Copenhagen, DENMARK – Offering new fragrances with stronger scents than most Europeans tend to like, entrepreneur Haisam Mohammed said he was surprised to find his friends embracing them.
Mohammed, a Swedish creative who spoke at Copenhagen’s Fashion Week earlier this month, is the founder of the fragrance company UNIFROM, which broke into the perfume industry in 2018.
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UNIFROM, according to Mohammed, defies a lot of rules in fragrance. Its scents are oil-based and alcohol-free and aren’t packaged in the usual spray bottles. It’s priced to be affordable to many people, he said, and the fragrances contain Middle Eastern scents that Europeans and Westerners often criticize.
In an interview with Youth Journalism International, Mohammed, made it clear that he never adhered to European standards despite the criticism he got while trying to curate his products.
As part of Fashion Week in Copenhagen, Mohammed spoke at the Nikolaj Kunsthal, the former Saint Nicholas Church that is now a city contemporary arts center.
Designers, entrepreneurs, influencers and others passionate about fashion climbed up long wooden stairs, craning their necks to admire the magnificent details of the building and gaze on the almost-holy light escaping through the stained glass.
Mohammed spoke about how popular UNIFROM has gotten within European spaces, and how its Middle Eastern tones are being embraced more than ever.
He recounted how his father would come back to Sweden carrying gifts from his travels, and while he was highly anticipating some toys to play with, his father disappointed him with a gift of strong Arabian perfume.
Now, those childhood memories have come full circle as Mohammed pays tribute to his culture and breaking the industry with his roll-on, on-the-go oil fragrances and incenses.
In the interview, Mohammed reminisced on his journey with UNIFROM. It included consulting a French perfumer that was quite unimpressed with Mohammed’s original scent pitches, and how it took a while to create something that finally impressed him.
Once he got through the first hurdle of impressing the French perfumer, Mohammed had to gather the money for the product. At parties, he said, he found that initial funding by showcasing his product. He convinced people to pre-order the product and pay in advance with a promise to get the scent later.
Since then, UNIFROM had come a long way.
As for pricing, Mohammed said he had created a brand that is dynamically accessible – for those with more money, the fragrance would be a ready essential, and for those with less income, it would be more of a special treat.
For example, on the UNIFROM website, a .34 oz roll-on perfume oil costs 69 euros, or about $80 U.S. dollars.
As a creative entrepreneur, Mohammed emphasized the importance of taking action once an idea comes to your head.
UNIFROM is also releasing solid wax-based perfumes that come in small, practical containers – and like the other products, they are cruelty-free, vegan, alcohol-free and refillable.
As of now, they come in three different scents that were initially available as oil-based roll-on perfumes – Cassis, Maghrib, and Limbo. There is also a perfume starter kit selling for 29 euros or $33 U.S. dollars for those who want to try all their scents.
Jana Salama is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International from Egypt. She reported this story from Copenhagen and wrote it.
Noah Haynes is a Correspondent with Youth Journalism International from Denmark. He contributed to this story and provided photos.
