Today we’d like to introduce you to John Pegg.
Hi John, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in St. Clair, Michigan, about an hour north of Detroit. Where I’m from, if you didn’t work in the automobile field, you were most likely unemployed. While each factory may produce a different car part, every factory was exactly the same: Production and Numbers. To get out of that scene, I learned how to paint and wrench on motorcycles. As I worked, I loved the scent of dirt, grease, oil and sometimes blood from a busted knuckle. I’ve always been captivated by scents; gasoline, stamped steel, plastic, trees, earth, and eventually a name was forged, Kerosene.
After smelling everything I could get my snout on, I felt it was time to see if I could combine the right notes and create something special. My goal for my scents will always follow my three ingredients; raw, unique, and approachable. With the scents, I wanted the bottle design to match. So I put my painting talents to work, and little did I know, my factory production background would come in good use. Each bottle will be unique, always painted with high quality automotive paint and clearcoat. The result is if a shiny, classic metallic Ford collided with perfume, as songs by The Cure resonate out of the peaky tiny speakers from the clunky 8-track player.
Hailing from Michigan, which is frigid about seven months of the year, I am naturally attracted to warm notes. Amber, woods, and spices, they do it for me and make their way into a lot of what I do.
I’m a simple person, but my scents won’t be.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I was fortunate that samples of my work got into the right hands, at the right time. In 2012, one of my first customers shared samples of my work with a perfume shop owner in New York, and from there, they wanted to carry my ‘brand’. (I didn’t have a brand yet!)
I didn’t intend on making fragrance a business. I have been very blessed to have this creative outlet, reaching people around the world. It’s still humbling to know that people out there are actually wearing something that I’ve created.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a completely self-taught perfumer (some trivia: there are more astronauts than perfumers!) I take my creations seriously, and want to offer the very best to my customers.
The best ingredients, the best presentation and packaging. I simply want to make people happy with the scent.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’ve been so blessed to have my creations reach the right people at the right time, coupled with a genuine, loyal fan base.
Pricing:
- $140 retail for 3.4 oz/100 ml eau de parfum
Contact Info:
- Email: kerosenefragrances@gmail.com
- Website: www.houseofkerosene.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerosenefragrances/
