Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Kloess.
Hi Jason, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It actually all started as a joke… I was in a band in Austin, TX and the lead singer and I both had pretty substantial beards, and people at shows constantly asked us how we kept them full and looking good. We joked about how we need to make our own beard oil and sell it and eventually did just that. We started selling as much beard product as band merch and I realized that we were on to something. Expanding Roosevelt Supply Co to more than just National Park-inspired beard care lead me down the road to candle making (The Roosevelts Candle Co), which eventually lead me to perfume and fine fragrance. I constantly get people asking for one particular candle scent to be made into a perfume, which at the time I had no idea how to make. After years of formulation and experimenting with hundreds of fragrances, I launched Les Deux, meaning “both” in French, as a unisex fragrance company. I started with No 1 and No 2 this past July and the feedback has been amazing! No 3 fragrance is launching Feb 1, 2022, and the initial response has been overwhelming. Being published in Forbes multiple times within a few months of launching has been incredible!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Haha, smooth roads exist? I think we’re experiencing the struggles of any startup. Finding quality people, ample space, distribution, SUPPLY CHAIN – don’t get me started – as well as consistent, reliable ingredients has been a huge issue. Not to mention Covid and losing my sense of smell for 6 months. That was a nightmare of me making fragrances and having my friends and co-workers sample them for months. Luckily, it’s back and I’m back to working on the next line of fragrances and products for Les Deux.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I used to work for several startups in Austin, TX while also playing in a touring band. I’d tour full time while having conference calls in the back of the van. Stressful is a way to describe keeping your bandmates from hopping into a zoom call with the CMO of General Mills! I realized that I couldn’t do both, music and tech sales, and decided to pursue music full time and move to Nashville. I played in The Roosevelts for 7 years and toured all over the country. We broke up right as the tornado came through, just before Covid, which was the perfect time to stop touring. I pivoted to a career in real estate a year ago, joining the Parks Broadwest team, and it’s been so much fun.
While playing/recording/writing music, I launched Roosevelt Supply Co, a National Park-inspired men’s grooming line. All of our products are free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates and are cruelty-free. The majority of the products are designed, created, and packaged here in East Nashville. What started as high-quality beard oil morphed into all-over men’s grooming, and eventually leather goods, candles, and gift options. If you need a cool gift for a guy, we’ve got you covered!
After doing a trade show in NYC and seeing the brands there, I thought I should add National Park inspired candles to the mix and started The Roosevelts Candle Co. Knowing nothing about candle making, I hoped on YouTube and started reading like crazy while in the van (band life) and started experimenting with candle making in my kitchen. That eventually moved to a studio in Germantown, then a place in east Nashville, and now a larger warehouse in east Nashville. We’ve been a runner up for Garden & Gun’s Made in the South Awards in both 2019 and 2021 and have a TON of new products and fragrances coming out this spring/summer.
After more events and pop-up shows than I care to count, the feedback was unanimous: Create perfume. At every single show, I had women ask for a particular scent but in perfume form, and willing to pay top dollar for it. This lead me to years of formulation (took over 2 years to get the first fragrance right), trial and error, branding, reformulation, extensive testing, and ultimately the launch of Les Deux. I spent all of quarantine testing fragrances on neighbors, friends, co-workers, etc getting as much feedback as possible. My neighbor used to host wine nights with a bunch of girls and I’d show up with a bottle of wine and 5 variations of particular fragrances, and once a week, we’d drink and test perfume. The feedback was amazing and I’d constantly change the formulation, give out samples, get their friends to test it, etc. We officially launched in July 2021 with two unisex fragrances, and have two more coming out this year. We have spray perfume, roll-on perfume, and candles. I’m currently working on body wash, lotion, shampoo, and conditioner with these fragrances. Really excited about how the initial tests are going, it smells amazing.
I haven’t been writing or playing much music, because 3 companies. real estate and my golden retriever take up most of my time, but I’ll get back to it. It’s been nice to step away for a year and a half, but I’m really starting to miss it.
Any big plans?
Launching new fragrances and product lines for Les Deux is super exciting. I have two fragrances in the works and 2 more that are close. I have a few ideas on how to integrate with high-end boutique hotels and creating a very unique, scent experience and can’t wait to explore that and make that a reality. More to come on that 🙂
The candle company has 4-5 new candle scents coming, as well as expanding into a line of diffusers, 3 wick candles, aromatic and nebulizing diffusers, and the oil packaged for that. Really excited about this!
Currently trying to hire to keep up with demand and allow me to focus even more on real estate, as that has been taking up most of my time.
Pricing:
- Roll on perfume – $48
- Spray perfume – $105-165
- Candles – $45
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@lesdeuxfragrances.com
- Website: https://www.lesdeuxfragrances.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lesdeuxfragrances
Image Credits
Justin Rearden
