Hardly any other fragrance house manages to combine rock’n’roll and the art of fragrance as naturally as Room 1015. Founded by musician and pharmacist Dr. Mike, the label stands for olfactory border crossings – somewhere between rebellion and sensitivity, pop culture and poetry. In this interview, Dr. Mike, whose real name is Michael Partouche, talks about creative fields of tension, fragrance as a soundtrack and the idea behind Love-O-Matic, a perfume that interweaves laundromat reality and love fantasies.
Dear Mike, Room 1015 stands for rock’n’roll spirit in fragrance form like almost no other label. How would you describe the creative approach today, almost ten years after the launch?
Ten years in, the amps are still buzzing. The creative approach has evolved, but the core remains the same: chase emotion, chase rebellion, chase the poetry in the noise. I’ve learned to trust intuition more – less about trends, more about raw vision. The spirit of the brand is still backstage, still neon-lit, but now there’s a deeper understanding of how to turn the intangible into scent.
You are not only the founder of Room 1015, but also a musician and a pharmacist with a doctorate. How do these opposites shape your work as a perfumer? Is it more a field of tension or a symbiosis?
It’s definitely a symbiosis. Music taught me about rhythm and atmosphere; pharmacy gave me structure and precision. Perfumery lives at the intersection. A formula, like a melody, needs balance, tension, release. The lab coat and the leather jacket may seem like a mismatch – but they create harmony in contrast.
What makes an iconic fragrance for you? Is it the composition, the story behind it or the feeling it triggers?
It’s the feeling. The chill down your spine, the memory it tattoos on your skin. A strong composition and a great story are tools – but the real icon lives in the way a scent hijacks emotion. An iconic fragrance doesn’t just smell good. It haunts.
Many of your creations seem like soundtracks in bottle form. Is there a fragrance that is particularly musical for you and, if so, why?
Definitely Wavechild. That one is a soundtrack – a slow-motion, poetic vision of surfing. The adrenaline of catching a wave, the suspended, liquid calm before and after. The scent flows like a dream-pop track: soft sun on wet skin, salted coconut in the air, the hypnotic rhythm of the sea. It’s ambient, emotional, and timeless.
How important are the packaging and the visual language of Room 1015 for you? Are the bottle and graphics part of the fragrance narrative?
They’re inseparable. The bottle is the vinyl sleeve. The visual language sets the tone before the first spray. For me, fragrance is a total experience — it should look, feel, and smell like the world it belongs to. From typography to caps, everything tells a story.
The name Love-O-Matic evokes associations with nostalgic vending machines and playful visions of the future. What impulses inspired this fragrance and how do you translate something like this olfactorily?
Actually, the real inspiration behind Love-O-Matic is much more grounded – the laundromat. I’ve always been fascinated by that space: the hum of machines, the warmth of steam, strangers briefly intersecting in routine. It’s oddly intimate. There’s something cinematic and quietly romantic in those waiting moments – everyone washed clean, stripped down, soft-edged. Translating that meant clean notes, skin notes, and a subtle electric undercurrent – like static on fresh clothes or a spark of eye contact.
Can you tell us something about the structure of Love-O-Matic? What notes form the framework, what atmosphere did you want to create?
The fragrance, developed by Jérôme di Marino, is built around a joyful, sensual contrast – blending playful pop with sophisticated cleanliness. It features notes of Strawberry, Blackcurrant, Lemon, Bubblegum Accord, Clean Accord, Ambrette, Musk, and Cedar. The three central accords are:
The “Clean” accord was crafted to elevate the idea of cleanliness into something luxurious and refined. Centered around musks, it blends both natural and synthetic ingredients – highlighting sublimolide (a vegan musk) and ambrette seed butter. It evokes the comforting, long-lasting freshness of fabric softeners, with a soft, skin-like radiance. The goal was to create a premium, modern sense of clean – both intimate and sophisticated.
The “bubblegum” accord is built around a juicy strawberry chewing gum note. It opens with vibrant Strawberry Nat Neo Jungle Essence and Blackcurrant Pure Jungle Essence, delivering a burst of fruity playfulness. A twist of Lemon Essence adds sparkle, while delicate orange blossom brings a powdery floral touch. In the drydown, the scent becomes rounder and more addictive – reminiscent of childhood candy but with grown-up complexity.
Ambrette seeds are extracted from Abelmoschus moschatus and add a natural, high-end dimension to the musk base. Rich and multifaceted, it offers a warm, musky signature with creamy, floral undertones and subtle fruity hints of pear. As a rare and luxurious ingredient, ambrette not only deepens the texture of the fragrance, but also acts as a natural fixative – helping the scent linger beautifully on the skin.
Was Love-O-Matic conceived as a love fragrance from the outset or did this theme only crystallize during the development process?
The name came to me right away when I started thinking about creating a clean scent. I imagined the feeling of being in love while waiting for your laundry – an everyday moment infused with emotion. The fragrance itself was almost complete. We were wearing it, living with it – and yes, it smelled great: bright, comforting, and truly enjoyable.
But Jérôme Di Marino and I both felt something was missing. It needed a splash of color, a quirky twist. That’s when I proposed a few ideas – one of them was bubblegum. Instantly, I had this vivid image of someone waiting at the laundromat, chewing gum. I knew right then: that was the missing piece.
What role does the location, this laundromat as a stage for encounters and fleeting intimacy, play in the overall concept of the fragrance?
It’s everything. The laundromat is a paradox, both public and private, clinical and strangely sensual. You’re in your most vulnerable state, without your layers, waiting. And in that space, something unexpected can happen. Love-O-Matic captures that intimate mundanity, that weird romance in everyday places.
If Love-O-Matic was a movie, which genre, which scene, which soundtrack would be the scent?
An indie romance set in a faded city, maybe LA or Paris, during summer. The scene: someone drops a sock, someone else picks it up, a glance, a laugh, nothing and everything. The soundtrack? Something like “Playground Love” by Air, soft, suggestive, quietly sexy.
What should Love-O-Matic trigger when you wear it? Is it a fragrance for escapism, for escaping everyday life or rather an amplifier of the moment?
It’s an amplifier of the now. It heightens subtle emotions. It’s not theatrical, it’s whispery. It makes you feel like the main character in a real moment that might otherwise pass unnoticed.
You have worked with everyday fragrances such as detergent or chewing gum. What do you want to trigger with them?
Yes, the emotional power of everyday smells. Clean laundry isn’t just clean, it’s safety, intimacy, home. Chewing gum is fun, flirtation, rebellion. These notes aren’t just quirky, they’re charged. The goal was to take something banal and make it emotionally loaded.
Is Love-O-Matic more of a projection for you, i.e. a wishful image, or an observation of what love can be in everyday life?
It’s both. It’s a projection of longing and a celebration of the now. It’s not a fantasy, but it’s not entirely realistic either. Love-O-Matic lives in the in-between: in chance encounters, in hope without expectations, in eye contact that says “maybe.”
Dear Mike, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.
Be First to Comment