The Best of British from ENGLISH SMELLFIES All the FIELDS to to MAKE YOU LATEST FLACONS + SMILE + LAUNCHES
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THE www.perfumesociety.org scentedNO. 30 - EARLY SPRING 2018 letter ANGELA FLANDERS S of YARDLEY ’ WOODS ofLONDON WINDSOR FLORIS CLIVE CHRISTIANATKINSONS FLORAL STREET DUNHILL LONDON MOLTON MILLER BROWN HARRIS ORMONDESHAY JAYNE PAUL &BLUE PENHALIGON SMITH The best of BRITISH FROM ENGLISH SMELLFIES ALL THE FIELDS TO TO MAKE YOU LATEST FLACONS + SMILE + LAUNCHES editor’s LEttER In this edition of The Scented Letter, we invite you to share in a glorious celebration of our British fragrance heritage. Because even beyond our important role to play in the history of fragrance, Britain is once again becoming a fragrant force to be reckoned with. At the Perfume Society HQ, barely a week goes by without news reaching us of art projects, collaborations and entire new fragrance brands that are completely (and in some cases, literally) home-grown. So we couldn’t be more proud to dedicate an entire edition to all the fragrant excitement on our doorstep. We start with a fascinating timeline of British perfume houses. On p.11-26, Suzy Nightingale shares the story of many of the famous names which illuminate our scented history, from Floris (founded in 1730 and still going strong on Jermyn Street, in London’s St. James’s), right up to today, with perfume houses like Floral Street, Ormonde Jayne and Shay & Blue flying the flag for home-grown scent creativity on the world stage. Meanwhile, down in Dorset’s Tarrant Valley, one new British perfume house is daring to make scents that take us from field to flacon. We’ve all heard about field-to-fork, in food circles; today, Parterre are doing that with fragrance. They’re successfully experimenting with growing, distilling and blending ingredients from their own fields, transforming them into stunning contemporary fragrances in a production facility just a few yards away, while confounding the naysayers who doubted that vetiver (among other crops) could ever be encouraged to flourish on our soils. I paid a visit to this incredibly exciting new venture, and report back on p.28. English Fields also happen to have been the inspiration for Jo Malone London’s latest collection. Tim Walker’s amazing photographs on p.38-41 capture the countryside vibe of the range, with his usual flourish of eccentricity. But what fascinates us, at The Perfume Society, is how English grains – barley, rye, oats and more – have been captured alongside wildflowers in this innovative collection by perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui, who shares the fascinating creative process behind the five scents. And as a bit of fun, do check out this year’s favourite entries to our #smellfie competition. For the past few years on 21st March – National Fragrance Day – we’ve been inviting our perfume-loving followers to post ‘smellfies’ of themselves with a favourite fragrance (or an entire fragrance wardrobe, in some cases). We love, love, love looking at these creative Instagrams and tweets – and we think you’ll enjoy them too, on p.32. Can you see our flags waving, from where you are…? www.perfumesociety.org © natalyon - Fotolia.com. © natalyon The Perfume Society @Perfume_Society ThePerfumeSociety THE scented LEttER 3 CONTRIBUTORS scentedTHE LEttER Darren Scott Victoria Evans Darren is a writer, editor and freelance Victoria is newest to join The Perfume journalist. He’s written for more Society team, helping to curate our EDITOR publications than he cares to shake a Discovery Boxes, picture-researching Josephine Fairley [email protected] stick at. While Editor of Gay Times, he The Scented Letter and running the developed a keen interest in fragrance all-important Customer Service Desk. DESIGNER and beauty, debunking the myth that After a degree in History of Art, Victoria Jenny Semple you can’t teach an old dog new tricks worked as Gallery Manager for The enquiries@jenny by figuring out how to make an old Jerwood Gallery, and as Programme sempledesign.co.uk dog look younger and smell great. Assistant for Turner Contemporary in ADVERTISING MANAGER (And he’s not talking about his pug, Margate. She has a longstanding love Lorna McKay Toby). Darren talks about the many of perfume, beauty and fashion, and in [email protected] things that cross his path on Twitter her spare time runs a vintage store on SENIOR WRITER @darren_scott and Instagram etsy.com, GoldLadyVintage. Follow her Suzy Nightingale @mrdarrenscott on Instagram: @oioivictoria [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Maggie Alderson HEAD OF SOCIAL MEDIA/EVENTS Carson Parkin-Fairley [email protected] HEAD OF MARKETING Jodie Young [email protected] BUYING ASSISTANT Victoria Evans Jodie Young [email protected] Carson Parkin-Fairley Carson – who helped the #smellfie Jodie is our Head of Marketing campaign reach its peak this year – has and Brand Partnerships