The edge effect

Welcome to Back of the Napkin, musings from Serviette for the cultured world.

“Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center [...] Big, undreamed-of things—the people on the edge see them first.” — Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano

The concept of the “fringes” has long been a cultural mainstay. Without counterculture, there is no culture. Without the unconventional, there is no mainstream. But what does it actually mean to live on the edge? And why should we want to?

In ecology, the “edge effect” refers to the strange phenomenon wherein the most biodiversity occurs at the boundary between two distinct communities or habitats. Where a river and stream meet, for example, there is a much larger array of species than could exist in either habitat alone. Something miraculous happens when two seemingly incompatible realms coalesce—the boundaries are suddenly porous, creating robust worlds and species that would be otherwise unsustainable. If you’ve ever spent a day at the beach marveling at tidepools or seen the creeping, Tim Burton-esque roots of mangrove trees hovering above the water’s surface, you’ve witnessed the edge effect firsthand.

It’s a concept that extends far beyond ecology. Social scientists found that people who have deep relationships with someone from another country or spend time living abroad actually score higher on routine creativity tests. It’s the same reason why many of the most impactful artists and intellectuals are interdisciplinary, borrowing from a host of different mediums, cultures, and points of view. The most interesting people, most would argue, tend to straddle the line between two or more worlds—after all, the most unique perspectives can only be born on the fringes.

Serviette maintains a concurrent approach to perfumery, complicating notions of “good” and “bad” taste by recontextualizing traditional taste signifiers and elements of old-world prestige to question their very foundations. It’s why the heady marijuana note swirling beneath a lush bed of Egyptian geranium makes Sour Diesel so beloved. It’s why Byronic Hero’s punchy diesel exhaust note turns heads, and why Frisson D’Hiver’s ice accord remains so intriguing. The edge effect at work! Fragrance as a medium doesn’t have to begin and end with smelling good; like a classically trained opera singer performing a pop ballad (can you tell Serviette still has Rosalía’s Lux on repeat?), a painting crafted by a mathematician, or a river meeting a stream, it can create an entirely new landscape, forcing us to see things in a new way.

For those who prefer the peripheral, may we suggest smelling your way through Serviette’s discovery set. We thank you for reading this week’s newsletter—we hope it inspires you to strike up a conversation with your polar opposite, dive into a subject completely outside your area of expertise, and maybe even try a fragrance with a scent profile you never would’ve dreamed of. The results may just end up leaving you on edge.