MASTORIES07
Mihan Aromatics have been blessed to work with Sully on Mihan Aromatics' most recent scent Sinful Rose - Sully Enayatzada who is an Afghan-Australian conceptual & editorial photographer + creative director based in Naarm (Melbourne).
We were so impressed by his work that we wanted to know more about this guy who we often see behind the camera. Let's start with an introduction: who is Sulaiman, and what do you do?
Sulaiman or Sully is a photographer who aims to express what he feels through the medium of photography. And I’ve also been fortunate enough to have had others entrust me with the task of bringing their feelings/visions to life.
Your work connects deeply with music and culture. What drives this passion?
Music is a feeling, it can evoke so much within you regardless of genre. So naturally my work blends well with music. And I love learning about cultures, hearing the different realities that exist on this Earth and how people choose to live their lives. I wish I could just travel the lands and collect people’s stories.
What’s your favourite Mihan Aromatics parfum and why?
Sinful Rose for sure! I grew up in a central Asian culture (I’m Afghan) where rosewater was a common smell. What I like about sinful rose is the fact that it has Oud and Tonka bean notes to which really make the scent grounded and not too sweet. It’s taken the rosewater smell of my youth and bought it to the modern day.
When we caught up the other day, I couldn't help but notice how proud you are of your culture, which I greatly admire. Does your background play a significant role in your work?
Yes definitely! My Afghan heritage has given me an appreciation for all the flavours of life. From all the classic movies we used to watch growing up to the many Afghan songs I listened to there was much art to appreciate. Most importantly, it has given me a sense of humility and a solid work ethic. Shoutout to my amazing parents being the ones who pushed this culture.
You've been with Mihan Aromatics from the start. Is there a parfum that stands out to you, and why does it resonate with you?
When Mihan first started I was obsessed with Guilty Story! Such a solid scent. Then the more scents I tried, the more each one resonated at different times. Kirra Curl for a hot day, Guilty Story or Petrichor Plains for a date night, Sinful Rose as my daily and so on.
Just depends on how I feel!
Our motivation for starting Mihan Aromatics was to connect with people by sharing our personal experiences through scent. Has a smell memory ever influenced your work?
Yes, scent has the amazing ability to instantly transport you to that exact moment in time. There are certain smells that take me back to my youth and for me especially certain PLACES.
For example, I love going back to Ashburton to do some thrift shopping as that was where I lived when we first moved to Australia back in ’98. Those streets feel so familiar and I’m always inspired when I’m there.
When people view your work, what do you hope they experience? Are you aiming for pure enjoyment, or is there a story you want to tell?
I want people to feel something. Not a particular feeling, but something. I want my work to stop people in their tracks and to really have to take it in. That’s all.
We had the absolute pleasure of collaborating with you on our Sinful Rose campaign, and we’d love to express our gratitude for your dedication. Thank you. Now, we’d love to hear a bit more from you—what was it like being part of the creative process behind the scenes? What was your experience bringing our parfum to life?
Thank you for having me, it felt crazy going from Josh’s chair at bearded man to behind the camera at the shoot. It was a beautiful process working with the team. Josh and Jules gave me a sense of what they wanted to express through the visuals and trusted me to execute it effectively.
The team on the day was beautiful, everyone was so kind, easy to work with and talented as all heck. Great visuals were inevitable! I really enjoyed the free flow of ideas between Jules, myself, and the talent. There was awesome synergy and a willingness to try ideas before knocking them. This is a beautiful quality in the creative pursuit as you should never limit creativity, just get it out and let the magic unfold.
Describe in 5 words what Sinful Rose makes you feel.
Nostalgia
Sexy
Kind
Intimate
Familiar
A special thanks to Sully (Lazyfairr) for sharing his passion and insights with us and for his amazing shots for our Sinful Rose campaign and for MASTORIES. You can follow him and reach out to this incredible guy via
https://www.instagram.com/lazyfairr/
