How A Luxury Fragrance House Found Inspiration In “The Projects” Of Stockholm

By Cassell Ferere originally published on Forbes.com

Unifrom is a Swedish fragrance house founded by Haisam Mohammed, raised by an Eritrean refugee family. Mohammed was born in Northern Sweden and grew up in the high-rises of Stockholm, Sweden, the equivalent of what urban America deems “the projects.” Moving to the Swedish high-rises in 2009, located just outside of the city center in the borough of Farsta, this place was full of cultural epithets of Africa. Food, clothing, language, religion, and most importantly, the aromas that filled the hallways and stairwells, the different scents of African traditions would inspire a young Mohammed early on.

The smell of culture and ethnicity in the tallest residential structures of Stockholm would define a purpose for the young fragrance designer. Haisam Mohammed saw a uniqueness and an opportunity to refine and highlight his heritage. A culture relocated but one that remained potent throughout his childhood, the diverse population of neighbors would blend into memories fond of Mohammed's nose.

Unifrom is a refinement of the various aromas each hallway nook and stairwell space would capture, developed in Paris, and made in Grasse. “The smell of food [cooking] - incense [lighting], and spices being [blended] - was something that I was accustomed to as I lived in those [hig-rise] houses,” Mohammed remembers. Mohammed desired to bottle that part of his life and culture into a modern art form, respectful of traditions. Mohammed wanted to own luxury as part of the African diaspora.

Into adulthood, a young businessman apart from a boy roaming the apartment building hallways, Mohammed ventured into an elitist structure that surrounded the fragrance industry. Mohammed recalls his attempts to meld pervasive ingredients into aromatic memories and sell that idea to French purveyors of fragrance. “I would embark on a perfume journey to try to highlight those scents and start a perfume house that was not inspired by the typical french botanic gardens but rather the smell inside the high-rises and distill culture through scent,” he describes.

Unifrom comes in a roll-on perfume oil case and has fragrances in solid wax form. The signature look of the Unifrom comes in roll-on pens that resemble the shiny and aspirational high-rises that would glisten along the New York City skyline. A call back to high-rises, Mohammed recognizes this as a pillar and a reflection of Unifrom’s conception.

Mohammed would accept the challenge presented by the luxury industry to design an 'elite' product rooted in his heritage and culture. He says, “breaking into one of the most elitist industries in the world, I’m grateful to be showcasing that a new luxury can be found in the stairwells of the high-rises and that a new and young generation is ready to introduce new creative expression to the perfume industry.”