Born and raised in Kuwait, Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah is known as one of the most successful young entrepreneurs who has defied the odds by revolutionising the luxury fashion industry across the Middle East and especially in Kuwait, his home country. His love for fashion, his perseverance and vast knowledge helped him make his dream come true that is to own a luxury department, who then founded Villa Moda- a store that gathered all the high-end brands into one place.
Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah founder of TFK
Apart from fashion, Al-Sabah had also a very strong appreciation for quality scents. Greatly influenced by his grandmother, as a young boy Sheikh Majed observed her mixing elixirs in her kitchen, which then led him to also start blending his own scents and creating perfumes from his very own room. Over the years, Al-Sabah developed a unique sense and the turnout for the influential personality was to launch the TFK brand founded in 2012. Ever since, The Fragrance Kitchen keeps up with the fashion industry by debuting between four to six new fragrances each year.
Here A&E gets up-close and personal with the man behind the prestigious fragrance brand, as his explains his venture’s philosophy, the influences of the East and the West and what the future holds for TFK.
What inspired you to be part of the fashion and fragrance industry?
“Simply I’ve always had a passion for fashion” in 1992 I launched Villa Moda, it was a multi brand store in Kuwait, at that time Kuwait was still recovering from the First Gulf War, I was very frustrated after the war: so we wanted something happy and interesting in Kuwait. At the same time I saw my friends and relatives traveling to purchase things abroad. That was a little disturbing to me. For our second Villa Moda store I saw that department stores or shopping malls all looked the same, so I wanted to create a unique a 100,000-sq.ft cubical luxury bazaar that challenged conventional concepts of shopping.
Walk us through the process, how do you create a scent? And where did you learn the craft of creating a fragrance?
Since I was a teenager my grandmother taught me how to mix essential oils and raw ingredients, so now I am what you call the nose, I mix oils and raw ingredients then take the final scent and have the chemists in Grasse determine the composition.
How do you see fashion and fragrance interlocking? And would you say the years of experience helped you bring the two worlds together?
There is always a connection between fashion and fragrance; we wear both on our bodies. They combine each other to evoke emotions and complete a specific look.
What inspired you to come up with The Fragrance Kitchen?
Creating fragrances was always part of my life but I never thought of launching a collection. One day, Tom Ford and I were having lunch and he shared his vision of opening a boutique at Villa Moda (a luxury bazaar that I introduced in Kuwait). I recommended that he break into the Middle Eastern market with fragrance. I developed Arabian Wood for his Private Collection and it became one of his best sellers. This fragrance gave me the confidence and inspiration to start The Fragrance Kitchen.
What’s your take on the various fashion brands launching perfume collections?
The consumer in fragrance is very educated; they are more interested in the story behind a perfume. They will buy if they know there is a creative process or a story behind it, reflecting the true values of the fashion brand.
What is unique about fragrances in the Gulf and Middle East regions?
The Gulf and Middle East region taste in fragrance is very unique, specifically heavy with oud and amber notes, which makes it very long lasting on the skin.
What is your favorite smell?
Bergamont!
What scent gives you a good memory?
Oud!
Everybody has a dream- whether it is to change the world, to become a successful professional, or to raise a family, etc. Tell us, what is your all time dream?
To live in a peaceful world!
Name someone you currently admire…
My mother.
What is next for TFK?
For TFK we are always up for a challenge, and newness for our customers, we come up with new projects and exclusive perfumes every 6 months.
A message you would like to share with our readers…
Take risks and live life to the fullest.
Slide through the gallery below and check out the various unique TFK perfume bottles.
The Arab Spring
Son of a Rose Pattern
War of The Roses
Gone with the Smell
Fly Me to the Rose
The TFK brand has a freestanding shop in Kuwait and various shops-in-shop across the UAE and globally.
