Fragrance enthusiasts have dubbed Nishane Hacivat “The Aventus Killer”—but why? Launched in 2017, this fragrance from Turkish niche perfume brand Nishane has made waves since its introduction, and for good reason. This article talks about the origins of Hacivat and why it’s gained the cult following it has now in such a short time.
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About Nishane
Founded in 2012, Nishane is the first–and currently, only–Istanbul-based niche perfume brand in the country. Despite being a relatively new company, their scent creations have been widely celebrated for their uniqueness and artisanal qualities.
The founders of Nishane are Mert Guzel and Murat Katran, both born and raised in Istanbul. Guzel and Katran possess deep connections to the luxury world: Guzel is a graduate of Galatasaray University, also based in Istanbul, and is a well-known coffee table book author, with luxury hotels of Turkey being one of his favorite subjects. Katran, on the other hand, is a graduate of Boğaziçi University and worked as an export manager for one of the biggest steel mills in Turkey before going on to establish his own steel production business. He is also a professional actor, having acted in productions at the Istanbul City Theaters for over 13 years.
It is their shared love of perfumes and adoration for the city in which they live that inspired them to create the brand. In Nishane, the pair combine their artistic sensibilities and business-savviness to create fragrances that tell stories, evoke memories, and ignite emotions.
The nose behind the fragrance: Jorge Lee
Jorge Lee is the nose behind Nishane Hacivat. He is a senior perfumer that is also responsible for 18 other fragrances in Nishane’s catalog, including Karagoz and Zenne from the Shadow Play collection that Hacivat is included in.
Born in Bogota, Colombia, Lee now calls Istanbul his home. His journey into the world of scents brought him the long way around: he studied economics and was preparing to take on a job at a Dutch bank in Colombia when he was contacted by a headhunter who was looking for someone to fill a marketing role in a fragrance company. From there, he trained to become a fragrance evaluator before receiving an offer to further train as a perfumer.
Lee has a fondness for elegant and mystical scents, but makes sure that his creations are always versatile and infinitely wearable–just like Nishane Hacivat.
Karagöz and Hacivat
Hacivat is the shortened form of Hacı İvaz, or İvaz the Pilgrim in Turkish. Hacivat is one of the lead characters in the Turkish shadow play, Karagöz and Hacivat, which are closely associated with the period of Ramadan in the country and officially considered a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Hacivat is the perfect foil to Karagoz: where Karagoz is illiterate, rude, and often rather uncouth, Hacivat is clever, educated in a theological school and makes use of lyrical language and poetry. Karagöz-Hacivat plays often illustrate the two bantering with each other, often to comedic effect.
Nishane Hacivat: a unisex eau chypre
Following their tradition of creating fragrances that bring traditional Turkish stories to life, Nishane developed the Shadow Play Trilogy collection that includes Karagoz, Hacivat, and Zenne. All three are unisex scents.
Of the three, Hacivat may be considered the most uplifting–almost enlightened, even. Nishane describes it as “a tribute to elegance, kindness, competence, and love of art”—qualities that are represented in each of its fresh fragrance notes.
It opens with bright bergamot, pineapple, and grapefruit before revealing a complex and earthy heart of jasmine, patchouli, and cedarwood. Its base is even more down-to-earth, featuring a blend of clearwood, oakmoss, and dry timberwood. Hacivat is often described by fragrance enthusiasts as a clean and fresh niche scent that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the equally well-loved Creed Aventus, with which it shares many accords in common.
Nishane Hacivat is a great choice for those who love Aventus, but may not want to smell like everyone else, given Aventus’ mainstream popularity. It reportedly lasts 12 to 14 hours and its sillage remains for 2 to 3 hours.
Scent Split offers genuine decants of Nishane Hacivat so that you can try this brilliant scent for yourself today without investing in a full bottle. Visit their website now to learn more.
