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    Tailored

    Maher Elkhaldi

    The idea for a community-driven blend was inspired by collaborative software development, where developers contribute to a shared codebase to build a product together. I wanted to bring that model to perfumery.

    Some time ago, I floated the concept on Facebook to plant the seed, but it didn’t get the traction I was hoping for. In hindsight, the issue went deeper than a lack of structure. The problem was with the workflow, and the model itself wasn’t fully conceived. Too many people were contributing competing ideas, with no clear way to converge on a cohesive blend.

    More importantly, I hadn’t made the distinction clear between contributing to the original project (or to a completely new one) and branching off from an existing blend to develop it in its own direction. I stepped away from the idea for a while. Later, it hit me: branch off from an existing blend, develop something new, and let it stand in its own right.

    Think of how a Linux distribution builds on an upstream foundation while developing its own identity, priorities, and community. Every distro has a steward: a body or entity that plays the role of maintainer, defines its vision, and steers its direction toward a clear goal. For me, that maintainer is typically an influencer, a single voice who steers the direction, and the Tailored release is their own distro, in both senses: built on an upstream, and distributed by them.

    Unscripted is the upstream. It has its own DNA, and anything built downstream has to align with the conventions and framework that define it. In a way, Tailored is a semi-bespoke distro, at scale.

    Guidelines

    Every Tailored release follows the same ground rules:

    • It starts from an Unscripted blend. The upstream might be released or still in development, and the Tailored version builds on its underlying DNA.
    • It is a new composition. Unscripted blends aren’t documented for exact remakes. A Tailored version is never a plain copy. I shift the emphasis while retaining the original’s character.
    • One maintainer leads. Each release is guided by a single voice, typically an influencer, who has earned their community’s trust.
    • The maintainer owns distribution. They take responsibility for offering the blend to their community and distributing it within it. That is the second meaning of “distro.”
    • It is exclusive. A Tailored release is available only through the maintainer who commissioned it. As such, it will not be sold through Elkhaldi Studio.
    • It is one batch. Once it sells out, it will not be remade.
    • It needs to be viable. Each Tailored blend needs a minimum batch size and a target price point that work for both the community and the production run. Because a batch is made once, it works best when the community is already in place. The feasible batch size will also depend on how much of the selected base I have available.

    How to get Tailored

    Tailored is for someone who leads or curates a community of fragrance lovers and has earned that community’s trust, typically an influencer. The maintainer brings the vision and the community. I bring the perfumery.

    1. Get in touch. Tell me about your community: who they are, what they love, how you reach them, and why they trust you.
    2. Choose a base. Pick an Unscripted blend, released or in development, that you connect with.
    3. Share your direction. Tell me what you want to bring out of it: fresher, darker, woodier, and so on.
    4. Agree the terms. We settle the batch size and target price point so the release works for your community.
    5. Develop and review. I rework the blend, you test it, and we refine it until it fits your vision, within an agreed number of iterations.
    6. Release. The finished blend is produced as a single batch and distributed exclusively through you.

    If you lead a community and want to commission a Tailored release, get in touch.

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