Unbeknownst to many, Chicago is a vibrant hub for independent fragrance brands. Enter our new blog series, Windy City Scents: Exploring Chicago’s Indie Fragrance Brands. We reached out to our favorite Chicago-based fragrance brands to uncover their origins and connection to Chicago. This installment features Zernell Gillie, founder and perfumer of Zernell Gillie Fragrances.
One of Merz Apothecary and Smallflower.com’s newest additions, Zernell Gillie Fragrances uses the art of fine fragrance to create a harmonious love letter to music.
Q: Can you introduce yourself and explain your fragrance brand to anyone who might be unfamiliar?
A: I’m Zernell Gillie, a DJ and founder of Zernell Gillie Fragrances, a luxury fragrance brand that blends music and scent. I grew up on the west side of Chicago, where music, especially House and Disco saved me during a tough time. My brand was born from my lifelong love of music and fragrance. Every scent I create is inspired by a music genre, with each bottle telling a story you can feel and wear.
Q: What’s your fragrance origin story? Do you have any memories attached to a specific scent that made you fall in love with fragrance and think about fragrance differently?
A: It goes way back. I was that kid sneaking sprays of Pierre Cardin from my dad’s dresser. But the moment it clicked was when I was 16 and bought my first fragrance, Halston Z-14 at Marshall Field’s in downtown Chicago. That scent made me feel special. From there, my love for fragrance grew just like my love for music.
Q: How did the idea for your brand start? When did you know you wanted to make a career out of it?
A: I’d been collecting niche and designer fragrances for years—Roja, Xerjoff, you name it. Then the pandemic hit. Gigs were canceled, venues shut down, and I was at home, sitting on the couch wearing fragrance every day to lift my spirits. That’s when it came to me, why not combine my two loves and create something that felt like me? That’s how Disco, my first fragrance, was born.
Q: We’re proud to be one of very few niche fragrance retailers in the city. Tell us about your relationship to Chicago. How has the city of Chicago and the surrounding area influenced your fragrances?
A: Chicago is everything. It’s where I learned to DJ, where I dodged the streets by diving into music, and where I shaped my sound. The city has a certain soul and grit that shows up in every track I spin and every fragrance I make. It’s not fancy, but it’s real.
Q: Do you have a favorite Chicago scent? A certain food, place, etc.?
A: It’s not just one scent, it’s a whole vibe. That summertime mix of BBQ smoke, the lakefront breeze, music blasting from somebody’s car speaker and kids playing outside. It’s real life and joy at the same time. That’s what I try to capture when I build a fragrance. Not just smell, a moment you can feel.
Q: What notes would you say evoke the energy of Chicago?
A: Chicago’s scent is as layered as its people and sound. The mix of lake water, fresh-cut grass, and maple trees brings a natural, nostalgic vibe that runs deep. It captures the soul of the neighborhoods, the lakefront breeze, block parties, and parks full of music and movement.
A: In fragrance, I’d translate that energy with:
• Calone for the crisp lake air
• Violet Leaf and Cis-3-Hexenol for that green summertime snap
• Ambroxan for a warm, skin-like trail
• Saffron for smooth, soulful heat
• Patchouli for that grounded, earthy depth—just like the city itself
Q: What has been the most unexpected challenge you’ve faced running an independent fragrance brand?
A: Doing everything myself. I hand-pour, label, package, and ship every single order. I love it, but I won’t lie, it’s exhausting. Building a brand without funding means you wear every hat, and some days that’s a challenge.
Q: If you could go back in time to when you first started out, what advice would you give yourself? Would you change anything?
A: I’d tell myself to start building a support team earlier. You don’t have to do it all alone. But honestly, I wouldn’t change the journey, it made the brand’s authenticity shine.
Q: What do you think makes your brand different from other fragrance brands?
A: Most brands are inspired by abstract concepts like cities, flowers or emotions. I built mine like I build a DJ set: from sound, memories, and feelings. Each scent is a musical composition, rooted in a genre I know intimately. It’s not just fragrance—it’s storytelling through scent.
Q: Is there a certain feeling or emotion you hope your fragrances evoke?
A: Nostalgia and confidence. I want people to smell one of my scents and feel transported, whether that’s to a dance-floor, a moment in time, or a version of themselves they want to step into.
Q: Why do you think fragrance makes such a great tool for self expression?
A: Fragrance is like music, it speaks before you do. It creates mood, energy, and presence. It can be loud or subtle. And it stays with people long after you’ve left the room.
Q: What’s a fragrance trend or note that you’re excited about right now?
A: I’m loving that people are open to bold, layered, unapologetic scents. Fragrances that don’t play it safe. That’s how I’ve always deejayed my music sets, and it’s how I design my fragrances.
Q: What do you think people should know about the niche fragrance community in the midwest?
A: We’ve got taste, talent, and loyalty, we just don’t shout about it. Midwest buyers are thoughtful and curious. They don’t follow hype, they support what’s real.
Q: What's next for your brand?
A: We just dropped R&B, and we’re working on the next four releases! I’m also working with my son on a younger, edgier line called Zernell Gillie II - Los Angeles. It’s about bridging generations and building legacy. We’re also expanding into merchandise, and eventually a full sensory experience where scent and sound come together.
The complete Zernell Gillie Fragrances line is available now at Merz Apothecary in Chicago, Illinois.
