ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the meaning of craft in independent and artisanal perfumery. It focuses on empirical attention on the Institute for Art and Olfaction (IAO) as an increasingly important player in the field of perfumery. The IAO is dedicated to providing access to perfumery to anyone interested in it. By doing so, it tries to overcome the barriers that are set by the established industry for people who want to be part of this community. Craftivism – craft as activism – reflects resistance and a political choice as to what to produce and consume. In a similar way, the Craftifesto expresses the personal and political meaning of the movement. Growing numbers of submissions and a steadily increasing media presence also raise awareness and contribute to the legitimacy of the perfumery craft, which was once "rudely referred to as housewife perfumery".
