Art Niche Expo Timisoara, Romania May 29-June 1, 2025 A Veritable Banquet

Art Niche Expo 2025, Flavius Calaj and Danu, Timisoara Town.

There are moments that arrive, that once spoken about seem to be so obvious that one wonders why they have not been undertaken before. It takes perhaps the right moment for a visionary to stand up and take on the task , daunting as it may be, filled with a passion and enthusiam unmatched and then to bring it to fruition with such aplomb. I am speaking here of Flavius Calaj, from Arad, Romania who along with his own brand and several others under his mentorship decided to launch this inaugural Perfumery event in Eastern Europe. After just a year in the planning the event was held in the city of Timisoara and was, in all aspects a beautifully put together few days, well organised, well executed and full of surprises in so many ways, even to a seasoned Perfume fair attendee.

I was grateful to be invited by Flavius as a Special Guest and arrived a day before the event started to spend a little time in thsi city which has such an eventful history. It was fascinating and enlightening to spend a couple of hours with a guide who expertly explained the chequred history of this city with such ancient origins. Today it is awash with beautiful architecture from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles and is remarkably clean and safe. A beautiful city with very friendly people made the start of may adventure a real pleasure. I visited the venue that evening as preparation s were in full swing, aided by generous tables of home made treats and the local tipples. A venue that was modern, airy and very elegant, a spacious arena for the showcasing of the brands. I walked from my hotel to the modern district housing the venue through a spectacular park and shopping complex, well maintained beautiful gardens. Old friends and new awaited me and so it began.

Certainly there was a great air of anticipation among all the participants, I noted particulary that the level of interest and enthusiasm from a younger generation in Eastern parts of Europe was immense. Here were keen and attentive young people craving for details of brands, of trainings , posing well thought out questions delivered with genuine curiousity and dedication.

I have to say I did not manage to visit all the brands that attended and to those I missed, I promise to visit next year, yes, there will be a 2nd Editon of Art Niche Expo in Timisoara in 2026. So much to discover and fabulous people to meet, the warmth of welcome was amazing and for that I thank you all.

Highlight of the Expo was the presence of Cristian Carbonnel of Carbonnel, mingling and meeting with brands and young perfumers alike, also giving some very interesting Masterclasses during the few days. His Oud Masterclass was especially fascinating, with samples of various Ouds from all over the world and from different extraction methods.

Flavius of course showcased his Brands Calaj and Maison Evandie, I have known Flavius and Calaj for a number of years now, the complete collection. Maison Evandie Perfumes highlights his very talented family, daughter Diana Calaj, who is the Perfumer for the next two releases Diana and Meus (inspired by Meus Perfumery in Bucharest), a personal favourite with complex nuances and addictive glances. I also had the chance to meet Evy, the young woman behind Evy, for Calaj Perfumes , exceptionally good in very different aspects. Calaj Perfumes also introduced new releases including a 5 year Annivrersary Edition utilising only the highest quality materials. I was able to try the new Delizia collection, I had already been devoured whole by Delizia Oscura itself, a fearless, succulent, mouthwatering gourmand, now we have Delizia Tropicale, Delizia Oscura Gold, and Delizia Fruttata. Consistently brave, bold and exciting they are defining perfumes that engage us in their creativity and expression. He also cretaes perfumes that define personality, Gym Rat for instance, for all of us who hone the physical and Bikers Soul, for those who delight in the roar of the open road, niche entirely, a pure creative endeavour.

I cannot leave Flavius Cajal there for the man is so devoted to his craft, his Art, his Passion that he perfectly understands the imperative to nuture the next generation, so he put together ‘ Workshop by Calaj’, literally taking young, enthusiatic participants from his Perfume Creation Workshops, first time creators and chose 6 and has now created a house under that name. Each of the 6 created their perfume from start to finish under his mentorship, honestly they were all impressive. Lumen et Umbra by Hetti Benedek, Daywalker by Sergiu Dumitru, Happy Accident by Cristian Pandia, Principum by Titi Zamfirache, Ultimate Pleasure by Laurentiu Paun and Think Pink by Carmen Banateanu. Chapeau, dear Flavius for this commitment.

