Fragrance Strategist Paul Austin Appointed SCAD Executive in Residence for 2026-2027
The Savannah College of Art and Design has named Austin Advisory Group founder Paul Austin as Executive in Residence for the 2026-2027 academic year. According to WWD Beauty, Austin will collaborate with multiple departments to integrate sensory thinking into various creative disciplines, including fashion, business innovation, and the building arts.
Context from Industry Pulse
The appointment of Paul Austin occurs as fragrance continues to drive growth across the beauty sector. Recent financial reporting highlights this momentum, with DSM-Firmenich reporting sales exceeding 2.3 billion Euros in the third quarter of 2026, fueled by volume-led gains. While established players like Estée Lauder Companies are drafting growth plans through 2030, other major entities such as Coty are navigating transition years. The fragrance boom is also influencing marketing strategies, as seen with Dove’s entry into fine fragrance. By integrating sensory strategy into SCAD’s curriculum, the institution is positioning students to capitalize on a market where scent is increasingly utilized as a branding tool across fashion, retail, and experiential design.
The Savannah College of Art and Design is expanding its fragrance-focused curriculum by bringing in industry veteran Paul Austin for a specialized residency. According to reporting from WWD Beauty, Austin will work directly with students and faculty across the Schools of Fashion, Building Arts, and the De Sole School of Business Innovation. His role centers on exploring how olfactory elements can be woven into the design process for brands, physical spaces, and consumer experiences.
Austin brings extensive entrepreneurial experience to the university through his leadership at the Austin Advisory Group, a strategic firm based in New York. WWD Beauty notes that he also cofounded LilaNur Parfums, a high-end fragrance house inspired by Indian heritage that has secured international distribution through major luxury retailers like Harrods and Bergdorf Goodman. This background is intended to help students understand the commercial and creative requirements of the modern perfume market.
University leadership emphasized that the appointment aligns with their current academic focus on real-world applications within the creative industries. As WWD Beauty reports, the institution aims to show students the high stakes involved in producing professional-grade scents. The residency reflects a broader shift in the market where fragrance is no longer confined to traditional bottling but is increasingly viewed as a component of architecture and digital-era sensory engagement.
Throughout the upcoming academic year, Austin is expected to lead initiatives that demonstrate how scent informs brand identity and spatial design. WWD Beauty highlights that this interdisciplinary approach is designed to prepare students for a changing landscape where physical, sensory experiences are becoming more valuable as daily life becomes more digitized. The collaboration represents a strategic effort to bridge the gap between academic theory and the practical demands of the global beauty and design sectors.
The Industry Pulse Bottom Line
Paul Austin’s residency at SCAD signals the growing importance of sensory design in professional education, reflecting a market where fragrance is evolving from a standalone product into a core element of architectural and brand identity.