Fragrance Foundation: Game Changer

Laura Slatkin Founder and executive chairman, Nest Fragrances Being named “game changer” is a fitting honor for Laura Slatkin, who has been shaking up the status quo throughout her entire career. “I’m tremendously honored,” Slatkin said during a recent interview in her elegant — and well-scented — Upper East Side home. “It’s like the Oscars.” Slatkin spent 13 years in finance, before launching Slatkin & Co. in 1992 with her husband, Harry. The company pioneered the idea of luxury scented candles, and in 2005, the Slatkins sold it to Limited Brands. “When we started, home fragrance wasn’t part of anyone’s lifestyle — I didn’t even know what a scented candle was,” Slatkin said. “When we were building Slatkin & Co., we weren’t only building a company, but carving out a field at the same time. It was a challenge.” In 2008, Slatkin got back into the game with Nest Fragrances, a brand today credited with helping build candles into a $2.4 billion business. She expanded Nest’s footprint into fine fragrances in 2013 but did it with her own unique flair. Rather than hire a fragrance house to craft the scents first, she commissioned floral artwork inspired by the work of 18th-century botanical artist Mary

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