Designing a Movement - How Black Owned Fragrance Week grows and evolves

Artisan and creative businesses come in so many unique forms. The very nature of our creative processes leads us to breathe new things into existence. It’s simply what we do. And sometimes we find ourselves called to create new things. Instead of waiting, we are creating and innovating. And making the change we want to see in the world. 

I had the opportunity to attend Black Owned Fragrance Week this year. I learned about the event from Keith Clark, an artisan we featured in the Fall 2023 magazine. It’s a week filled with community building and an outpouring of love for the incredible work being done with Black owned fragrance brands. In its fifth year now, the online event supporting this week had a vibe unlike anything I had seen in recent memory. This audience was a highly engaged audience which led me to ask, how did they do this? Something this special led me to talk with Glenn Davis, aka mrcologne76. He shares the incredible story of what happens when you just get started and keep going.

Can you share more about your personal history with fragrance?

When I was 8 or 9 years old, my dad said to me, "I may not always look good, but I will always smell good." That story stuck with me and planted a seed. He always smelled great, and his scent was a big part of his identity. I started using his fragrances from an early age. This early experience made me curious about the power of perfume and how scent becomes a part of who you are. Even before I began creating content, people were calling me Mr. Cologne, and that identity has only grown from there.

What did you notice about the industry that helped you realize that there was a gap to be filled? 

 I felt like the content creators in the fragrance space weren’t truly connecting with their audience. I wanted to create a space where people felt welcomed, where conversation was the norm, and where everyone felt heard.

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