All Episodes

May 25, 2023 66 mins

Lev and Alina are best known for building Fresh into a cult beauty brand now part of LVMH. For the past decade, they’ve been channeling their passion into a new endeavor: a boutique hotel that expands into a lifestyle brand. Nestled in the Hudson Valley, with its vibrant arts scene and the Catskill Mountains as a backdrop, The Maker opened in 2020 with 11 intimate rooms across 3 historic buildings, and its very own fragrance and candle collection. It’s all meticulously designed to spark your deepest sensuality.

In this episode, Lev and Alina sit down at The Maker Lounge with Benny Campa, who runs product design at Scentbird. They share why they believe everyone is a maker, what it takes to ignite that part of you, and the James Bond-inspired scent that might help.


Highlights:
How a fragrance shopping trip with his mother changed Lev’s life

The story behind The Maker Hotel in Hudson, NY

Entering another world: a brief tour of The Maker Hotel

The Italy trip that planted the seed for Lev and Alina’s vision

Bohemian sensibility, color tones, furnishings, and various personal touches

The converted horse carriage that became The Maker Lounge

Why lighting is the jewelry of any room

The fragrance Lev created for Alina 30+ years ago

Crafting a feast for the senses through a fusion of art, design, and fragrance

Why nothing but an olfactory sensation makes you feel like coming home

Lev’s process for developing The Maker’s scent collection

The rooms that celebrate makers: The Artist, The Architect, The Gardener, and The Writer

An overview of The Maker scent collection

Why you are the ultimate maker of a fragrance

Scent Spotlight: Libertine, Stag, Naked, Fire, Spiritus, Gardener, and Artist

The winner of the Fragrance Foundation’s Indie Fragrance of the Year Award

What does love affair smell like?

The antique that inspired The Maker’s fragrance bottles

The scent that’s infused throughout The Maker’s public spaces

Lev and Alina describe each other in terms of scents

Featured Fragrances:

Libertine by The Maker
Stag by The Maker
Naked by The Maker
Fire by The Maker

Featured Candles:

Spiritus by The Maker
Gardener by The Maker
Artist by The Maker


Soak in all of our audio and video content at https://podcast.scentbird.com.


Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Therapy Gecko

Therapy Gecko

An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.