Interview with the founder of Goldfield & Banks

When Dimitri Weber noticed there were no luxury Australian perfume brands on offer in Australia he decided to create his own fragrances, Goldfield & Banks. Originally from Europe where he spent most of his life, he now calls Sydney home. His passion for perfumes from a young age and with more than 25 years in the industry was key to accomplishing his vision. What followed is the creation of a distinctive sophisticated range of perfumes with ingredients native to Australia, each celebrating its beauty and richness through an aromatic experience. Dimitri Weber has graciously given some of his time to answer questions about himself and Goldfield & Banks.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Dimitri Weber, French-Belgian and CEO of Goldfield & Banks Australia. I am an epicurean and I love traveling, spending time on the beach, and in the tropics. Love brought me to Australia and I enjoy the lifestyle and especially the spectacular sunrise.
I have a passion for perfume since the age of 6 and I have been fortunate to work for the world’s most renowned perfume houses such as Tom Ford, Cartier, Narciso Rodriguez, etc.
I started my career at YSL in the early nineties and that was the start of my career and where I learned everything about perfume communication, PR, product development, marketing, and retail.
After 25 years of working in this industry, I finally found an opportunity and a niche that is developing Australian perfumes using raw ingredients from here.
Goldfield & Banks Australia celebrates the extraordinary beauty of the country and its botanical richness.

Blue Cypress: A fragrance for men and women, inspired by the scent of dew evaporating from soft new leaves as the morning sun casts its rays across a rainbow of towering gums and eucalyptus.
Origin: Kakadu Northern Territory

2. What is the story behind the name of Goldfield and Banks and was there an alternative?

Sandalwood is born and grows on fields of gold, hence the name. The collection of perfumes also pays a tribute to Joseph Banks, the first botanist to showcase the Australian botanicals to the European society in the 18th century. There was no alternative, I wanted a name that sounds like a story and arousing the idea of heritage, Australian heritage.

Bohemian Lime: is a carefree fragrance and an ode to Byron Bay, Australia’s premier free-spirited tropical enclave and the place where the country first meets the sun.
Origin: Byron Bay

3. What is your process for creating a fragrance?

I always start by searching for an unusual ingredient that has never or rarely been used in perfumes. Then I look for the origin and the supplier if there is one in order to have a better understanding of the ingredient and see where it is supplied to or which perfume supplier offers this essence in their pallet. I like to visit the birthplace of the ingredient to feel its energy. It takes a year to create and develop a Goldfield & Banks perfume.

Desert Rosewood: A fragrance for men and women, it speaks of adventures through thick forests where ancient trees and fresh young ferns provide a mingling of old and new, rich and herbaceous.

4. How would you define your brand in just a few words?

Pioneer, bright, exotic and dreamy, authentic. The ultimate olfactory dream from Down Under.

Pacific Rock Moss: A fragrance for men and women, inspired by waves crashing upon sun-kissed rocks and long days that turn into warm, summer nights.

5. Were there challenges you faced as an Australian parfumeur?

Many challenges, there is no perfume-making culture in Australia so we had to establish it and we still work on getting the suppliers of ingredients to open up about their art and secrets of harvesting. Compared to Europe where all suppliers are so open and like to share their knowledge and art of growing their flowers and aromatic plants, here in Australia growers prefer to hide and don’t like being on the forefront. But things are changing and more and more artisans are opening up and supporting us. We have created real friendships and partnerships with some of the most amazing growers here helping us to establish a real perfume culture made in Australia.

Southern Bloom: An immediately lavish, pure and sensational floral-woody fragrance, with a smooth, velvety sensation and glimpses of exquisite green notes combined with red coloured fruity notes. Opulent, sophisticated and intensely luxurious.

6. Your fragrances are gender-neutral. How do you know you have the right balance that will appeal to both men and women?

A smell is personal so who are we to judge what is feminine or masculine. We all have a different perception and experience scents in a different way. I like the idea of sharing a fragrance. And because my perfumes are created for pleasure and not necessarily for seduction they can please all gender and ages.

White Sandlewood: A fragrance for men and women, evoking dry, flat dirt that glows a deep fiery orange against a pure cobalt sky.

7. What inspires you?

The sun, nature and the ocean

Wood infusion: This unique combination offers men and women a sensation of a creamy, rich scent crafted from nature’s most noble botanicals.

8. What are your hobbies?

I love traveling and exploring new territories and places. I also like history and architecture so whenever I can I go and visit an exhibition or museum whenever I travel.

Velvet Splendour: The mimosa (wattle) tree bursting into bloom, marking the first sign of spring in Australia. Soft yellows are shaded against blue skies. The first inhale is an immediate mix of green stems, yellow blooms, cool air and warm light.

9. What are 5 things you cannot live without?

This can be a perfume, an object, clothing, an accessory, a book….
I can’t live without the sun, my lip balm, perfume, and my books that remind me of my past in Europe.

Discovery Sample Collection: The Discovery Sample Collection includes 8 x 2ml perfume concentrates, one of each of our perfumes individually attached to a folding description card.

10. Is there a little secret you can share about yourself and your brand that will surprise people?

If I share it then it’s not a secret anymore. I would love to create the ultimate body oil with all the goodness of all Australian Native essences and smell of Desert Rosewood. It would have the biggest ingredients list on the market.