here at The CONTacT US recently moved to the Kent seaside Perfume Society. After studying for [email protected] c/o The Clubhouse town of Ramsgate (incidentally salty a degree in Fine Art, she went on 8 St James’s Square seaside scents are her favourite). She to work at advertising agencies in London SW1Y 4JU spends her time taking pretty pictures London and then Sydney. She still 07502-258759 of perfume, dashing to launches, likes to dabble in the arts and has and interviewing perfumers. She has her own studio not far from TPS recently taken up smelling everything – office! When she is not meeting with The Scented Letter is a which often delays her boyfriend brands and working on our marketing free online/downloadable magazine for subscribers whilst on long walks – but is essential plans, she can be found running. to The Perfume Society when trying to absorb all the olfactory She just completed her first half delights the world has to offer. Her marathon! Her Instagram name is Instagram is @carsonparkinfairley @jodieleeyoung The Scented Letter is produced for The Perfume Society by Perfume Discovery Ltd. All information and prices are correct at the time of going to press and may no longer be so on the date of publication. © 2017 The Perfume Society All text, graphics and illustrations in The Scented Letter are protected by UK and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission. 4 THE scented LEttER contents OUR FRAGRANT HERITAGE WHEN WE THINK of the great fragrance houses, our minds may wander across the water to France or the sunny climes of Italy (both of whom regularly duke it out – founded 1730 while laying claim to being FLORIS ‘the birthplace of perfumery’). Selling scents for nearly three Rose Geranium, to be sent to her hotel But for the sheer number of centuries, the long-distinguished in Beverly Hills. house of Floris first began in the The original Floris shop still historical perfume houses dreams of one Juan Famenias Floris, stands on Jermyn Street. (A couple still flourishing – and an ever- who bravely sailed from his native of generations ago, fragrances were Minorca to London in 1730. Marrying actually manufactured two floors below burgeoning number of new an English girl, he settled in business street level, in a basement known as a barber on Jermyn Street within as ‘the mine’.) Recently refurbished, perfumers and fledgling niche the fashionable St. James’s area, first the boutique many other intriguing brands, many independently making hair combs and then assuaging artefacts to discover on display, along his homesickness by blending fragrant with a wide wardrobe of perfumes owned – here at The Perfume oils he’d transported from Europe. (both charmingly ‘vintage’ and Society, we wanted to Customers soon took to ordering refreshingly contemporary) to explore. bespoke blends, all recorded in Edward Bodenham – an ancestor of dedicate a large chunk of this leather-bound ledgers, enabling Floris Juan Famenias Floris himself – is the issue to those who continue could re-create them should further current Perfumery Director at Floris, supplies be required in the future – with fragrance clearly in his blood. As Quintessential to fly the flag for British and thus a legend was born. he explains: ‘I feel immensely proud to be part of the family business scent fragrance. Many of those original ledgers, order forms and letters of thanks and to have the opportunity to help Enjoy the understated elegance of are still in existence, preserved introduce our perfume house to a Floris Jermyn Street, the fragrance that by successive generations of the new generation. I have such fond pays homage to their roots – blending This edition of the magazine Floris family, and offering a uniquely memories of visiting the shop from a vetiver and violet with gin-tinged could easily have become an fascinating glimpse of British fragrant young age, and it is very nostalgic for juniper and coriander on a cleanly taste through the ages. Their me to be around the fragrances that I musky base. encyclopaedia. We invite you books boast orders from Admirals have grown up with my whole life. They £120 for 100ml eau de parfum serving under Lord Nelson, Florence really are like old friends to me.’ florislondon.com to explore Britain’s amazing Nightingale, George IV, through to No matter how fascinating or fragrant heritage over the Winston Churchill; in 1820, Floris notable their past, however, no received the first of 16 Royal Warrants perfume house could merely trade following pages – including and retains the title: Perfumers to off their history. So as Edward notes – a quintessential scent HM The Queen Elizabeth II and and new creations like sun-drenched Manufacturers of Toilet Preparations to Oriental Soullé Amber and Honey Oud suggestion for each perfume HRH The Prince of Wales. testify – Floris are ‘always evolving. house that to us, captures And then there was Marilyn We have to be experimental and Monroe.