David Lev Jipa-Slivinschi: The Storyteller of Scent
From Filmmaker to Fragrance Visionary
David Lev Jipa-Slivinschi's journey into perfumery began during an unexpected crossroads. Born in Bucharest, Romania, with Russian and Ukrainian heritage, he initially pursued a career as a filmmaker and screenwriter. However, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a profound shift in his artistic direction. Seeking a more intimate and corporeal medium to tell stories, Jipa-Slivinschi discovered that scent offered something cinema couldn't: an immediate, subconscious connection to memory and emotion.
As a self-taught perfume-maker, he deliberately avoids the traditional "perfumer" title, feeling it carries exclusionary expectations tied to formal training. Instead, he embraces his unconventional path, viewing it as liberation from industry constraints. His background in filmmaking profoundly influences his approach to fragrance creation, treating each scent as a narrative experience rather than a mere accessory.
In 2022, he launched Toskovat, named from Slavic roots meaning "deep yearning and inner weight." The brand quickly gained international recognition, with features in prestigious publications like Vogue UK and The Wall Street Journal. His fragrances, termed "extraits de mémoire" (memory extraits), aim to transport wearers to forgotten memories and universal human experiences. This narrative-driven approach sets him apart in the niche fragrance world, where his creations serve as olfactory storytelling rather than traditional perfumery.
Challenging Conventions Through Scent
Jipa-Slivinschi's most discussed creation,
Inexcusable Evil, exemplifies his fearless approach to controversial themes. Despite being a bestseller, he admits to despising the smell himself, having created it as a startling commentary on war's horrors, drawing from his Eastern European heritage. The fragrance features notes of gunpowder, blood, and concrete, challenging traditional notions of wearability.
His other notable works include
Age of Innocence, which juxtaposes sweet cotton candy and strawberry with gasoline and metallic notes to depict youth's abrupt end, and
Last Birthday Cake, designed to smell like all the cakes one eats throughout life. Each creation tells a specific story, often exploring themes of memory, loss, and human experience.
What distinguishes Jipa-Slivinschi is his willingness to use unconventional notes like plastic, cannabis, and blood accords. He emphasizes that even seemingly natural notes like pineapple are equally synthetic and complex to compose, viewing all fragrance notes as "fantasy constructions." His work contributes to a growing movement of "anti-fragrances" that prioritize artistic expression over commercial appeal, establishing him as a significant voice in contemporary niche perfumery's evolution toward conceptual art.
