brand in 2020, and Believe In Capitalism draws from a specific memory: the vibrant energy of Hanam-dong, Seoul in 2006. Sources reference the mechanical heart of that moment with car-engine specifications (a 4-valve, 4-cylinder DOHC setup with a 13.0:1 compression ratio, producing 167 horsepower, hitting 100 in 2.8 seconds, with a top speed of 286 km/h), a detail that hints at the mechanical, urgent register the composition is trying to capture.
The composition's most unexpected move is the opening contrast. Raspberry, orange, and peach land first, and they land loud. These are fruits used to cheerful gourmands, but here they arrive sharpened rather than sweetened, almost jammy in their intensity. Then the leather arrives, not the soft, suede-worn leather of a vintage glove, but something more animalic, more structural. The ylang-ylang in the heart softens the leather just enough to keep it wearable, while the rose adds a cold, almost metallic facet that cuts through the sweetness.
The evolution
The first twenty minutes belong entirely to raspberry and orange, jammy and bright, almost disarmingly so. Peach softens the edges, and for a brief window this smells like something edible and generous. Then the green notes and leather arrive like a change in lighting, shifting the temperature from warm to charged. The fruit doesn't vanish. It gets pressed into the composition, stained by leather, shaded by rose, and stretched over a ylang-ylang heart that carries a faintly waxy, almost indolic sweetness. By the second hour, the composition has settled into something that reads less fruity and more architectural. Patchouli grounds the leather, cedarwood sharpens the edges, and sandalwood brings a creamy weight that balances the earlier brightness. The base takes over with quiet authority.
Cultural impact
Believe In Capitalism is part of SARANGHAEYO's numbered series, where each fragrance captures a particular documented moment rather than chasing market expectations. The fruit-leather contrast positions it as a more provocative option in a fine perfumery space, a composition that refuses to settle into any familiar category. The mechanical references in its origin story, drawn directly from engine specifications, give the fragrance an unusually specific cultural anchor: a Seoul street in 2006, the sound and fury of acceleration preserved in a bottle. That specificity is the point.
