NISHANE: Fragrance Stories Traveling from Istanbul to the World

“Storytelling is what matters most to us when deciding on a new fragrance.”
— Mert Güzel, co-founder of Nishane​

Basic Information

• Founded: 2012
• Founders: Murat Katran and Mert Güzel
• Based in: Istanbul, Türkiye
• Official website: nishane.com

Nishane is pronounced “nee-shah-neh” in Turkish and means a mark, sign, or symbol.​

The Founders and the Brand’s Origins

Before Two Istanbul Natives Met

The story of Nishane begins with the separate paths taken by its two founders.

Mert Güzel was born in Istanbul. After graduating in sociology from Galatasaray University, he immediately entered publishing, working on coffee-table books about Türkiye’s luxury hotels.
Through this business, he became deeply involved in publishing, tourism, and marketing, producing two books. As he explored the hotels’ interiors and recorded Türkiye’s sumptuous traditions on their pages, the dream of creating his own luxury brand slowly took shape.

Murat Katran was also born in Istanbul. Involved in theater since childhood, he spent thirteen years as a professional actor at Istanbul City Theaters.
Meanwhile, he studied international trade at Boğaziçi University. After graduating, he worked as an export manager for one of Türkiye’s largest steel companies before establishing his own steel-export business. Traveling frequently around the Gulf for work, he encountered oud, or agarwood (in Japanese), one day.

“It was like being in a dream, an entirely different world. I had always loved perfume, but I had never been moved so deeply.”
— Murat Katran​

Captivated by the Arab world’s incense culture, Katran began exploring how to connect fragrance with the artistic storytelling sensibility he had honed over many years.

A Birthday-Party Meeting: “No, That’s My Dream”

The two met at a mutual friend’s birthday party in 2010. Even before they had finished introducing themselves, the conversation turned to perfume. Katran was overwhelmed by Güzel’s knowledge. By the end of the evening, Güzel told him that his dream was to create Istanbul’s first niche perfume brand.

Katran immediately replied:

“No, that’s my dream.”
— Murat Katran​

They both burst out laughing. That moment began a deep friendship and an impassioned conversation that would eventually become a brand. Nishane’s seed was planted where Güzel’s knowledge of luxury met Katran’s creative storytelling talent.​

Why Was There No Turkish Niche Brand?

For around a year, the pair thoroughly researched global luxury-industry trends and analyzed what Istanbul needed. Although the niche perfume market was expanding internationally, the absence of a Turkish brand represented both a gap and an opportunity.​

“As niche perfume lovers, we knew that interest in niche fragrances was growing around the world, and that there was no Turkish brand in the field. This became the starting point for differentiating our brand.”
— Murat Katran

In 2012, they founded Nishane with their own funds, without outside investment. They do not position themselves as perfumers. Rather than formulate perfumes in a laboratory, they describe themselves as creative directors who create stories, then derive an olfactory profile from the emotions those stories evoke.

Esxence 2015: Opening onto the World

For three years after founding the company, they undertook meticulous research and trials in collaboration with perfumers in France and Britain. The result was the sixteen-fragrance Signature Collection, presented as extraits de parfum.​

Nishane made its first appearance on the international stage at Esxence, the niche perfume trade fair in Milan, in 2015. The scents of Istanbul, presented from a small booth, attracted perfume lovers worldwide and won critical praise. Each fragrance had a name and number and came with a beautifully illustrated watercolor postcard.

The brand subsequently established flagship stores in Nişantaşı and Istanbul Airport, expanding to Harrods in London, concept stores in Paris, and a presence in at least 120 countries today.

The Brand’s Commitments

A Fragrance Philosophy That Begins with a Story

Nishane’s process does not begin with a formula or a selection of ingredients: it begins with a story. First comes the story, which creates emotion, and that emotion determines the contours of the scent. This sequence is the brand’s unwavering approach.

“When you want to tell a story, nothing is more thrilling than being able to tell it through a bottle of perfume.”
— Mert Güzel​

The house works with some of the world’s leading perfumers, including Dominique Ropion, Jorge Lee, Alberto Morillas, Cécile Zarokian, and Chris Maurice, choosing the most suitable nose for each creation. Developing a single fragrance is said to take at least eleven to twelve months.

Almost all Nishane creations are also offered as extraits de parfum, the most concentrated perfume format, containing at least thirty percent fragrance concentrate. This is more than a commitment to quality: it is a philosophical choice intended to ensure depth as a scent layers and transforms on the skin, as well as lasting wear.

