Every bottle of perfume and cologne is marketed with its own story or intention as a way to connect its scent and associate it with a feeling before smelling it. Creed’s Aventis is famously inspired by Napoleon. Gabrielle Chanel sought out “a woman’s perfume, with a woman’s scent,” and found this in her own N ॰ 5. Koroma’s Aromas takes a more personal approach to perfuming. Every scent is left open to be interpreted by the wearer. James Koroma is Harlem’s only auteur perfumer. I had the opportunity to discuss his coming to love the perfume business, his philosophy on scent, and to get his perspective on each of the five fragrances included in his collection. James’ grandfather Aloysius Koroma would make perfume as a hobby while living in Liberia. When civil war broke out, he sent his family to safety in America. As he moved around the conflict, he exposed himself to a rich variety of fragrant raw materials all through Northwest Africa before reuniting with his family in the U.S...
