Christopher Draghi of Source Adage Fragrances: 5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Very Successful Lifestyle Brand

An Interview With Vicky Colas

Make your brand a reflection of your personal interests and personality. Start with small goals to keep from getting overwhelmed. There’s always room to grow. Evolve but keep steady. Be aware of trends, but don’t chase them. It adds uncertainty in the eyes of your consumer/client.

As a part of our series called “5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Very Successful Lifestyle Brand”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Christopher Draghi of source adage fragrances.

Christopher Draghi and Robert Dobay have worked as freelance branding designers and creative directors in the US and abroad before exploring their passion for fragrance by co-founding their fragrance brand, source adage, in 2015.

Christopher and Robert’s multi-disciplinary, creative backgrounds provided them with invaluable tools to leverage their visual design disciplines towards scent design–layering fragrance notes into harmonious accords quickly became a natural extension of their creative training.

Christopher was first introduced to scent design through his role as a senior designer and art director for luxury hospitality brands where his team guided custom “scent programs” to enhance the guest experience. That experience gave him a keen insight into the power that fragrance has to “set a tone” and positively engage a person’s senses.

Robert’s lifelong curiosity-turned-passion for fragrance bloomed when he and Christopher founded source adage, and his natural interest in the history of fragrance making and ingredients was nurtured. Christopher and Robert’s hands-on approach to creating fragrances are seen in the distinct point of view that source adage fragrances display.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?

I grew up in Connecticut but followed my passion for automobile design to college in California. I fulfilled a dream of living abroad by moving from Los Angeles to Italy where I worked as a professional photographer and fine artist. My professional experience extended to creative direction and branding in hospitality and interior design as well. The cumulation of these creative disciplines created fertile ground for the next chapter of fragrance design–a shared passion with my husband. We returned to New York to start our brand in 2014.

Can you tell us the story of what led you to this particular career path?

Fragrance is a passion for both of us and that is the foundation of what we do. I see it as a natural extension of the creative world we come from. We are both artistic and analytical which is a perfect match for fragrances that balance instinct and artistry with methodology and science. Personally, we turned our creative focus towards our passion for fragrance, partly, out of a frustration of not finding what we were looking for our home; sophisticated, high quality home fragrances that leaned more masculine in character. So, we developed our own!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Chemistry is perhaps the least inspiring part of perfume making for me. Sometimes, just between us, we use nicknames instead of scientific names for certain ingredients. One day, while in deep conversation with a client about perfumes, I noticed that they looked increasingly disturbed. Suddenly, I realized that I had been talking about “whale vomit” instead of the perfumer’s ingredient “Ambroxan” the whole time.

What was she thinking? We go out to the beach to wait for whales to vomit? Lesson learned: Choose your words carefully.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

When I first moved to Florence, Italy, I was reading The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone… The experience of immersing myself into a new country, the world’s “cradle of art”, ignited my own creative exploration that left an indelible impact on my life. The Agony and the Ecstasy was the my introduction and guide to the my new home with every page turn. It added layers of historical context to the glorious vignettes I saw at every angle walking the piazzas and “vicoli” that may have otherwise been missed.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite of all time comes from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne; “Be true! Be true! Be true!”

It’s such a simple but powerful statement. For me, it’s a call to stay focused and true to yourself. To be honest. It’s a high bar in a bustling world but a worthwhile ideal to keep aiming for. Applying that to brands: it is easy to chase trends, to be swayed by the currents swirling around you, but I find it’s much more effective to be true to your goals and have faith in your vision. If you run after what’s hot that moment it can move you off your path and end up creating confusion for your brand.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. For the benefit of our readers, let’s define our terms. How do you define a Lifestyle Brand? How is a Lifestyle Brand different from a normal, typical brand?

A lifestyle brand imagines itself in its own ecosystem. It views itself in 360 degrees, beyond any singular product or product line, and interacts with its audience on an emotional level and, perhaps, changes their life for the better. It’s not about the size brand and its reach I don’t think. It’s about authenticity.

Traditional, or “typical”, brands, on the other hand, are about commerce above all, not emotions. More utilitarian and functional than emotional.

What are the benefits of creating a lifestyle brand?

A successful lifestyle brand resonates viscerally and builds a connection that endures. The consumer wants a piece of it, to be a part of it. They feel comfort in having that brand become part of their lives in various touch points or products. It’s rewarding when that connection happens.

As a fragrance brand our products engage the senses and conjure a mood. It’s a connection that we can then reinforce through the staging in our store. From the charcoal gray facade of our historic building in Hudson, NY, you already “get” what we’re all about. The decor, lighting, and, ultimately, the scents themselves communicate our unique point of view. It’s intentional and that confidence instills admiration with consumers.

In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved Lifestyle Brand? What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?

I give a lot of credit to the hospitality industry for creating “lifestyle brands” within their portfolios. I used to work for W Hotels, a prime example of a brand that, at its conception, was created to have distinct personality and “sell you” a lifestyle. It was wildly successful. Many others followed quickly to emulate that formula to varying degrees of success. But, my feeling is not to replicate. That comes across as inauthentic. Make it personal. “Build it and they will come”. The idea to create a lifestyle brand to please the masses misses the point, in my opinion. There’s little inspiring about a rehashed story. In the fragrance industry there isn’t much that hasn’t been done, and trends ebb and flow, but if you’re true to your personal vision, the community you want to attract will take notice and gravitate towards your brand.

Can you share your ideas about how to create a lifestyle brand that people really love and are ‘crazy about’?

Be true! Be true! Be true! It has to be personal and honest. Tell your story authentically. Be rooted in the passion for your work, take risks, and remain curious. People are drawn to a genuine story. They want to share a connection and be welcomed by it.

What are the common mistakes you have seen people make when they start a lifestyle brand? What can be done to avoid those errors?

When we started with our home fragrances, we knew we weren’t creating a new category–scented candles. “After all,” I would say, “the world doesn’t need more candles. It just needs better ones.” That mantra has stuck with us and keeps us on track.

There are a lot of copy-and-paste brands. Avoid that. When a brand doesn’t have its own point of view, it’s a lost opportunity. It’s awesome to be inspired by another brand, or design, or movement, but don’t mimic. Do what you are passionate about, genuinely, focus on why you love it, learn about it, and instill your point of view. If nothing else, you’ve created something of value because it is your own.

Let’s imagine that someone reading this interview has an idea for a lifestyle brand that they would like to develop. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?

1. Make it personal! Make sure you believe in the lifestyle you are tapping into, or creating, and that it reflects your own personal interests or style.

2. Trust your instinct.

3. Do your research.

Ok. Thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Very Successful Lifestyle Brand” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Make your brand a reflection of your personal interests and personality.

2. Start with small goals to keep from getting overwhelmed. There’s always room to grow.

3. Evolve but keep steady. Be aware of trends, but don’t chase them. It adds uncertainty in the eyes of your consumer/client.

4. Choose quality of your service/product over mass appeal.

5. Become an expert in what you’re doing to remain credible in the evolution of the brand.

Super. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

That’s a very important question for this moment. I believe the most effective thing we can do to inspire others are daily acts of kindness … a small ripple can still affect others on distant shores. For us, we approach those who we meet every day at our store with kindness and attention with the hope that, at the very least, we’ve managed to lighten up someone’s day.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Someone who I’ve become aware of recently that has lifted my spirit and optimism for the future is Amanda Gorman. Her intellect, command of language and emotion, and ability to move your soul to higher and better places is an inspiration for her generation, and all. I imagine talking with her would make me smile, laugh, and give me a sense optimism and joy for what she and her peers will contribute to the future.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.