Interview with David-Lev Jipa-Slivinschi: The soul behind Toskovat’

Recently, Memoire Perfumery opened its doors in Zagreb, offering for the first time in Croatia Toskovat’ perfumes, a brand that quickly caught the attention of fragrance lovers intrigued by the stories behind the scents. Although I was already familiar with the brand, the creator’s authentic and deeply personal story intrigued me so much that we decided to take it a step further and conduct an exclusive interview with the founder himself, Mr David-Lev Jipa-Slivinschi.

But first a short introduction about the brand. Behind every fragrance lies a story, sometimes deeply personal, sometimes universally human. Toskovat’, an indie perfume brand emerging from Romania, is the brainchild of a creator who blends nostalgia, raw emotion, and storytelling into each carefully crafted scent. Unlike many corporate fragrance houses, Toskovat’ embraces sincerity and artistic freedom, offering perfumes that capture memories, feelings, and moments far beyond the surface. This interview peels back the layers behind the brand, revealing the inspiration, philosophy, and intimate reflections of the creator himself.

In the following conversation, you’ll discover the origins of Toskovat’, from childhood memories sparked by a single perfume bottle to the complex emotions tied to bespoke creations. The answers go beyond technicalities, touching on themes of love, loss, authenticity, and the power of scent to both mask and reveal our true selves. Whether you’re a fragrance enthusiast or simply curious about the art of storytelling through perfume, this article offers a rare glimpse into the soul behind the scents.

Would you tell us what is your earliest memory associated with perfume?

David: I am not sure but I think my first memory is when one of the first shopping malls opened in early 2000's Romania. Both my parents were using perfume but I never interacted with it until I joined my father on a trip to said mall where he was looking for a replacement for an empty bottle. There, Givenchy's Gentleman was heavily advertised.

“I remember the tall, triangle, green bottle. It was quite the scene for a child, going inside a Sephora seeing so many stimuli - colors, names, smells. I remember me and him decided together it was a right fit on his skin and that my mother would like it if we bought it. She did.”

We asked David what does the word Toskovat’ represent, because it’s a name that immediately draws curiosity and is unfamiliar to many outside of Slavic languages. His answer, though brief, carries emotional weight.

“It does not have a direct translation but the closest word in English would be nostalgia, I think.”

It’s a fitting name for a perfume house built on memory and feelin, on longing for something that may have never fully existed, yet still lives vividly in scent.

What inspired you to start your perfume brand?

David: I always looked for creative outlets. I love to write and to sketch stories visually. I love to cook and to build Legos. Perfume is just another materialization of my need to share my stories. Not to mention I felt the industry was deeply missing something.

“So many “concept” brands have no concept, no sincerity. So much of what we consume is born in the corporate world, thought out by suits in offices. I think it's good to have an indie alternative.”

What was the first fragrance under Toskovat’ and what was the inspiration behind it?

David: Silent at The Theme Park was the first, it was supposed to be a perfume just for my mother. She refused to change her scent for maybe 15 years and I hoped I could make something for her.

“It is inspired by the lilac that blooms each spring in front of our home, but also my vague memories of my first holiday to an amusement park. It tries to capture softness, tranquility.”

If you could choose one Toskovat’ perfume as your favorite, which one would it be and why?

“It would be a tie between Age of Innocence, My Past Selves' Flowers and Last Birthday Cake. But if my lab was on fire and I could only save one it would be LBC. The emotion behind that one is closest to my heart.”

What was the inspiration behind your latest Betrayal Collection?

David: Sadly, I do not want to talk about these releases or their behind the scenes. Due to an unlucky collaboration a small scandal was already splattered over social media and I do not want more verve to be generated around them. I'm happy for their future owners to have their own interpretation.

David challenges the very idea of what “unusual” means. For him, once you move beyond clichés and understand the chemistry of scent, everything becomes interconnected, mushrooms are no more unexpected than roses. It's not about being provocative, but about seeing all of nature as fair game for storytelling through perfume.

Creating a bespoke perfume is a deeply collaborative and emotional journey. Toskovat’ dedicates considerable time and attention to each personalized commission, involving direct conversations with clients to uncover what truly matters to them. These sessions explore anything meaningful, from childhood memories and favorite songs to vivid dreams and personal milestones. Such intimate details become the foundation for crafting a fragrance that embodies the individual’s unique story. For the perfumer, these bespoke projects represent not just artistic expression, but a way to connect deeply with others through scent.

You offer personalized or bespoke fragrance options. How does that process work?

David: Yes, I do, and it is a very consuming process for me so wait lists are in place. I have direct calls with the people that commission them. I want them to share with me ANYTHING that is meaningful to them that they think might help me translate their idea into liquid. Films, music, childhood photos, favorite restaurants, a memory that makes them cry, everybody has a different approach.

