The Sweet Smell of Success: West Third Brand

"I thought I'd open a wine bar and wine shop in LA," recalls Michael Probst, thinking back to 2009. "And then I got this sinking feeling that something bad was about to happen, and I pulled the plug."

A week later, the Great Recession hit. So not only is West Third Brand a story of successful second-tries, but also one of downright eerie clairvoyance.

"I was thinking, 'What now am I going to do?' I always wanted to do an artisanal fragrance line, so that's what I did," says Probst. "Just to keep me active creatively, keep my focus, and stop from being woe-is-me."

Probst woes no more. West Third Brand took off like a rocket. While the demographic is all over the board ("from 21 to 65!"), straightforward, unpretentious names like Smell Good Daily and a vintage, home-spun look have an irresistible appeal to Millennial men and other non-frou-frou types who want to look and smell good.

At the same time, the brand's mission and aesthetic avoids all the frilliness and "name price" that come with more couture products. But, of course, it is what is inside the packaging that counts -- and it doesn't hurt that Probst, himself a former creative director -- made his products, ranging from cologne to skin care to pomades, intentionally butch.

Not-So-Secret Ingredients

"People have offered affordable, small-batch fragrances before," notes Probst, "but my company is different because I wanted to create approachable, easy-to-wear fragrances."

Time and again, Probst emphasizes ease. Most cologne can have a dizzying amount of constituent scents; resulting in a delicate balancing act that is often lauded by critics who review a fragrance the way sommeliers deconstruct a wine's palette. However, all that complexity and varying notes can make certain scents "hard to wear" depending on the occasion.

Wanting products ready for anything, Probst creates basic scents like Tobacco 1812 (their most popular product), and Spruce that can be worn anywhere at anytime. Even the more creatively concocted denizens of the sophisticated Soci�t� de Senteur Collection are forthright in their notes and general bouquet.

Interestingly enough, that betrays where the Texas-based Probst gets his inspiration.

"My studio is in Dripping Springs, right outside of Austin, and is gorgeous," Probst tells EDGE, and his ideas literally fall from the sky and float in on the wind. "I will wait until spring and summer and smell what is in the air. I already know it is going to be dry and woody."

And once he inhales the idea, then the magic starts. West Third Brand borders on an aberration in the men's grooming industry: Whereas other companies introduce new products by committee, have armies of R&D personnel, laboratories bordering on military complexes, and gobs of liquid cash to throw at all three, Probst not only personally gets a new product idea rolling, he also actively pours scents right next to his three employees. The result is a more personal, intuitive, and empathetic brand and merchandise enthusiastically embraced by buyers. Such is the level of success, in fact, that Probst saw his ostensibly for-men-by-men lines leap the gender barrier.

"Women are our biggest buyers," he muses.

A Nose For Fragrance

With a resume dotted with names like Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Barney's, Tommy Bahama, World Market, and even Target, it should not come as too much of a surprise that Probst knows a thing or two about winning formulas. And he adheres to that most profound of business dicta: Keep it simple.

"When I started, I said, 'I like these fragrances, I like this packaging,'" he says. "There was no real goal for creating this company into how it has grown today. To be honest, I sometimes think, 'Really? I can't believe I'm here.'"