Urbane Aromatics- The Drew Goetz Interview

Finally, I can post this interview. This one is really close and personal to me, as I've thought daily about this young man and his business, wanting nothing but success for him. But also, he created a fragrance that reminded me of my own mother, who's struggling with dementia. When it arrived, I wore it the next day and visited my mother, who really enjoyed what I was wearing. I ended up leaving the bottle with her, and while she stays with my sister, I've been told she reaches for it to wear... all while thinking of her firstborn son, me.

As mentioned, here is the Drew Goetz Urbane Aromatics interview.

Tony: Hey Drew, thanks for your time!

Drew: Of course, appreciate you doing this.

Tony: Who is Drew Goetz, and what brought you into the world of fragrance?

Drew: I’m a college kid from Rochester, Minnesota. I started the company in my parents’ garage in high school. Some friends and I were throwing around business ideas, and somebody suggested candles. I figured if you’re going to make a good candle, you need a good fragrance first, so I went that route instead. Once I got into it, I never really looked back. Fragrance sticks to people in a way most stuff doesn’t, and that’s what kept pulling me in.

Tony: "Urbane" is a very particular word. Why Urbane Aromatics?

Drew: I wanted a name that matched who I was making these for. Someone who’s put together, carries themselves well, and isn’t trying too hard. It also just sounded right on a bottle.

Tony: What did you feel was missing in fragrance?

Drew: Access. A nice bottle runs $150 to $200, and a lot of people buy one and never wear it because it feels too good to use. The cheap stuff doesn’t smell the same. I figured there was a middle spot nobody was really going after, so I went after it.

Tony: What's the most rewarding part, and what did nobody warn you about?

Drew: The most rewarding part is seeing a stranger wearing something I made. That never gets old. What nobody warned me about is how little of this is actually about fragrance. It’s logistics, packaging, customs, retail. The scent is one piece of a lot of pieces.

Tony: The frosted bottle, the magnetic cap. What was your design process?

Drew: It started way simpler. Clear glass bottles, paper labels, cheap sprayers. After the first year, I took all the feedback I could get, and it kept pointing back to that. I knew if I wanted to stick with this, that had to change first. I wanted it to feel good the second you picked it up. The frosted glass helped, but the magnetic cap is the one people talk about. It’s that small moment when you close it, and it clicks. I wanted every little detail to feel like somebody thought about it.

Tony: UA1. What did you want someone to experience?

Drew: The perfect everyday fragrance. It opens bright, like the energy of the morning, then it dries down warmer and more settled.

Tony: Did you envision a particular person or environment?

Drew: Not really. With fragrance ads, you almost have to build a feeling. I pictured someone walking into a room and people noticing. Not loud, just noticeable.

Tony: Do fragrances need gender classifications?

Drew: Not really. I personally feel masculine and feminine are just shorthand for a feeling. If it smells good and makes you feel good, that's all that matters. That is what I am currently changing on my website. Categorizing the fragrances by notes instead of gender classifications.

Tony: What were you trying to accomplish with UA2?

Drew: Something warm and calm. Florals can go sharp fast if you’re not careful, so I kept it soft. It’s something you can wear on any occasion. It’s quiet and sweet on purpose.

Tony: UA Sailor.

Drew: Sailor is the most fun one in the collection. Marine, sage, and citrus have always been my favorite combo. When we were kids, my brother wore Bath and Body Works Ocean, and that smell stuck with me. I wanted to make my own version of it, and I think mine turned out better.

Tony: Was there a particular place or experience behind Sailor?

Drew: Honestly, it’s a childhood memory. My big brother was someone I looked up to, and he always smelled fresh. Every once in a while he’d let me put some on. That’s the feeling I was trying to get back.

Tony: When developing a fragrance, how much consideration do you give to the aromatic environment in which it will be worn? Do you envision particular settings, climates, or atmospheres where the fragrance might truly flourish, complementing or even interacting with the surrounding scents to create a more immersive olfactory experience?

