David Jones Woden will farewell a go-to employee on 1 July, as Oscar Delpozo, 67, ends his 27-year career helping Canberrans find their signature scent.
The name Delpozo means ‘of the world’, and Oscar wears his surname like perfume. As a young man, he moved from Argentina to Sydney seeking adventure.
“I studied arts at ANU; I’m a painter. Got my degree, first class honours, and ta da! I had zero money left.
“I saw this job in the paper, ‘casuals wanted’. There was this magnificent lady who hired me on the spot and said, ‘what you’re going to be doing is fragrances’,” he said with a flourish.
“I said, ‘Fragrances? What about something I can do?’ And she said ‘no, no, no. Because you have an accent and you dress nicely, they’re going to love you there.’”
Despite initial scepticism, almost three decades later, a casual job has become his unmatched skill in recognising the different layers of perfume.
“Now I feel strong enough to focus completely on my paintings. Not to sell or become famous, just because I really like to do it.”
Oscar also wants to travel the world, and enjoy life with his partner, Alistair. He names this as the only reason for retiring from a career that he’s loved every second of.
“You talk to people, you let them talk, you listen, and they become attached to you somehow, even though you don’t know their name. That little interaction is gold to me. You don’t get it everywhere.
“I see customers come to me for years and one day they stop coming, and you find out they have passed away. I see people in their 20s, who say ‘I came to you because you used to help my mother.’ And oh my goodness, I remember them from when they were so small. And now they’re here to buy something for their wedding.”
As an artist, Oscar refuses to subscribe to any one style, using materials that range from metal to leather.
“In arts school, you train not to pursue the beauty, but to pursue the meaning. Because what is beauty at the end of the day?
“I do feel the same way about fragrances. To me, there is not one perfume better than the other. They are all like colours.
“When you work with fragrance, you work with memories. You can smell pretty, but if it reminds you of something (or someone) you don’t like, you’re not going to use it.”
Delpozo tips on finding your signature scent
“Firstly, forget about prices, forget about brands. You need to focus on the aromatic group, which could be floral, citrus, spicy, or aquatics. If you don’t know your preference, try one of each.
“If for example, you like white flowers, I’ll show you two or three. One with a single flower, like gardenias, another one with a mixture.
“Then you have to test it. I will write the name of the perfume for you, and you go home. Usually, it’s just two, one spritzed on each wrist. The one you keep sniffing is the one for you.
“Perfumes have layers. If after two hours, there is nothing there, it’s not perfume, it’s a cologne. If after three hours, it has a different, non-artificial smell that’s still there, it’s a perfume. If after six hours there is still something there, you have a quality perfume.
“Some companies with big names sell very expensive ‘perfumes’ that are actually just cologne.
“I wish I had a dollar for every time a man asked me ‘which is the perfume that’s going to help me pick up chicks?’ I tell them firstly, have a shower. Brush your teeth. And don’t talk stupid.
“It’s not the perfume, really. It’s your personality. So, get the perfume you like, so when a person likes it, they’ll like you too.”
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