Cowboys, Cupcakes and a Dog Called Dracula: Talking Scents With D.S & DURGA

A chance meeting between an architect and a musician, an almost two decade-long love affair and an impossibly cool and delightfully intriguing fragrance house capturing the essence of a Steamed Rainbow, Pistachio and Coriander. It might sound like the plot of the next hit HBO show, but it’s the incredible (and true) story of the New York brand D.S. & DURGA, and its namesake founders: David (‘D.S.’) and Kavi (‘Durga’) Moltz. 

The powerhouse duo has been bottling their unique chemistry since 2009. With intriguing names like I Don’t Know What and Cowgirl Grass, D.S. & DURGA is a manifestation of the pair’s strengths and endless creativity; David, the musician turned self-taught (!) perfumer, and Kavi, the architect and brains behind the utterly cool packaging, marketing, store designs and overall branding. 

In this instalment of Talking Scents, David and Kavi tell us the note-worthy stories that brought their brand to life. From Indian tuberose to a pup called Dracula, it’s every bit as intriguing as you’d expect. 

My earliest scent memory…  
D.S. (David): “The ocean.” 
Durga (Kavi): “Tuberose on my bedside table in India in the summer.” 

The first fragrance I wore… 
D.S.: “Pierre Cardin, in the black phallic bottle.” 
Durga: “The OG Betsey Johnson.” 

Falling in love smells like…  
D.S.: “Gamma octalactone.” [Editor’s note: a compound described as sweet, creamy and coconutty.] 
Durga: “Gamma undecalactone.” [Editor’s note: a compound described as lush and peachy.] 

My favourite person smells like…  
Durga: “My daughter smells like Debaser In Bloom. My son smells like our D.S. fragrance.” 
 
The end of the day smells like…  
D.S.: “Kavi’s night cream.” 
Durga: “My pup Dracula nuzzling next to me.” 

The fragrance I wear everyday…  
D.S.: “I wear something different everyday but have been rocking Cowboy Grass a lot recently.” 
Durga: “Durga.” 

The one note I would never wear…  
D.S.: “Cupcake vanilla.” 
Durga: “None.” 

The scent that changed my life...  
D.S.: “Cowboy Grass, our first fragrance.” 

The first step in creating a scent…  
D.S.: “I follow any concept, no matter how strange, and see if it works as a perfume.” 

The scent I’m most proud of…  
D.S.: “I Don’t Know What. It works on almost everyone and can be sprayed over anything.” 

The scent with the most interesting story is...   
D.S.: “Bowmakers. The birth of American music from American trees in the transcendental forest.” 
 
The note combination that surprised me… 
D.S.: “Black Magenta – pink pineapple, iris and tobacco. Sweet, but tempered.”  
  
The most important thing I’ve learnt about fragrance…  
D.S.: “You never know what people will like, and demand for certain things can be a slow burn.” 
  
The hardest scent to capture…  
D.S.: “Smoke and water mixed.”