Drew: A lot more than I used to. I’m making four fragrances for a clothing store right now, and the way we wrote every one of them is around where you are and what you’re wearing. One is a leather jacket with the tags still on the zipper. One is a cabin porch on a clear morning. One is a wool overcoat on the first cold morning. When you describe a fragrance like that, people know how it should feel before they ever smell it. A fragrance isn’t the same in every room, so I try to make something that meets you wherever you are.

Tony: UA ROSÉA and Stacy.

Drew: Yeah. This one's different.

Tony: Tell me about your mother, Stacy. Who was she to you?

Drew: She was the best person I’ve ever known. She was a nurse and a mom, and she made every room better just by being in it. The way she cared about people wasn’t something she had to think about. It was just who she was. Losing her earlier this year was the hardest thing I’ve been through, and I’m still working through it.

Tony: What made creating a fragrance become the way you chose to keep moving forward?

Drew: I'm not sure I chose it consciously. I just needed something to do with everything I was feeling, and being able to make a fragrance was a way I could process it. I wanted to do something that kept her here in some way.

Tony: Which notes immediately made you think "that's Mom"?

Drew: The orange blossom and the vanilla. She was never one for the winter despite living in the Midwest, and the vanilla hits on her baking skills.

Tony: What was July 24th like for you?

Drew: It was her birthday, and she wasn't here for it. Putting it out that day felt like the only way I knew how to celebrate her.

Tony: When someone else's memories of their mother become attached to something you made for yours, what does that mean to you?

Drew: That's the whole point. We all have someone. If ROSÉA gives someone a moment with their mom, whether she's here or not, then I did what I set out to do. Nothing about this brand means more to me than that.

(*Note: I spoke to my own mother yesterday, and she told me she was wearing a "...fragrant perfume" that reminded her of me. It was the Rosea.)

Tony: Why was continuing her legacy through future nurses important to you?

Drew: It’s what she did her whole life. She got her nursing degree at South Dakota State, then spent thirty years taking care of people in the ICU, running a nursing program, and as a school nurse. My family set up a nursing scholarship at SDSU in her name; it felt like the right way for all of us to keep what she cared about going by helping the next group of nurses.

Tony: What made you decide to share her recipes?

Drew: I wanted people to know her, not just what she inspired. She took care of people through food the same way she did through nursing. Sharing the recipes felt like letting someone into her kitchen for a minute.

Tony: Please believe me when I say I'm looking forward to making these recipes.

Drew: Make the oatmeal bars. You won't regret it.

(*Note: I'll be making that for our Thanksgiving dinner)

Tony: If Stacey could smell ROSÉA and see what you've created in her name, what do you think she would say?

Drew: I was lucky enough that she got to smell it before she passed, and it was an emotional moment. She never wanted the attention. That moment is what I hold onto. If she could see how far it’s come, I think she’d tell me she’s proud.

Tony: When you look at all four together, is this the brand you originally imagined?

Drew: Not exactly, but in a good way. When I started, I just wanted something that smelled good and looked good. ROSÉA changed what this means to me. It has a reason to exist beyond the product now. I never planned that.

Tony: What has creating these four fragrances taught you about yourself?

Drew: I've had moments where this felt impossible, and I kept going anyway. That's what I'm most proud of. Not the fragrances themselves. Just the constant motivation to keep going.

Tony: Where does Urbane Aromatics go from here?

Drew: More stories. Right now I’m making a private label line with a boutique in Milwaukee, which is exciting because it shows this works for more than my own brand. After that, more stores, more scents, and eventually a team.

Tony: When someone puts on an Urbane Aromatics fragrance and walks out the door, what do you hope they carry with them?

Drew: Confidence, mostly. And maybe a reminder that you don’t have to wait until everything is perfect to start. I built this in a garage, and I’m still in college. Showing up is what changes things.

Tony: Brother, thank you so much.

Drew: Man, thank you. This was a good one.

While thanking Drew for his time, I realized how much his presence and energy mean to me as a fragrance enthusiast, second to becoming his friend first. This interview was well worth the wait.

This interview, along with the Marquis Furlow from January this year and Alex Lee just 19 days ago, is really and truly inspiring. If you've not had a chance to check out any of these three before this interview, please consider making one or all of them a self-holiday gift.

2 comments

Urbane Aromatics- The Drew Goetz Interview