“I've heard as simple as “make it smell like my new Ferrari” to “I had a dream I was living on a glacial planet, can you capture that?”. I think in the future, when I will stop creating new general releases I will want to grow old just doing hand-picked projects like these, but only with ideas that truly speak to me.”

Can you describe a memory that doesn’t belong to you, but that you’ve bottled anyway?

David: I think all of Toskovat' is memories of other people that I bottled. Sure, the inception is personal, there is a self-centred base to the pyramid, but I always try to capture something universal, something where everybody can relate to it. As you can notice, my perfumes are about love, death, friendship, betrayal, travel, nostalgia, faith, consumerism, etc. They are not about MY travel to X place, or MY falling in love with X person. That is boring and isolating. And so many brands do it already.

Perfume, like many products, can create an image or a story that may not fully align with reality. Toskovat’ reflects on how fragrance can serve as a mask, sometimes an honest one, sometimes a desired projection of identity, but ultimately it is not a true revelation of one’s inner self.

Do you think perfume can lie? Or can it only ever reveal what we are trying to conceal?

David: I think any product can lie. Every product sells you an image, an idea, a perceived notion of self - not just the physical good in your bag. I think this is good, but it should be accepted with measure. Don't glorify it, don't over-indulge. I always say:

“In life you might learn how to trick and lie to anybody... but never yourself.”

David: I don't think perfume can reveal our deepest being. It is just another mask. Sometimes it is an honest replica of our face, sometimes maybe what we crave to portray. But that deeper being will always seep through if given enough time.

If you could create a scent for a moment in history that humanity has tried to forget, how would it smell?

We asked this question with curiosity, wondering how a perfumer so attuned to emotion and memory might approach something as heavy and complex as forgotten history. His answer, as expected, didn’t follow an obvious path, but instead opened up a deeper reflection on how society interacts with uncomfortable truths.

“Oh but history is trying to hide under the rug so many horrible things. I would not know when to start. I think I tried to do that with Inexcusable Evil and it seems I failed. People weren't thought-provoked by it as much as they were accepting and embracing. That says something about our society.”

David: I think if I'd make a perfume based on history that is further away it would be something trying to portray the commoner's life in medieval times. We always think of royalty, of knights, of princesses and palaces. How about a perfume about a peasant's home and seeking the beauty in their life full of struggle. It's a powerful idea, using scent to shift the narrative away from glorified historical moments and toward the quiet, often overlooked lives that shaped the world just as much. Through this lens, perfume becomes a vessel not just for beauty, but for honesty.

What does ugliness smell like, and how do you make it beautiful?

David: Ugliness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. For me ugliness is lack of individuality, it is conforming to something just for the sake of it. “Blue perfumes” just because they are trendy. That is abandonment of self. And it is so easy to start searching for yourself, and in time, you will both find your true identity and also create it along the way. For me beauty is being unapologetic in your particularities. You have a crooked nose? Own it. You will inspire the people around you and more beauty will be birthed. Now how would that smell? That would be a great idea to explore in the future. I do not have any idea right now.

Is there a smell that terrifies you to work with because of the emotion it evokes?

“Empty Wishes Well is something I rarely touch, to me it is the smell of cleaning a grave. Dusting it, washing it, scraping dried leaves off. It does not necessarily terrify me, it just reminds me of the pain I felt and the death I witnessed.”

If a future civilization discovered a Toskovat’ bottle in the ruins of our world, what would they think?

David: It is funny you ask me this because one of the earliest ideas I had when creating Toskovat' was that I was trying to capture human essence in a box. I would try to describe us, like if an alien civilization stumbled upon our destroyed planet in the future and somehow a Toskovat' collection survived - the aliens would interact with the smells, the music, the stories and they would go:

“Oh, so this is what this race was like. Humans seem fascinating.”

Even without the ability to smell, creativity isn’t lost, it simply shifts. He shares that he’s already created perfume formulas entirely from memory, without ever stepping into the lab. With years of experience and a deep understanding of over 400 aroma chemicals, the process becomes almost second nature. Like riding a bike, the knowledge doesn’t fade, it evolves into instinct.

What's next for Toskovat'?

David: Practicing thankfulness, working to live not living to work, and a new project, a new brand. Don't ask when, I cannot know. But it will happen. As for new releases, we will have an anniversary edition at the end of August for our 3rd birthday. It will come with a special piece of jewelry that I worked on since the beginning and it will bring back a discontinued perfume that fans asked for more than a year.

Keep an eye on this indie gem as it continues to weave scent with soul. Thank you David for this lovely interview!

Pictures: Toskovat'