“Up Close & Personal” with Gary McNatton

”Everything Through Smoke Creative touches is about design,” says Gary McNatton, and goes on to point out that, while his company tries to stay focused on scent, it’s still all about design no matter what the subject. In fact, he continues, “design applies to everything in my life. When I walk through my home, I look at everything that’s on display from every angle. Every selection matters and it’s chosen for its lasting power and simplicity. Time goes so quickly and I can't afford the space, or the money, for throw away, trendy items. So I choose quality in my personal life and in my work. My basic rules that I apply to design each and everyday are: 1) In simplicity there is longevity. 2) Have a point of view and stick with it. 3) Be true to yourself.

With a brilliant and highly successful career in design and production, McNatton claims enough awards (including nine FiFi® Awards and a Clio) to fill a trophy room, and enough media coverage to fill volumes. Last March, adding to Through Smoke Creative’s impressive and diverse client list - Apothia at Fred Segal, Clorox and Restoration Hardware among them - McNatton took on the assignment of Creative Director of The Gap personal care line, a position he had held earlier in his association with that company. In view of his remarkable accomplishments – and as a member of the recently formed West-Coast satellite of The Fragrance Foundation - The Forum asked Gary McNatton to share his thoughts on his work, on the business of design and the state of the fragrance industry.

As a man who seems to do it all, how would you describe a typical day “In the Life of Gary McNatton”?
I wake up very early, get my coffee and get back in bed to read e-mails and watch TV in the dark for an hour before the sun comes up. This is when I get to watch “Mad Men”, “Nurse Jackie” and reality favorites such as “Ruby” and “The Real House Wives”. The problem is, at night, I fall asleep the minute I get in bed. So the morning is the only way I can keep up with what’s happening in TV land. I'm at the gym by seven and at the office by nine. The work day starts with e-mails, phone calls, sometimes two at a time, and, of course, creative meetings, conference calls and vendor meetings. I decided in December that I was not going to wait for the economy to turn around and then get busy. So I have really put myself out there, and I've been loving it. This year, I’ve been traveling a great deal, and I’ve spent a lot of time in NY and will continue to do so. I love NY, but I’m happy to be living in California and working from our funky little office over looking the harbor in Sausalito.

In doing a little background check to prepare for our interview, we see that you’ve been involved in all aspects of design, from tea kettles, to interior design to fragrance packaging. You’ve also been cited as a “nose.” What is the main focus of your business today? Does Through Smoke Creative design packaging only or do you do complete brand development with formulation of the actual scents, candles, soaps, etc. as well?

That’s a simple question that deserves a not so simple answer. Yes, I‘ve done interiors, even a tea kettle or two and, of course, the occasional wine label, but the main focus of Through Smoke Creative’s business is the designing of scent concept, scent, primary and secondary packaging, the naming of the scent (the most difficult part of my job and one of the most important), all the way to the first production and filling. When I first got started in this business, I had no idea that people actually had specialized areas such as scent design, naming, packaging. We did it all simply by not knowing any better, and we are still doing it all today. We do try to stay focused on scent, but you know it’s all design, no matter what the subject may be.

Did you know that Gap's Icon series of the scents Heaven, Grass and Dream - the original scents we opened up with - will be 15 years old this November? And these simple scents, which are still in the stores today, are the basic dollar driver for Gap scents brand. That just proves that in simplicity there is longevity. It gives me great pleasure to have someone tell me that Heaven was the very first scent she bought for herself and that she still loves it. In an industry where product, and even scent, come and go in a season ... this is living proof that simplicity has legs.

In your role with the Gap, how “in touch” are you with the designers of their other products…is there an overall design philosophy that applies to the complete assortment, and is the Gap apparel customer the consumer of their personal care products as well?
My relationship with Gap is totally transparent. I see what they’re doing and where the brand is headed. Patrick Robinson is the head designer for Gap and he’s hands on, generous and a pleasure to partner with. The philosophy of Gap design is seamless throughout all categories. And, of course, the customer for apparel and personal care is one in the same. It’s my job to create product that blends with fashion which, as we know, changes quickly from season to season. But we also know that the personal care business does not and cannot change at that pace ... thank goodness. So the scents, in both product and packaging, need to be more classically modern, and to stand out and blend in all at the same time. Now there are times in the year when you can be a bit more standout than others ... holiday being one of those times. I think you’ll see an amazing change in the collection this holiday season, and that will be the start of an exciting evolution in the Gap scents.

