A heady dose of nostalgia permeates D. S. & Durga’s intricately layered universe. Kavi Ahuja Moltz and David Moltz, the couple behind the decade-old brand, give Rymn Massand a glimpse into how they have carved a unique niche in the perfume industry.
Walking down the leafy streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, en route to meet the founders and creative heads of the fragrance brand D. S. & Durga (DSD), I am struck anew by how this city thrives on its contrasts. Not so long ago, Bed-Stuy was a rather far-flung neighbourhood with a slightly menacing edge and now, with its beautiful brownstones and planted front porches, it is the typical scene of gentrification. This is what NYC is about, the gritty with the pretty, the rough with the smooth, and this contradiction is exactly what has allowed the drive, ambitions and big ideas to blossom for couple Kavi Ahuja Moltz and David Moltz. They have created one of the biggest fragrance brands in New York (actually, the USA) and describe their work in purely poetic terms…as aromatic landscapes evoking stories, fragments of music, literature, art and moments past while painting a picture through scent.
For creatives, so much of what we do is reflected in our daily lives; the details that fill a home or a studio, or our notebooks… and entering the home of Kavi and David feels very much like entering the world of DSD. Light and space, their children’s drawings over the fireplace, crystals and books piled on tables, candles and attar in cut-glass bottles, sculptures and tapestries and the soothing sounds of Billie Holiday set the tone. All the various details make up the whole, but each one is its own story.
Denne historien er fra June - July 2019-utgaven av Verve.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra June - July 2019-utgaven av Verve.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Making Amends
This generation’s penchant for thoughtless consumption gets Madhu Jain roiled up, and she wonders if nature is getting its own back for our missteps…
Diamonds With Provenance
In keeping with the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, enlightens Shirin Mehta on the efforts that make the jewellery giant an industry leader in transparency
SARTORIAL ECONOMICS
Sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra demonstrate to Akanksha Pandey how deviating from the mainstream can bend the way we think, live and dress
NOTES TO SELF
An anthropomorphized tiger’s perspective, a viscerally worded futuristic interpretation of loss, a critique of performative activism, a meta reflection on the earth’s crises. Told through different lenses, Janaki Lenin, Indrapramit Das, Keshava Guha and Roshan Ali’s stories — written exclusively for Verve — attempt to make sense of the fraught reality that we exist in today
The Eternal Optimist
As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
Redemption SONGS
Indian music festivals have been demonstrating a refreshing sense of responsibility in terms of their ecological impact. Interacting with stakeholders who strive to make these large-scale events greener, Akhil Sood investigates the reasons behind the improved attitudes of audiences and the increase in corporate support.
earth hour
Crafted using nature’s elements, these dials draw inspiration from the many heterogeneous materials and hues around us.Verve turns its lens onto a mesmerising few
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Children are holding adults accountable for both the grim future they are facing and the toll this is taking on their mental health. Madhumita Bhattacharyya initiates conversations with families of young climate activists and observes the extent to which parenting has changed in the face of catastrophe
NATURAL JUSTICE
Most of us are only just waking up to the urgency of climatic action. When the stakes are so high, what can individual action solve? Mridula Mary Paul, an environmental policy expert, is proof of the tenacity needed to effect systemic change. It’s not glamorous, and the rewards are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop her from aiming big, finds Anandita Bhalerao
Along For The Ride
Navigating Indian streets as a woman is hard enough. But what is it like while riding a bicycle? Bengaluru-based Shreya Dasgupta, a regular cyclist, speaks to five urban women about the pros and cons of this increasingly popular means of transport.
