Matahari - The Inspiration & The Story
The Inspiration
Matahari is a bottled memory of my childhood, of my late great grandfather. I am a descendant of a mixed bloodline; Javanese on my mother's side and Chinese on my father's side. My Javanese ancestors were originally from Sumatera who migrated to Malaya via the straits of Malacca and anchored in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan. Jelebu's economy was mainly agricultural. Majority of the Javanese immigrants who decided to have a foothold there found means of generating income by working in paddy fields or fruit orchards.
My great grandfather was a man of faith whom also worked the land. When they moved to Seremban, they acquired a land and built them a house that sat on top of a hill, in the middle of a fruit orchard that could only be accessed by foot. The orchard that surrounded the house thrived better if the surrounding terrain was left as much untouched as possible, making the journey to my late great-grandparents' house an adventure set in nature with backdrops of tropical shades of brown and green. The pathway that led to the house was under a green canopy of 50-years-old trees with barks as big as three of me put together. As a kid, I looked forward to trips to my great grandparents' house.
The house was surrounded by fruit trees - the king of fruits-durians, were planted at the plot infront of the verandah, several different hybrids of rambutans and mangoes were planted on the west-side, mangosteen and variety of guavas on the east-side. A good size flower garden was also located in the east-side. As I opened the windows from the dining area, I was greeted by the sight of a very shady Java apples tree lusciously covered with its bell-like, fuschia-coloured fruits. That was the beginning of my love for fuschia.
Further up, were some rows of watermelon lining the ground, a cluster of jackfruit and cempedak trees and on even higher ground to the north were clusters of coconut trees. Memories from those visits and of my great grandparents came at the sight of the color fuschia and of the sweet-smelling scents of fruits and flowers that scented the air of my childhood.
My late great grandfather was blessed with green fingers. He could plant anything and make it bear fruits. He was the ultimate nurturer, a patient man, reserved with a contemplative demeanour. He was a man of few words, but his eyes showed great depths.
With the creation of Matahari, I wanted to capture the memories of my childhood, the memory of my late great grandfather and his love in tendering to his fruit trees.
The Composition
Matahari is a floral-fruity composition, an interpretation of a time of joy and innocence under the tropical sun, in fruit orchards and open fields.
It is a radiant blend of cassis, watermelon, kiwi, rhubarb, pear and peach combined with florals - rose, jasmine, freesia and cyclamen and base notes of sandalwood, amber, musk and cedar wood.
Matahari is available in Parfum 50ml (hand-crafted, made to order), Eau De Parfum, hand-crafted in 50ml and 10ml travel size which you can get as part of the 50ml + 10ml set or in the Travel Duo and Travel Set of 4 sets. It is also available in our Scented Sanitiser formula, to sanitise your hands, leaving them lightly scented and moisturised. You can also use our Scented Sanitiser to sanitise masks, objects and surfaces with it. Get the 100ml Scented sanitiser on its own or as a set -
-- 4 x 30ml set
For those who have not tried Matahari, why not try it by getting the custom Discovery set. You will get 4 x 5ml mini EDP so you can try other fragrances in our collection too.
If you like Matahari, you may like these -
The best parallel to Matahari: D&G Anthology L'Imperatrice 3 by Dolce&Gabbana
Part of Dolce & Gabbana’s five perfumes of their collection The D&G Anthology, this is the closest match in the market to Matahari. Launched in 2009, Anthology L’Imperatrice 3 features aromas of watermelon, kiwi, pink cyclamen and musk.
Our favourite composition featuring Watermelon:
Young at Heart by Floraiku
The new fragrance brand, Floraïku was inspired by Japanese culture, traditions and ceremonies and named after haiku poetry. The brand was launched to the market in late July 2017 with 11 fragrances. The latest addition, Young at Heart is a floral-fruity fragrance for women and men was recently launched this year with notes of Osmanthus, Watermelon and Jasmine.
Ciclamino by Monotheme Fine Fragrances Venezia
Ciclamino by Monotheme Fine Fragrances Venezia is a Floral fragrance for women. Ciclamino was launched during the 2000's. Top notes are Freesia, Apple and Black Currant; middle notes are Cyclamen, Jasmine and Rose; base notes are Musk, Cedar and Amber.