 Having the chance to meet up with the extremely talented Sultan Pasha once again from Sultan Pasha Attars and now Sultan Pasha Perfumes was a highlight, there is always mischief afoot and the best kind of trouble to be had in our combined company. He was launcing his collection of 4 perfumes after a very lenghty development process but as always with Sultan, perfection is the norm. These perfumes have voices that illuminate and elevate us into higher echelons, each one elegantly composed with pure originality yet infused with a modern classicism that will mean they are perfumes that will be recalled in the histories of 21st century artisianal perfumery in a firmly assured place. Thebes will be my first purchase, its dusty parchment and voices that whisper from the past had me captivated, Joyeux is indeed just that, an explosion of Joy and effervescence coupled with a signature ode to heritage which is unmistakably Sultan, a definitive nod of the head to classic structure yet perfectly aligned for right now, smiling is obligatory. Quintessentally Amber, soft, billowing opulence in a bottle, a caress of a thousand fold tenderness, laden with resinous notes and spices underpinned with a creamy and voloptuous sandalwood, this is every womans aspiration, that head turning moment, swathes of grace and elegance. Irisoir, was the most compelling and shocking revelation for me, overtly not an Iris fan, here it was an Iris to stop me dead in my tracks, supremely refined and enveloping like a second skin, it swept effortlessly over me, Iris combined with a floral narcotic infusion and the grace of a unparralled elegance, effortless and chic.

Part of the great pleasure of attending this event was also to discover new brands and meet their extremely interesting and passionate founders, Eastern European perfumery has for too long been under the radar.

So many to talk about and give a little credit to - JMP Artisan Perfumes from Poland by Founder and Perfumer Jakub Pietrynka and his delightful wife, Magda, this collection are quite strilking in their veracity, Jakub is not afraid to push boundaries and go beyond teh edges, he creates formulas that speak for themselves, I am yet to explore more but was interested in Green Mandarine, the latest release and also with Endless Forest, everything I love, Mossy Soil also spoke to my love of earth bound things and petichor illusions. He also has another branch to the business, by invitation where he creates small batch perfumes of great interest, piqued my curiousity, most certainly.

Gabriel Goa and his Casa Goa Perfume Lab, Romania, another great discovery, not only the man himself, kindness and peace emananting from every pore, he immediatly drew me into this world of odes and poetic nuances, all begining with a homage to India back in 2020. This collection also engaged me and on initial exploration, I immediatly purchased Goa l’Oriental - a beautiful expresssion of that country, lush and vibrant scents combined in a joyful celebration, Jurj was also an instant favourite - a forested haven of confidence that carries within itself a translucent light that is piercingly beautiful, Alba, too in it waves of gentle strength and abundance and quiet, solid presence, ethereal yet so very rooted in all that nurtures us. A talented creator.

Grande - Romania- A brand created by Alex Marin in collaboration with Romanian and Polish Perfumers were also of merit, Alex , himself is a gentleman and full of life and energy. From the collection there are three that immdeialty struck me, Giardina di Sorrento which is the current release, a white centered floral but so much more, the quality and depth within this perfume is quite something, in fact all 3 I have chosen are created in partnership with Perfumer Marius Pana, complex nuances rise and fall like waves on that Italian shore, it is a perfume in constant movement, breezes that waft in elements, all part of this profound complexity. Amberesso - A Limited Edition, it is boozy coffee shot through with waxy florals and a wonderful, as I perceive it cut green, sap which throws shards of vegetation into its heart, the green of fresh coffee beans comes to mind, A very clever formulation and again of quality. Cuore - a rich and jewlled opulence of a perfume, here is that mid-winter perfume, that steeped dried fruits and caramalised resins. It is a brocaded intensity, riven with all manner of opulent whispers.

