Miya Porubcan: the Unique Journey from Zambia to England, Put Into Perfumes

Written by Kristina Kybartaite-Damule

The story of Miya Porubcan, the founder of Mirads Parfums, is not one you hear every day. Growing up in Zambia and seeing perfumes just behind the till in the shop, without ever being able to try them, she now has her own brand, telling the tale of her journey from South Africa to Europe.

Miya Porubcan / Photo: personal archive

In an interview for PlezuroMag, Miya Porubcan talked about her childhood in Zambia, the ideas behind her brand, and what it means to her to put her country on the map of perfumery.

Could you tell us a little about your backstory? Where did you grow up, and what was your relationship with scents back then?

I was born in Zambia, a country in Southern Africa. Growing up, my scent memories are more related to food or the environment, like the smell of fresh grass. Straw grass is what I remember because when I was young, we used to play in the meadows. Imagine spring and summer, with grass everywhere; for me, it was heaven. We used to have a hill, and we would just go there and roll down in the meadows. I don’t recommend it because once you go home, your skin is so itchy, as you can imagine (laughs). But I remember that freshly cut grass smell.

Also, I remember my mom’s cooking, mostly baking. Every time I came home from school, my mom was baking. That lovely smell of fresh bake! That’s my childhood with scents.

As for perfumes, we did not have such a variety as we have here. Perfumes were really a luxury for us growing up. Even now, for some people, it is a massive luxury. It’s an absolute dream that you can just go to the mall and sample fragrances or buy fragrances. Because I remember the town I lived in used to have one shop that would sell some fragrances. And now looking back, even then, it wasn’t like a massive collection, and these fragrances were kept behind a glass cabinet, behind the till in the shop. So you had no chance to go and smell them. There were no testers either. Because of that, most parents didn’t buy fragrances for their children. It was such a luxury.

And I remember thinking to myself - imagine being able to buy a fragrance.

Moving on from that era growing up, the fragrances that I used to wear were scented products, like lotions. One of my aunties used to work for British Airlines. So she would go to London, to New York… Every time she came back, she used to bring some goodies. We were waiting for her to get some scented lotions, shower gels, and we were so excited! Now I realize those were probably from the hotels, but it was such a treasure for us! (laughs)

When I moved to England as a teenager and realized I could just go to the shop and spray whatever I wanted - can you imagine? It was like heaven! From then on, I used to go to the shops just to try fragrances. I spent so many of my lunch breaks just going to the store.

Miya Porubcan / Photo: personal archive

How did you get into fragrances professionally? When and how did you decide to create Mirads Parfums?

It’s been quite a few years now. When I moved here, it was obviously nice to discover fragrances. At last, I could afford to buy a fragrance for myself. I used to wear a lot of Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger; those were my go-to. As years went by, Instagram came along. My friend was on Instagram, and she said, come and join here, and I didn’t want to do that. Eventually, after three years, she convinced me.

She showed me a girl on IG who did fragrances. And my friend said - she’s just like you, she has fragrances and she posts about it! I thought that this is interesting. At that point, I was interested in fragrances, I used to buy fragrances but just for myself. So when I saw this girl, I thought, this is amazing, there are more people like me! And so, I joined Instagram and started to share fragrances. I met other people from the community, and it kind of grew like that.

Years later, after reviewing fragrances, I used to have a blog as well, used to do interviews with perfumers, etc. At some point, I felt this is the right time. Because as a consumer, I realized that in my country, I know how much it is for someone to have a fragrance. We don’t have local brands, even now everything is imported. So I thought it would be nice to make a fragrance that’s Zambian, by a Zambian. So it went from there. The brand is now almost two years old.

What idea did you want to express with your fragrances?

With the fragrances, I wanted to reach that transition from Zambia to Europe. My fragrances are based on my experience traveling between Africa and Europe. Impératrice La Vanille is based on my mom’s baking that smelled lovely. Warm gourmand, not too sweet. This is a favorite memory of mine. Coming from school at 4 PM, it’s tea time. And in the yard, you can already smell it.

As we go from Africa to Europe, we always cross the Sahara desert. It’s the longest span of space you have to fly over. I thought it would be nice to dedicate fragrance to a desert. Paradis Du Désert is obviously a paradise in the desert. Imagine being stuck in a desert. You feel like you've already given up, I’m going to die, I’m stuck, and then come across the oasis.

The last one is Pendragon's Heart. This one is about English heritage because this has been my home now for over two decades. So now we are settled, and it’s reflected in the fragrance.

Miya Porubcan / Photo: personal archive

What would you say makes your brand stand out in the large market of niche perfumery that’s exploding in recent years?

I want to believe that my story is the key. Because I think that fragrances are all about telling stories and I feel like my brand is unique. I don’t think that anyone had the same experience that I’ve had, the things I’ve been through.

Trying to express yourself - that’s the direction I go. Like you said, the market is saturated.

And also representation. There are not many people of my color, women represented as much in this sphere. Even now when I think of how many African brands do I know by a woman, I don’t know any.

I believe that there is room for everyone because someone can relate to my story, and someone can relate to someone else’s story. I thought it was a good thing to do to put my country on this map.

Can you reflect on your collaboration with Miguel Matos? What was the key factor that led you to entrust your perfumes to him?

Even before I met Miguel, I was always a big fan of his work. I like everything and wanted to try everything he created. He is a friend as well, so it was quite easy. He always encouraged me, saying, "Miya, you should create your brand."

Feeling highly encouraged, I said, let’s do this. When I told Miguel I wanted a vanilla fragrance, he said, "but Miya, you know I don’t do vanillas." I replied, "But Miguel, you can do anything." (laughs) I challenged him to make something different from what he is known for because most people know him for animalic fragrances. I think it was an amazing collaboration, and I’m quite happy about that.

What challenges did you face in creating a new independent brand?

Some shops I spoke with, some shop owners, if you come on the market, some people are waiting to see if you actually can stay in the business. Because you know, a huge number of indie brands do not succeed. The challenge is how do you stay in the game and keep evolving.

Some people are asking if there is a new perfume coming, and I say no, it’s not ready. I don’t want to produce a new fragrance just for the sake of producing. What I do, it always has to be better tomorrow than it is today.

Are there any new projects you are currently working on?

Yes, we are working on something, something is coming but I don’t want to give a date yet.

Is this also going to be a collaboration with Miguel Matos?

Miguel and someone else as well. So you can expect at least two fragrances.

What is your aim for the upcoming 5 years? What would you like to achieve in this time?

It’s still fairly a small brand, so we’re looking to expand, broaden the market, to expand more in Europe. We are in Ireland, in Romania, and looking for more shops. We are in South Africa as well. We wish to be on all the continents. Also wish by then to have an assistant and staff because now I only work myself with the help of my husband. In 5 years we’re hoping for great things.