Name: Yosh Han
Company: YOSH
Finalist Perfume: König
Category: Independent

1. Where are you, right now?
I'm in the Library at The Battery in Jackson Square, San Francisco drinking a proper Caffè macchiato

2. What was the last thing you searched for, in Google?
PayPal history. I have too much bookkeeping to catch up on. Did that guy refund my cancelled Airbnb stay? Did that private perfumery workshop pay their deposit already?

3. What's a song you are listening to, these days?
I'm currently obsessed with remixes from André Allen Anjos also known as RAC (Remix Artist Collective). This is my favorite track right now - Let Go. This music video is highly stylized, romantic and darkly upbeat. I love it!

4. What led you to perfumery?
When I was in my twenties, I moved to Aspen on a lark and found that I didn't have deep pockets. I walked around town looking for work and wandered into a beautiful looking boutique. The voices in my head told me that this would be my new working home but the store manager thought I was out of my mind because I didn't have an appointment to speak with him nor did I even have a clue what kind of shop it was let alone experience. When I eventually learned it was a perfumery, I knew it was kismet. I had been a florist while I attended university and thought about getting into the healing arts but I knew I didn't want to work with sick people. I more or less fell into the rabbit hole of perfumery and have carved out a niche for myself with my brand of fragrances that retails in haute perfumeries around the world.

5. What excites you about your finalist perfume?
All my fragrances have spiritual meaning and my men's fragrance König is the vibration of King. (König means King in German). Beyond using essences inspired by the Bavarian forest, I created a fragrance that would impart the royal energy of benevolence and empowerment. It's an homage to the King (Queen) within.

6. Name three scents (other than your own) that you are a big fan of.
Grossmith Saffron Rose
Lucky Scent Decennial Bois Bourbon
Vero Profumo Rubj

7. If you could give a few words of advice to a young person trying to do something in the world, what would you say?
I have mentored many young ones and it always come backs to staying true to yourself and your dreams and to learn that "no" actually means "yes, maybe later."

Most people give up when they hear the word "no" but in reality, the "yes" is just hidden behind various reasons like timing or budget. So instead of giving up, the best response to rejection is to find the Yes!
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Learn more about ‘König' and the other perfumes that make up the Independent category finalists by clicking here.

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