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Hemp & Leather 2011

6.7 / 10 7 Ratings
A perfume by Robbie VanGogh for women and men, released in 2011. The scent is leathery-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Leathery
Spicy
Green
Smoky
Woody

Fragrance Notes

LeatherLeather Pink pepperPink pepper AbsinthAbsinth AmberAmber PatchouliPatchouli TobaccoTobacco VanillaVanilla VermouthVermouth
Ratings
Scent
6.77 Ratings
Longevity
7.46 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet · last update on 08/18/2013.
Source-backed & verified

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Reviews

3 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Apicius

1328 Reviews
Apicius
Apicius
1  
Another Hippie
Thanks to your support parfumo has a remarkable database by now – with more scents than other similar websites. I look a little bit after the users new suggestions, and the number is increasing considerably. The most important and the most popular perfumes of all price ranges have been added long ago – so, I am happy if I can find a true gem among those suggestions.

Such a gem could be the brand Robbie VanGogh – many thnks to Hugoby for this discovery! Robbie VanGogh is the Alter Ego of Rob Denton: musician and parfumer, a hippie looking man with a ponytail who is disappointed with mainstream perfumery - so he does his own thing. According to his statement his perfumes are all inspired by cannabis, with an urban approach, and „all legal“!

A hippie-perfumer from USA – we already have this! So, we have to compare Rob Denton with Bostonian perfumer Neil Morris. Whereas Neil Morris ignites his patchouli grenades with a big bang Rob Denton seems to have a preference for discreet scents that stay close to the skin. At least, he tells us so on his website, and Hemp & Leather seems to confirm this.

Hemp & Leather is an astonishing, very well done perfume, with an individual approach but nevertheless wearable. At first, Hemp & Leather impresses with really spectacular head notes. From a cannabis-leather-background absinthe and wormwood stand out, togethether with a somewhat tingling and savoury note. It reminds me of the taste of some kind of german bitter herbal liquour, and it is definately more „Underberg“ than „Jägermeister“, more bitter than sweet. This is brilliant, I have never experienced something like this in a perfume before, and it all goes together very well.

After some time the main theme becomes more visible: hemp and leather. Both are notes that have something physical or concrete for me. The smell of wickerwork made of hemp, sisal or bast fibre is something I have always found peculiar. This special mustiness is part of my scent memory and for me connected to the feeling of comfort. But I am jumping ahead – first, there is the tobacco that comes up within the heart note.

Well, most perfumes that deal with tobacco do not impress me much. I find it particulary difficult to identify tobacco at all – neither as fresh leaf, nor as ash. But here, it is different. Finally I can detect a tobacco note as such: this one is juicy and has to do with hand-rolled cigarettes. I get the image of yellow nicotine stains on fingers, also cigarette butts that have been drowned in a plastic cup with leftover coffee from a machine. I know this sounds ugly, but these attributes are handled with such discreetion by the perfumer you will hardly find them disgusting.

Hemp & Leather has a fantastic top note, the cigarette heart is impressive, but the long-lasting base is quite discreet compared to its predecessors. We know this phenomenon from many mainstrea perfumes: a noisy start to entice the customers, but nothing behind. However, I would not call Hemp & Leather such a dazzler, just because the demure base not is anything but common. I'd rather propose a different view: after a grand opening Hemp & Leathere more and more develops a quality of wearability – a dark, bitter, but discreet perfume for many occasions.

I do not agree with one of Mr. Dentons recommondations: Hemp & Leather is definately not a good choice for urban nightlife. For this purpose, this scent was far too discreet. In a smoky bar or a damp club more pronounced and intense perfumes are possible. In such an environment, Hemp & Leather would perish. I would recommend Hemp & Leather for quiet evenings, more private than public occasions, and if at all, to be worn maybe in theater or opera. Hemp & Leather has found its way into my collection.

