Nishane: Two Istanbulites, a Shadow Theatre and Plenty of Extrait
A former stage actor, a publisher of coffee-table books on hotels, and a squabble at a birthday party over which of them had the dream first. That is how the story of Nishane begins: the perfume house from Istanbul that is now sold in more than 120 countries. Who is behind Nishane, what does a centuries-old shadow theatre have to do with Hacivat, and which fragrance is right for you?
- Who: Nishane was founded in Istanbul in 2012 by Mert Güzel and Murat Katran. Neither is a perfumer: they develop the stories and work with renowned noses to bring them to life.
- The name: according to the brand, Nishane means sign, mark or symbol.
- Signature traits: Extrait de Parfum as the house concentration, and collections built around tales from Turkish culture, such as the Karagöz and Hacivat shadow play or the poet Rumi.
- Where to start: Meant To Be Seen for powdery iris, Hacivat for fruity, woody freshness, Hundred Silent Ways for creamy white florals.
Who founded Nishane?
Two Istanbulites whose CVs could hardly sound less like perfume. Murat Katran worked as an export manager in the steel industry and, on the side, spent 13 years acting on the stage of the Istanbul City Theatres. Mert Güzel studied sociology at Galatasaray University and went on to publish coffee-table books about Turkey’s luxury hotels. That is how the pair told it to the French fragrance magazine Nez in 2022.
They met in 2010 at a mutual friend’s birthday party. According to BeautyMatter, Güzel said that evening that his dream was to create Istanbul’s first niche perfume brand. Katran’s reply: no, that was his dream. Rather than argue about it, they founded the company together in 2012, with no investors and out of their own pockets.
Murat Katran
13 years on the stage of the Istanbul City Theatres, alongside a day job as an export manager in the steel industry. He brings the sense of drama that shapes every Nishane collection.
Mert Güzel
A sociology graduate of Galatasaray University and former publisher of coffee-table books on Turkey’s luxury hotels. His eye is on aesthetics, from the bottle to the boutique.
One thing worth knowing to understand the brand: Güzel and Katran do not blend the fragrances themselves. They start with a story and then commission a perfumer to translate it into scent. According to Fragrantica, the noses include Jorge Lee, Cécile Zarokian and Jordi Fernández, and, according to an interview with the Turkish newspaper GZT, Deziro was created with Alberto Morillas.
What does the name Nishane mean?
According to the brand, Nishane means sign, mark or symbol. The founders told Nez that, for them, this sign is the city of Istanbul itself. Katran calls Istanbul a bridge between cultures, and that is exactly how the fragrances are built: oriental raw materials such as oud or rose meet a modern, distinctly European style of composition.
The house describes itself as the first and only niche perfume brand from Istanbul with worldwide recognition. Whether that is true is hard to verify. What is certain is that the international breakthrough came in 2015 at Esxence in Milan, the most important trade fair for niche perfumery, after around five years of development.
What does Hacivat have to do with shadow theatre?
Quite a lot. Karagöz and Hacivat are the two main characters of traditional Turkish shadow theatre. The figures are cut from camel or cattle hide, held on rods behind a cotton screen and performed by a single master who gives every character his voice. Since 2009, Karagöz has been on UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Legend has it that the two were builders working on a mosque in Bursa in the 14th century. Their verbal sparring entertained the other workers so much that construction ground to a halt. The ruler had them executed, and the people immortalised them as puppets. Hacivat is the educated one with a fondness for flowery phrasing; Karagöz is the blunt, quick-witted man of the people.
In 2017, Nishane dedicated an entire collection to the characters: the Shadow Play Trilogy. According to a Fragrantica interview with the founders, this was the milestone behind the brand’s global success. Hacivat, composed by Jorge Lee, is a modern chypre: pineapple, bergamot and grapefruit up top, then jasmine, patchouli and cedarwood, over a base of oakmoss and dry woods. Alongside it sit Karagöz and Zenne, named after other characters from the play.
For the brand’s tenth anniversary, the five bestsellers Hacivat, Hundred Silent Ways, Ani, Wūlóng Chá and Fan Your Flames each received an X version, reinterpreted for Nishane by perfumers such as Cécile Zarokian. In our shop you will find, for example, Hacivat X and Ani X.
What stories do the other Nishane fragrances tell?
At Nishane, almost every fragrance has a source of inspiration, and it pays to know it before you take a sniff:
- Hundred Silent Ways (2016): the name quotes the Persian poet Rumi, who lived and is buried in Konya. Roughly: I closed my mouth and spoke to you in a hundred silent ways. In the bottle: tuberose, peach and mandarin, over gardenia, iris, vanilla and sandalwood.
- Ani (2019): named after the ruined city of Ani on Turkey’s eastern border, once known as the city of 1,001 churches and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Turkish, anı also means memory. Cécile Zarokian pairs ginger, bergamot and cardamom with vanilla, benzoin and sandalwood.
- Wūlóng Chá (2015): oolong tea, bergamot, orange and litsea, over fig and musk. Nishane calls it one of the strongest fresh fragrances on the market.
- Hold Me Closer (2026): the newest addition to the Rumi collection, by Alexandre Helwani according to Fragrantica. Angelica, pink pepper and pear liqueur meet chamomile, hawthorn and an earthy accord, carried by tonka and papyrus.
What does Meant To Be Seen smell like?
