Musician-turned-perfumer David Seth Moltz recommends wearing a fragrance for 10 mins before buying it

Musician-turned-perfumer and one half of the husband-wife duo behind cult fragrance brand D.S & Durga, David Seth Moltz loves to buck the trend and create his own rules - be in it life, perfume or fashion.

Contrary to popular convention, the self-taught perfumer loves to wear lighter fragrances during the winter and heavier fragrances during the summer to remind himself of the opposing weather. “I like to wear light things that remind me of summer in the cold – like grapefruit or cologne. And heavy stuff in the heat,” he told ET Panache.

But that’s not the only practice that Moltz follows. ET Panache caught up with the perfumer ahead of D.S & Durga’s debut exclusively at Scentido Niche Perfumery to discuss how he approaches perfumes and fashion.


Individuality is Key
Moltz believes that one of the biggest mistakes customers can make is choosing a perfume that everyone else is wearing and thinking it’s cool. Instead he advises wearing a sample for ten minutes in the store and listening to your gut before making a purchase.

Another misconception that he frequently encounters is customers believing natural scents are safer or better than synthetics.

Fashion Inspiration
Moltz creates fragrances by taking mental notes of the aromatic portrait of a place, often finding inspiration in music, art, nature and design. But for his personal fashion style, Moltz is inspired by boxer Connor Macgregor, at least when it comes to suits. “Connor Macgregor looks fantastic in a suit – he has an emerald green one that is badass.”

Italian Luxury
While Moltz doesn’t wear suits too often, he does like to don the occasional three-piece or a blazer with chinos. “I’ve worn blazers for a long time. We wore them to temple when I was a kid, probably from Marshall’s or some discount store.”

Today, Moltz prefers Boglioli, an Italian luxury retailer headquartered in Milan. “They make thin warm unstructured blazers that work well for me.”

Pattern is Key
The perfumer is also a fan of patterns and hues like pinks, blues and yellows. In the country, he prefers to wear greens and browns.

“With bespoke, it can be hard to picture what the final outfit will look like. According to me, you can’t go wrong with a navy suit but some people disagree. Herringbone also creates a nice enough pattern without going too crazy. If you go too crazy with pattern, the suit is less useful.”

Asked about his favorite suit, Moltz recalls a three-piece Oxford tan houndstooth that he traded three orders of perfume for. “This fabric is used for upholstery usually but I loved it and so had it made in a suit.”

Style Tip
“Dryclean your suits. Worn-in suits are better than new ones any day. Embrace the imperfection.”