Starting out as an entrepreneur, what were your major challenges? How did you deal with them?
I was lucky. I started out small and did what I believed in - designing the things we use in our everyday lives. I sold my company, Mottura, to Gap Inc.; perhaps too soon but, non-the-less, did so. I moved into a job and a company that I honestly loved and I reported directly to Mickey Drexler, a true retail genius. If you are true to yourself and do what you love, then success will come. I know that sounds like bull, but for me it’s been true. I think it also helps if you know how to sell your work. So many creatives don’t seem to have the courage, or belief in themselves, to sell their work. When I was a kid, my Dad taught me how to sell and it’s been his greatest gift to me. I have also been told that my right and left brain are in perfect balance, so I can be creative, and I can be a good business partner at the same time. Numbers and good design both get me excited.

Of all the products and/or design projects you’ve worked on which was the most challenging? Which was your favorite?
Another good question. The most challenging would be working with a client who gives you nothing. I hope never to hear the line again ‘I will know it when I see it’. Many people don’t know what they want, and so many companies don’t even like their own brand. They work from a negative position and it’s up to you to help them find out who they are and what made them famous in the first place. It’s important to embrace one's heritage. As for a favorite project right now it would have to be a beautiful fragrance that I designed with my team, for Gump's, called Baroque Pearl. It was designed with the 40 year old woman in mind. A woman who travels, loves and lives. We did it out of love for her and the San Francisco brand. We had two beautiful partners in this project; Gump’s and their CEO Marta Benson, who allowed us to create something that I’m most proud of, and Givaudan, who gave us limitless support. The bottle for the EDT is an irregular round, and the scent is a glorious floral with a hint of leather and a touch of green tobacco. It takes me back to when I was a kid and my Mom would open her handbag and I’d smell her perfume, the leather of the bag and cigarettes ... Very 60's. In October, we’ll launch an upscale men's fragrance for the brand Alford & Hoff. It will be exclusive at Neiman's and Bergdorf's in the US.

What influences your design vision?
Everything. I love movies, music, the Paris Flea Market, really good retail, museums, art and architecture. As for films, I love the ones about artists and musicians. I also love documentaries, particularly one called ‘A Man Named Pearl’, which is about a man in a small town who creates topiary sculptures in his garden. His work brings tourists to the town and, in turn, prosperity. I also enjoy Fashion TV, such as ‘Rachel Zoe’, ‘Project Runway’ and even Jeff Lewis of ‘Flipping Out’. My greatest inspirations are those people in a creative profession who put their passion out there on the line everyday of their lives. It’s that excellence that makes me want to do better

Why did you decide to set up shop in the Bay Area vs. NY or other parts of the country?
California has been my home for the past 20 years. It’s where I share my life with my partner of 19 years, and our beautiful Labradoodle, Hudson. We live in Marin, just minutes from the city, and my office is on the water in Sausalito. We’ve had a second home up in the Napa Valley for the past 12 years, and that’s where we go to refuel, relax, garden, laugh and play. I don’t think I’d have that if I were in NY. But, I’m always open to change and new adventures, so I’ll never say never. The truth is we like being on the West Coast. We have a lot of California-based retail clients who come to us, perhaps because we’re here, but, hopefully, because we’re consistent at what we do - delivering design and fragrance that are signature to them and that sell.

Do you perceive a difference in the creative process or approach to design on the west vs. east coast? If so, what is it?
It seems that perhaps the clock runs a bit slower out here or perhaps we have fewer interruptions in a day, and can hear ourselves think.

Turning to the subject of the fragrance industry itself, we asked Gary to share his views on some of the issues facing the business today – one issue being that each year, studies show, more and more consumers are joining the ranks of “lapsed fragrance users”. What do you think is behind this, and how can we turn the trend around?
Stop making everything fit a formula and never ‘focus group’ your product. There’s nothing new in the industry, and everyone is out there copying everybody else. Designers should stop looking over their shoulders at what everyone else is doing. Think like a designer, think like an artist. And never take your concept to a focus group for an opinion. In my view, focus groups only know, and are comfortable with, what they’ve seen before ...newness makes them uncomfortable. The best answer they can come up with is, "Well, that’s really different". I guess you can tell I am not big on the focus group or the mass opinion. I also call it the ‘girl in the hall approach’. In the past, when the merchants needed a second opinion, they would run out, grab a girl who just happened to be walking down the hall, and ask her what she thought of a scent or design. In a negative culture, she knew she could only give a negative answer if her peers were to see her as a budding talent. Never ask the girl in the hall anything! We should all do what we believe in. Dream big and, in my favorite marketing line from Apple, ‘Think different.’