“Time is the greatest challenge, because it is very difficult for us to be satisfied with the result.”
— Murat Katran​

Bottle and Packaging Design

In the Signature Collection, each fragrance comes with a watercolor postcard that visually expresses the scenery or emotions it evokes. Even the brand logo seen through the bottle is a carefully considered part of the design, with an aesthetic attention extending to the smallest details.​

Türkiye also has an established tradition of offering fragrance, or cologne, to guests. Nishane carries this hospitality forward through its Splash Cologne series. Like serving Turkish coffee with lokum, or Turkish delight, it updates a culture of sharing through fragrance.​

Istanbul: A Bridge between East and West

For Nishane, Istanbul is not merely its birthplace but the source of its creativity. In this city on the Bosphorus, literally connecting Asia and Europe, Eastern and Western cultures have mingled for centuries. That layered identity finds expression in the brand’s fragrances.

“Istanbul is a bridge between civilizations. As creative directors, we make the most of that cultural diversity.”
— Murat Katran​

The Fragrance Range

Nishane’s collections are organized into series, each with a clear theme and story.

Signature Collection

Presented at Esxence in 2015, these sixteen perfumes formed the brand’s original collection. With themes including places, materials, continents, countries, and eras, each world is expressed through a watercolor postcard. The Splash Cologne series, a contemporary interpretation of Turkish hospitality through cologne, is also included here.

Shadow Play Collection

This trilogy was unveiled at Esxence in 2017. Its inspiration is the traditional Turkish shadow theater of Karagöz and Hacivat. Inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009, this theatrical art weaves stories in light and shadow across a single white screen.

• Hacivat: A chypre-style extrait inspired by a character who embodies elegance, intelligence, and a love of art, opening with pineapple, grapefruit, and bergamot. It became the collection’s greatest bestseller and remains recognized as the face of the brand. The perfumer is Jorge Lee.
• Karagöz: Meaning black eye, this fragrance, based on oud and amber, is dedicated to a cheerful, outspoken character.
• Zenne: The beautiful, alluring female character in shadow theater inspires a fruity, sensual vanilla fragrance.​

Collection Rumi

Two fragrances inspired by the poetry of the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi, or Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî, presented at Esxence in 2016.

• Fan Your Flames: A smoky, boozy creation built on rum, coconut, and tobacco, inspired by Rumi’s words, “Burn with your own flame. Seek those who fan your flames.” It enjoys a cult following.​
• Hundred Silent Ways: A floral gourmand centered on tuberose and peach, based on Rumi’s verse, “I closed my mouth and spoke to you in a hundred silent ways.” Released in 2016.

No Boundaries Collection

An ambitious series seeking to remove every boundary of emotion.

• Ani: Released in 2019, this fragrance was inspired by the ancient Anatolian city of Ani, near today’s Türkiye–Armenia border. Once the thriving capital of the Armenian kingdom, it was conquered by successive empires, including the Mongols and Ottomans, and now lies in ruins. Its perfumer is the French-Armenian Cécile Zarokian. The fragrance carries a wish to heal through scent the historical divisions between Armenians and Turks. Ani also means memory in Turkish, and the creation is dedicated to Cem Karabacak, a dear friend of the brand who died suddenly during its development. This vanilla-centered oriental extrait earned international acclaim as a leading niche vanilla fragrance soon after its release.
• Ege / Αιγαίο: Bearing both the Turkish name Ege and the Greek Αιγαίο, it honors the culture and landscapes shared by Turks and Greeks on either side of the Aegean. It is a refreshing marine extrait centered on yuzu, basil, and liqueur.

Collection Imaginative

A series inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince.

• B-612: Named after the number of the asteroid where the Little Prince lives, this aromatic fougère explores imagination, open-mindedness, and sensitivity to the world’s mystery and beauty.
• Vain & Naïve: A sweet, luscious fruity floral.​

Time Capsule Collection

The series revolves around four themes: Action, Time, Place, and Belief. Its commitment to universality is reflected in details such as titles drawn from Esperanto, a constructed language intended for international communication.

• Tero: Esperanto for earth. A spicy caramel fragrance.​
• Papilefiko: A spicy, balsamic fragrance inspired by the butterfly effect.​
• Tempfluo: Esperanto for the flow of time.​
• Kredo: Esperanto for belief. Created by Jean-Louis Sieuzac.​

By the Way…

• The name Nishane comes from the Turkish word nişane, meaning a mark, sign, or symbol. For the two founders, that symbol is Istanbul itself.
• Katran encountered oud in the Gulf while traveling for his steel-export business. The artistic storytelling he would later express through Nishane arose where his thirteen-year acting career met that unexpected olfactory experience.
• The signature fragrance Hacivat takes its name from a central character in traditional Turkish shadow theater. The name is a shortened form of Hacı İvaz and, according to legend, derives from a real person who worked on the construction of the Orhan Gazi Mosque in Bursa.
• Ani’s French-Armenian perfumer, Cécile Zarokian, created the fragrance with an awareness of the complex historical relationship between Armenians and Turks. A Turkish brand joining an Armenian-heritage perfumer to create a scent inspired by a former border city is a statement more eloquent than even the collection’s name, No Boundaries.