The Etiket Questionnaire: Andy Tauer – Founder & Perfumer, TAUER Perfumes

Andy Tauer considers perfume making to be an artisan craft. He never studied the art ...

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Andy Tauer considers perfume making to be an artisan craft. He never studied the art of perfume making, he is self-taught and 100% independent. All are made by hand in Switzerland. These “fragrant sculptures” are sold worldwide and are the recent addition to our niche fragrance family.

Andy TauerAndy Tauer considers perfume making to be an artisan craft. He never studied the art of perfume making, he is self-taught and 100% independent. All Tauer Perfumes are made by hand in Switzerland. These “fragrant sculptures” are sold worldwide and are the recent addition to our niche fragrance family.

“You need absolute freedom to create beautiful fragrances. And you need time. And the best ingredients you can get. That is the true mystery how to create thrilling fragrances.” – Andy Tauer

Andy Tauer is one who follows his own taste and instinct to create luxurious fragrances simply for the joy of scent. With every perfume he creates, he opens a door inviting you into his fascinating world of perfume making. In order to get a true feeling for the brand, we sent Andy the Etiket Questionnaire.

Meet the man behind TAUER Perfumes...

A good day starts with…  Coffee. Lots of it! Now, to be honest: I developed into an early bird the last two, three years. I enjoy the morning hours after 5 am, the silence of the city, and it is this precious hour where there’s just me, my coffee and my ipad.

I feel great when…  I’m out in nature. Knowing that “mother nature” can be a bitch, to be frank, I nevertheless feel great there. Especially when alone, for instance in Joshua Tree, realizing that you can die there and nature does not care, that you need a lot of skills to survive there (that I have not, but the natives living there had), feeling surrounded by rough beauty that  will still be there when I am long gone, all this makes me feel humble and allows me to make peace for a little moment with  a crazy human world.

I never leave the house without… pants on :-). And my iPad. When the iPad came out and when I got one I did not really know what to do with it. Now, I can’t live without it.

The next guilty pleasure purchase is… 50 sheets of 100x60cm super expensive paper for painting, using my oil pastels. Don’t ask me where I will put all those paintings once they’re done, though. Since I took painting up again a year or two, our apartment is getting stuffed with all sorts of paintings.

The place I always come back to is… Joshua Tree National Park, South of LA. I go there twice a year, for years now. It developed into something like my wellspring for peace, tranquility and lots of ideas.

My personal style can be described as… Simple and no fuzz. I guess it comes with age. I have been there, had it, have done it and now I do not need diamonds anymore.

The scent I most identify with is… LAir du désert marocain. It is at the heart of the brand “tauer perfumes”. It a piece of me.

When I travel, I always make sure that I…  dress in a way that is compatible with whatever might happen allowing me to sleep in airports, walk a few miles and eat and drink as broken cars, trains not driving, airplanes not arriving happens. A lot actually.

When I want to relax, I need… paint and paper.

When I have a bad day I always… look forward to the next day. Although I do not really have lots of bad days. I mean: There’s mostly something nice happening every day. If there is a really, really bad day, I usually shorten it up by going to bed. I am blessed with  great sleep. The world can go under but I will fall asleep, looking forward to tomorrw.

I find inspiration… everywhere. I guess it’s all happening inside. Of course, nature is a big inspiration, the sights and sounds and smells. People are inspiring, too. But most of what I create roots somewhere else and I cannot really pinpoint where it comes from. Maybe it is better not to think too hard about it. I mentioned it a while ago in one of my (rare) youtube videos: Creative processes are liquid. It is like a liquid state. No rigid solid matter. You have to let go and let the waters flow where they need to flow to. On the other hand, you have to be careful not to lose yourself in gaseous phase, and just flow away in outer space.

My go-to gift is… Chocolate truffles from a niche chocolate maker here in the quarter of Zurich. The best! And what is nice about this gift: It will go away and not sit on shelves for years.

I would never want to miss out on… our (my partner and me) Sunday ritual before dinner. A decent “apéro” with nuts and fresh popcorn (not microwave, you need to do  it the old fashioned way in the pan, for the extra bit of roasted aroma) and other treats, depending on the season, like tomatoes, grilled vegetables, olives, …

In my fridge, I always have…  some beer. And milk for the coffee in the morning. We buy groceries every day, and I cook rather than eating out or buying convenience food. Thus, the fridge is not that full.

On my night table I keep…  clothes that have not found their way to the washing machine, yet, and a bottle of Guerlain “Eau de lit”.

My perfect weekend is…  a weekend where I can at least for one day afford not to work.

My most inspiring travel moment was when… I was with my mom on a Safari in Kenya. It was a gift for her, paid with my business bonus back then. It was not inspiring in any perfume way, but it was inspiring as the two of us entered into a new phase of our relation.

The inspiration behind TAUER Perfumes is… leaving something, at least for a short moment, that I can be proud of and that brings joy to some.

If I had to lose one of my five senses it would be… the taste sense, but it would be a nightmare!

The one question I want to be asked in interviews is…  Why are you still doing this perfume thing? Not how it started, and where I find inspiration and how I built it all up. No. Why for heaven’s sake are you still doing this? 

Discover TAUER Perfumes at Etiket

CLICK HERE for more details about our Fragrance Sample Program!

1 thought on “The Etiket Questionnaire: Andy Tauer – Founder & Perfumer, TAUER Perfumes”

  1. Great interview! Can’t wait to smell this line today at the launch as it is finally available in Montreal.

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