Heritage
A house, in its own words
The Maker traces its origins to the hospitality industry. Founders Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg first established the brand as a hotel, creating spaces designed around sensory immersion and a distinctly bohemian aesthetic. The transition from hospitality to fragrance emerged organically from this environment, where Glazman and Roytberg began developing custom scent formulations for their hotel properties. Guests responded strongly to these olfactory signatures, prompting the founders to expand into standalone fragrance creation. The brand officially launched its fragrance collection in 2021 with a coordinated release of multiple scents, including Libertine, Fire, Stag, Wild, and Naked. This initial collection established The Maker's approach of releasing scents in thematic waves rather than individual launches. The brand maintains its New York base, continuing to bridge the worlds of hospitality and fragrance development. While specific details about the founders' pre-hotel careers remain limited in available sources, their background in creating immersive environments has clearly shaped The Maker's approach to scent as experience rather than commodity. The hotel origins distinguish The Maker from most indie fragrance houses, which typically emerge from perfumery training or beauty industry experience. This unconventional pathway has informed a fragrance development philosophy centered on atmosphere and emotional resonance over traditional perfumery conventions. The Maker operates from the premise that fragrance should function as an extension of environment and identity. The brand's bohemian sensibility manifests in an intentionally unconventional approach to scent construction, avoiding rigid adherence to traditional fragrance categories in favor of atmospheric, sometimes challenging compositions. The brand has positioned itself in opposition to mainstream fragrance industry conventions, particularly regarding longevity and projection expectations. Rather than optimizing for maximum sillage, The Maker develops scents intended to reveal themselves gradually to the wearer while remaining subtle to observers. This approach reflects a hospitality-inspired philosophy where the fragrance serves the space and the person rather than demanding attention. Sustainability factors into the brand's stated values, though specific certifications or detailed sustainability practices remain unclear from available public sources. The brand's body care offerings operate alongside the fragrance collection, reinforcing the lifestyle positioning established by the hotel origins. The name itself, The Maker, suggests an emphasis on craft and deliberate creation over industrial production. Fragrance development appears to prioritize emotional narrative and wearability over ingredient complexity or perfumer prestige, fitting an accessible entry point to niche fragrance rather than an exclusive or collector-focused approach.