Naturally, Germans love their successful designers of the presence and past. Aigner, Bogner, Boss, Joop, Lagerfeld, Lang and Sander (whom did I forget?). Not popular but still highly appreciated by connoisseurs is the Knize company (German, but of Austrian origin). The fans of 4711 ( with Tosca and Irisch Moos) and of Farina, etc. are a dying race, and the popularity of Tabac Original in Germany can be perhaps compared to the popularity of Old Spice in the US: everybody knows it, it's still good, but the fragrant world has more to offer for the open minded!
Other than that: the western perfume market is totally international, governed by some giants which may reside in Paris, Holzminden, Geneva or New York. But that doesn't really matter. These companies recruit their staff from all over. National perfumery is practically non-existent nowadays. Products are strategically planned to cash in from the poor, the rich and the hundreds of millions in between. Local stores are just a mirror of that development. Paris, Brussels, Manchester, or Torino - all offer the same stuff, just like the perfume departments in tax free shops.
The most rewarding anti - trend experience: when you find the fragrances that companies like Puig, Myrurgia, Farina, Santa Maria Novella, Molineux, etc. produce for the home market mainly. It's a passion when I am vacationing.