What do you see as other major concerns? And would you agree with some of the smaller, niche, West Coast-based fragrance companies who seem to think that they have unique business challenges because of their location or do you think that all companies are facing the same issues regardless of size or location?
When was business not challenging? I must have been on vacation that week. Business is challenging and always will be. As for size and location, it’s a small world and, today, it’s much easier for word about a talent or a great product to travel to any town USA. Location is really not an issue unless you want it to be. Let's stop looking for excuses.

What do you see as the important role of the Fragrance Foundation in the industry overall?
To educate consumers; to help make fragrance a part of their everyday lives. To bring young people into the world of scent. To seduce us all - some of us for the first time and many of us again - into loving scent. Just a thought: perhaps fragrance has become too common, in both quality and creativity, and so doesn’t excite us the way it once did. The Fragrance Foundation needn’t use its time preaching to the choir. We drank the Kool-Aid. Let’s go to the buying youth, elevate their palates and show them what true seduction is all about.

Do you feel that the needs of the West Coast-based fragrance companies differ from those in the East and, as a member of the Fragrance Foundation’s newly formed West Coast satellite, how best can the Foundation serve its members in that part of the country?
Again, we are all the same, be it East Coast or West Coast. Perhaps the light is different out here and, of course, we are three hours earlier than you, but otherwise everything is similar. There have been trends that started out here and quickly adopted. But, in truth, we all want the same thing ... to be in a business that’s valued, loved and cherished. All we ask from you is to not forget us just because we’re out of sight. Simply keep us in mind.

If money were no object, and you were free to design whatever fragrance you chose, what would it be?
I would create a collection of beautiful, single flower fragrances. The purest of peony ... not like the rosy peony the fragrance houses try to sell us, but a peony scent that, when you close your eyes and smell the perfume, you actually feel the soft petals touching your skin and tickling your nose. Or the scent of the truest of orange flowers, like the ones that grow outside my kitchen door in the Wine Country and bloom in early May on the cool morning air. Or a jasmine, like the jasmine you experience in the air of Los Angeles, as you walk down the street on a soft summer night. I know you are saying that this has been done ... but not so. It needs to be done and in this lifetime.

Last March, when Inter Parfums announced your appointment as Creative Director of the Gap Personal Care line, Jean Madar, Chairman & CEO of InterParfums, Inc. said "Gary McNatton has a 22 year history of consistently delivering award winning design in the fields of personal care, fine fragrance, home products and package design.” What do you think is the key to your success?
My truthful answer would be ‘by not knowing any better.’ Actually, I came to this business quite innocently. I had a design firm in LA called Mottura, where our focus was home products; not the run-of-the-mill stuff typically seen in stores, but beautifully designed objects and furniture. To make a long story short, one day I was walking through the showroom, and while I was admiring the products, the lighting, the music and the atmosphere, I realized there was one thing missing ... SCENT. I took a trip to London and discovered a hair salon, on South Molton, owned by the Brown family. I befriended Caroline Brown and her husband and, in short order, I became the distributor of Molton Brown for the USA. I was in love with a particular men's fragrance they had created which was warm, rich and sexy. That fragrance became the male signature scent for my company, and we were then on a search for the women's fragrance.

I discovered a fragrance, redolent of fresh cut freesia, by a florist in East Hampton called Antonia's Flowers, and fell head over heels for it. I contacted a very funny, eccentric woman named Antonia and, as luck would have it, I was given the rights to sell Antonia's Flowers to my retail clients in California. Now I had my women's fragrance and to this day, Antonia’s Flowers is still my favorite fragrance, and has become a true American Classic. Suddenly, I was in the scent business.

So back to your question ... the key to my success is not knowing any better, not knowing the rules and walking into a business that I loved for all the right reasons on so many levels. But basically trying to remain innocent and free of the rules of the industry.

With great appreciation for his time, for a most interesting and thought-provoking interview and for his perspective on the fragrance industry, The Forum took leave of Gary McNatton in the absolute certainty that the rules of the game are not always the rules of the game.