AMOUAGEImitation Man

The relationship between niche and commercial perfumery is far more complex than traditionally portrayed in marketing articles describing the "vertical dynamics of trends." This mechanism may have worked when niche and mass-market perfumery were strictly separated, but today's trends don't flow linearly from one segment to the other. Often, ideas that seem to have potential for adoption from niche to luxury or mass-market (and vice versa) never catch on in the new environment, and sometimes we see quite unexpected intersections. Personally, I see far less direct copying now than in the last decade, but more attempts to reinterpret popular concepts to suit the style of a particular brand and its target audience.