By the way – ordering was easy: after two weeks you get the delivery from USA, declared as cosmetic sample and thus, duty extempt!
2 Comments
Terra

646 Reviews
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Terra
Terra
3  
Weird Stuff!?
That was the thought that came to my mind doubtfully as I tested the last, third fragrance for today. It feels a bit like a natural perfume to me - supernatural, as if chemistry is missing. Hemp doesn’t smell like you would get an impression of hashish or marijuana. Instead, it’s more like a fresh and juiced green plant, but mixed with all sorts of herbs and weeds. A few nettles and a bit of forest earth still clinging to the roots, just everything dumped together. Plus this anise-heavy absinthe note... it’s all quite complicated. Leather, tobacco, vanilla... that’s completely off for me. I simply don’t recognize any leather, sorry. However, the scent isn’t bad; I can’t even say how I should/can rate it now. I can imagine the scent on a rocker, but please in a leather jacket and on a Harley, with a can of beer in hand and everything a bit grungy.
This rocker image and picture fits the perfumer, and he probably wanted to achieve exactly that, to create this exact scent.
But that’s not my thing. Should I now rate the presumably successful implementation positively or rate the scent negatively because I absolutely don’t like it on me?

I don’t know, so I’ll leave it.

I tested the extrait.
0 Comments
DeGe53

559 Reviews
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DeGe53
DeGe53
Top Review 8  
The Robbie, the old musician and connoisseur!
Well, my dear Apicius! What else can I say? First of all, thank you for the sample.

Robbie states on his homepage that he wanted to create fragrances that are not intrusive, that do not rush ahead of their owner (or lag behind) and that are simply meant to be good. And of course. And legal. Because he likes cannabis so much. But that's not so rare for a musician of this caliber, I think.

The longevity is really not outstanding; after about 3-4 hours, the THC cloud has dissipated. But until then, kids!

First of all, all the ingredients are beautifully harmonized. I smell leather first and directly. A soft leather note, light brown suede. This lingers on my skin until the end. Goal achieved already. Hemp appears again and again in the background, subtly. So if you're buying the fragrance to get high, forget it! But feeling a bit tipsy might be possible. However, the alcohol note is not prominent, like for example in Ambre Russe or the Rouge Pomegranate I recently tested (Champagne, although that wasn't the intention there).

And I can also perceive the juicy tobacco blend. However, there is still a subtle sweetness present. From the very beginning. Not sticky, not gourmand, but noticeable. Apicius, you really make it hard for someone to write a follow-up comment. Everything has already been said.

What immediately came to mind with Hemp and Leather: Bikers. But not the hardcore rice burner racers, nor the scruffy wannabe bad boys. No, in my mind's eye, a few rugged guys, not quite young anymore, cruised comfortably on their very subtle Harleys (Low-Rider, Fat Boy!!) - or alternatively restored Indians, Nortons, old BMWs - along sunny winding roads. The weekend is here, the business suits are hanging out to air on the balcony, the family is doing whatever families do. Dad is out with the buddies. And in the evening, after he has reunited with the family, the kids tucked into bed, and grandma brought in for babysitting, he and mommy dress smart-casual, like they did 10 years ago when they weren’t so established, and head into the city. To a cool club. Not a disco. A jazz club. Where smoking is still allowed. And everyone is mega-relaxed, smiling gently to themselves, happy that life is beautiful.

So somehow urban. The lady is constantly hanging on the neck of the old biker because he smells so good. Where else, if not in a dimly lit, smoky jazz club, would you dare to hang on to each other like that? Composure, please - not in public!

Jokes aside. This fragrance is very, very pleasant, stays relatively close to the wearer, is well put together, almost cozy in its appeal. Unfortunately, the longevity might just be enough for a nice evening. But it’s worth it!
5 Comments

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ApiciusApicius 13 years ago
Perfumes & Brands
Robbie VanGogh - Perfume and Music
PBullFriend:Also, Apicius: Thank you very much for translating & posting the interview. It's very interesting! :DYou're welcome.I should do this more...

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