Meeting at last with the exquisite Andrea Angeluta, creatress of perfumes that speak deeply to me was a meeting of old friends, those who never knew each other yet have known each other for millenia. She is a woman apart and her brand A13 has a collection of intensly beautiful perfumes that go beyond our sense of scent and wend their way into oyr profound, personal cores. She crafts perfumes that are drawn from places long since passed, pulling from ancient texts and deciphered, dusty murmurings, I have been enamoured with several for a few years now . Behind Closed Doors, Perfumer Flavius Calaj - Pure sexual heat and sensual skin on skin, intimate and enveloping, heated skin flushed with pleasure, yields to the remnants of mutual desires, it is devoutly human and has within it our most secretive desires. Above and Beyond - Perfumer Flavius Calaj, a swirling concoction of murmured devotions, saffron and incense, decocted within rising incantations. Her latest within the collection are La Mattinata by perfumer Flavius Calaj, A bright, early morning embrace at daybreak, dowsed in citrus and blooms and La Notturna by Perfumer Lorenzo Orlandi Berti, the suede like envelopment of the ‘blue hour’, inviting in all the night’s intimacies.

Miraj Romania is a brand reborn, with a history that reaches back to the 1950’s, it enjoyed great success until in its original incarnation it ceased to exist in 2008. It was reregistered in 2018 and is now a thriving house with a collection created by some of teh artisinal worlds best perfumers, under the guiding hand of Florian Gaina. Beautifully presented these perfumes intriuge as he ones I chose all possess something a little different, hard to pin down but nevertheless a touch of the unique.

Amara by Perfumer Paolo Cerizza, the perfect balance of dark fruit and florals, Velur by Stephanie Bakouche, warm and full of spices, its lingering dry down resplendenat with all manner of resins and Balm of Peru, the second by Stephanie Bakouche is Caramel, simply called Caramel, yet nothing simple about this, its exotic, hypnotising with patchouli and tiare with Tonka riding out this tropical downpour, its whispers of earth through rain soaked trees. My last discovery was Vesper by perfumer Luca Maffei, elegantly attired herbals and woods pass by here, ruffling the air as they pass, leaving a mirage of sophistication in their wake.

Other brands that merit my mention were, Atelier des Sens with their collection, Zino, Rozzo and Spiros, I shall be delving deeper here, Namos a new brand from Switzerland, a pleasure to chat with Marco Egger and learn more about the intial 2 perfumes, of the two Fengari was my preferred. I also met with Perfumer Claudio Zucca from Claudio Zucca Perfumes, lovely to talk to, passionate and with engaging stories from his life behind each perfume, really enjoyed the collection, interesting to explore, Deep Water, Royal Verbena and the aptly named Cereal Break. Last of all Mythology Parfums, a Serbian brand and their interpretation of Thor, created with Polish Perfumer Jakub Pietrynka, of the three in the collection this one really caught my attention, exceptionally constructed, it reasonates power.

The Expo was rounded off in style of course with a marvellous evening and also before closing an open talk on the subject of Lets Talk Perfume hosted by Sultan Pasha - (Sultan Pasha Attars, Sultan Pasha Perfumes) and Elena Cvjetkovic (The Plum Girl), Lively, interactive discussions and the audience of mainly young perfume devotees and trainee perfumers thirsting for knowledge, truly inspiring.

I look forward to the next edition in 2026, dates nave now been confirmed in Timisoara, 8, 9, 10th May 2026

Exhibit, Visit, Discover and Enjoy

My deepest thanks and admiration for Flavius Calaj and his devoted family for this inaugural event whsich held so many surprises and discoveries, your incredible hard work was appreciated, see you in 2026.

I highly recommend also my hotel in Timisoara, Hotel Atlas for their excellent customer service and friendly assistance every day.

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