Powdery, luminous and surprisingly warm. Meant To Be Seen was released in 2025 and, according to Fragrantica, is the work of Jordi Fernández. It opens with bergamot and violet, has orris butter at its heart, and rests on sandalwood and modern musk and wood materials such as ambrettolide and Akigalawood. What Akigalawood is, and why it is made from patchouli leftovers, we explain in our fragrance glossary entry on Akigalawood.
At our boutique, Meant To Be Seen has been the best-selling Nishane fragrance of the past twelve months, ahead of Hundred Silent Ways. The name promises a grand entrance, but the scent itself is more of a shimmer: Nishane describes it as a fragrance that holds on to the light when you feel overlooked.
How big is Nishane today?
Remarkably big for a brand that, little more than ten years ago, stood at a trade fair in Milan with 16 numbered fragrances and a postcard for each. By its own account, Nishane is now present in more than 120 countries. It has its own boutiques in Istanbul, in Paris on the Rue Saint-Honoré, in London on Maddox Street, in Rome and in Doha, among other places. According to BeautyMatter, its first US boutique opened on 1 October 2026 on Elizabeth Street in New York. The company is still based in Istanbul, in the Beşiktaş district.
Curiosities about Nishane
Something to share at your next dinner party
- From stage to bottle
Murat Katran spent 13 years acting at the Istanbul City Theatres. Small wonder Nishane stages its collections like acts in a play.
- The argument that became a company
At a birthday party, both founders laid claim to the very same dream. Two years later, they simply decided to share it.
- Guess the perfume, the icebreaker
According to Fragrantica, the two tried to guess each other’s fragrance when they first met. Both, as it happens, were wearing layered scents.
- World heritage as a godparent
The Karagöz and Hacivat shadow play has been on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2009. So the Shadow Play Trilogy has some rather distinguished godparents.
- A fragrance as a thank-you to Paris
According to the founders, Lavande Française was created as a tribute to mark the opening of the Paris boutique.
- 16 fragrances, 16 postcards
At its 2015 debut, Nishane presented 16 numbered extraits, each with its own postcard, according to CaFleureBon. A charming idea from the days before Instagram.
Which Nishane fragrance is right for me?
A little guide to Istanbul in a bottle:
- You love iris and powder, but nothing old-fashioned? Meant To Be Seen.
- Looking for a fresh signature scent for the office? Hacivat or Wūlóng Chá.
- White florals, creamy and romantic? Hundred Silent Ways.
- Warm, spicy, a touch sweet? Ani.
- Something brand new, quiet and close to the skin? Hold Me Closer.
- Founded: in Istanbul in 2012 by Mert Güzel and Murat Katran, with its international debut in 2015 at Esxence in Milan.
- Concentration: Nishane calls Extrait de Parfum its house concentration. The brand does not publish an exact perfume oil percentage.
- Civetone in Meant To Be Seen: the main odorant of civet, which perfumery now produces synthetically. In small doses, it lends a fragrance the warmth of skin.
- Akigalawood: a Givaudan material made from patchouli oil using enzymes, with a peppery, woody smell.
- Karagöz and Hacivat: UNESCO cultural heritage since 2009, performed with figures made of animal hide behind a cotton screen.
Frequently asked questions about Nishane
Where does Nishane come from?
Nishane is a perfume house from Istanbul. It was founded in 2012 by Mert Güzel and Murat Katran and gained international recognition from 2015 onwards, after its appearance at the Esxence trade fair in Milan.
What does the name Nishane mean?
According to the brand, Nishane means sign, mark or symbol. For the founders, this sign stands for the city of Istanbul.
Who are the founders of Nishane?
Murat Katran, a former export manager who spent 13 years as an actor at the Istanbul City Theatres, and Mert Güzel, a sociologist and former publisher of coffee-table books on luxury hotels.
What is Nishane’s best-known fragrance?
Among the best known are Hacivat, Hundred Silent Ways, Ani and Wūlóng Chá. At 4D OUTFITTERS, Meant To Be Seen was the best-selling Nishane fragrance over the past twelve months.
Are Nishane fragrances extraits?
Yes, according to Nishane, Extrait de Parfum is the brand’s house concentration. Nishane does not state an exact perfume oil percentage.
Can I try Nishane fragrances before buying?
Yes. With every bottle from 30 ml we include a free sample of the same fragrance, and from an order value of € 90 you also receive 4 fragrance samples. You are welcome to note a particular sample request in your basket – if in stock, we will gladly take it into account. Or come and try the fragrances in our boutique in Bregenz.
Smell first, then fall in love
Nishane fragrances are extraits with plenty of character, and character needs to be experienced on your own skin. With every bottle from 30 ml we include a free sample of the same fragrance, and from an order value of € 90 you also receive 4 fragrance samples. You are welcome to note a particular sample request in your basket, such as Hacivat, Meant To Be Seen and Ani for a little journey through Istanbul – if in stock, we will gladly take it into account. We offer free shipping on orders from € 200.
Or visit us in our boutique in Bregenz and explore the entire Nishane collection nose first. If you would like to know what extrait actually means, read Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum or Extrait?, and for clever ways to combine two fragrances, take a look at our 20 tips for perfume layering.
Your 4D OUTFITTERS team, Bregenz
Sources: Nishane – About · Nishane – Boutiques · Nez Magazine · Fragrantica – Interview · Fragrantica – Nishane · BeautyMatter 2025 · BeautyMatter 2026 · GZT · CaFleureBon · UNESCO – Karagöz · Wikipedia – Karagöz and Hacivat
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