L'Officiel Nose: Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz
Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz are blending form and function. Over nearly 15 years since the launch of Malin + Goetz, the duo has brought experience built at Kiehl’s, Prada, and Vitra (among others) to pursue a new vision of skincare: Malin saw this brand as a way to better address skin conditions after a lifetime of personal experience with them, while Goetz’s design background contributed a sleek, minimalist aesthetic building from past collaborations with emerging architects and designers. The result is a collection of simple yet effective treatments that cater to sensitive skin, with stores that look and feel modern while providing a personal, neighborhood experience: so personal that Malin and Goetz live around the corner from their Chelsea shop and often have brought their dogs in to visit.
The duo also has created several fragrances with the same idea of revolutionary simplicity in mind. The latest is Stem, which resembles a deconstructed garden by turning the focus from florals to stems, leaves, and soil. Using notes like mandarin leaves, rose centifolia stems, and white cedar, the fragrance highlights how these secondary garden scents can be just as evocative as the flower itself. As you can imagine, Stem would have an effortlessly edgy style if it came to life, so Malin and Goetz shared their creation’s favorite music, go-to drink, and signature look.
If Stem was the star of its own movie, which actor would play the starring role?
Francis McDermott.
What color does your fragrance smell like?
Green.
Which city does your fragrance encapsulate best?
New York City.
If you had to place your fragrance in an iconic decade past, which one would it be?
The 1990s.
What item from your wardrobe would you compare your scent to?
A vintage Helmut Lang jacket.
What music do you think your fragrance most aligns with and why?
The 1990s band Garbage, because it feels both modern and classic then and now.
If your fragrance had a night out on the town, what drink would it order at the bar?
Negroni.
If you were to relate your new scent to a book, what would it be? Why?
Jeffery Eugenides' Middlesex. It is exemplary, entertaining, classic, and modern. It is complex (and, it is intellectual and makes us feel that way!).
If your new fragrance had a soundtrack, what three sounds would play once you spray the scent?
A bass guitar, cello, and piano.
If it wasn’t called Stem, what would it be called?
Un-floral.
