Using the historical cargoes of British ships as its key notes, Vi Et Armis recalls the words of George Bernard Shaw: “Emotional excitement reaches men through Tea, Tobacco, Opium, Whisky and religion”
Paradoxical and challenging; singular and narcotic
Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes; Nothing of him that doth fade, But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange – Ariels Song
Broadly taking its inspiration from The Tempest (in which Shakespeare conjures images of violent weather, shipwrecks and magical islands), the chief theme of ‘Fathom V’ is a phrase gleaned from “Ariel’s Song” within the play
‘Sea-Change’, which we now have come to understand as ‘a transformation’ or ‘metamorphosis’ first appeared in the play and has now passed into common usage. The eternally changing state of the sea – in constant flux between calm and wild – is our departure point here, explored though the use of seemingly contradictory raw materials in ‘overdosed’ concentrations: Salt meets earth, sparkling herbals blend with dark mosses, bright floral notes meet intense dark spices and pepper
By contrasting the above and below, light and shade, we imagine the shifting state of the sea: its intensity – the allure of its dark depths
Coeur De Noir considers the relationship between the sea and the art it has inspired
Pen and ink drawings of yachts, old libraries of nautical fiction and tattoos are all referenced here in this warm, dark fragrance
Accords of Black Ink dominate; west Indian spiced rum; papers lost and found; the familiar dry accords of leather bound books balanced with warm enigmatic notes of vanilla pipe tobacco. All finely based around a dark heart of birch tar and labdanum
‘REVENANTS’ presents a collection of olfactory impressions of figures from Britain’s past. Characters from our history whose presence lingers, subtly
In 1751 the novelist Henry Fielding proclaimed that ‘Gin-shops are undoubtedly the Nurseries of all manner of Vice and Wickedness.’ Seeking to illustrate this downfall of public virtue, between 1732-34 the English artist William Hogarth published eight canvases depicting A Rake’s Progress. One of Hogarth’s most infamous works, the protagonist Tom Rakewell’s ruin is depicted by his exposure to high living, prostitutes and gambling
Inspired by these Hogarth’s scenes of degeneracy within the Georgian metropolis we revive their spirit in Rake & Ruin – a fragrance capturing an evening in a tavern, where gin flows, good times are had, and the slide begins…
This powerful eau de parfum (30% concentration) features the botanical ingredients of the drinks that filled the glasses, the dark woods of the floors on which they were spilt and animalic allusions to the debauched deeds that took place between them
Inspired by the innovative use of materials that allowed 18th Century clockmakers to construct the first accurate marine chronometers, Lignum Vitae combines elements of wood, metal and salt to produce a truly unique, transportive fragrance
In combining unexpected and exotic raw materials, we celebrate the innovative spirit which brought to an end the search for lost time, and permitted the safe passage of ships across the world
TOP NOTES
black pepper / pepper tree berry oil / madeleine cake accord
HEART NOTES
juniperberry / ginger / lime
BASE NOTES
lignum vitae wood accord / buttery accord / sea salt accord
Revenants Vol III – Terror & Magnificence takes its inspiration from the works of architect Nicholas Hawksmoor (1661- 1736) whose foreboding structures puncture London’s landscape
Hawksmoor – referred to as ‘the Devil’s architect’ – continues to provoke interest for his distinctive churches, which introduced elements of Egyptology into traditional ecclesiastical settings. These curious architectural details and his recent reputation as a Freemason has prompted speculation that occult symbolism influenced his methods, and imbued his designs with an inherent ‘terror and magnificence’
TOP NOTES
saffron / black pepper / birch tar
HEART NOTES
somalian incense / tobacco absolute / kyphi accord / papyrus
‘REVENANTS’ presents a collection of olfactory impressions of figures from Britain’s past. Characters from our history whose presence lingers, subtly
In 1751 the novelist Henry Fielding proclaimed that ‘Gin-shops are undoubtedly the Nurseries of all manner of Vice and Wickedness.’ Seeking to illustrate this downfall of public virtue, between 1732-34 the English artist William Hogarth published eight canvases depicting A Rake’s Progress. One of Hogarth’s most infamous works, the protagonist Tom Rakewell’s ruin is depicted by his exposure to high living, prostitutes and gambling
Inspired by these Hogarth’s scenes of degeneracy within the Georgian metropolis we revive their spirit in Rake & Ruin – a fragrance capturing an evening in a tavern, where gin flows, good times are had, and the slide begins…
This powerful eau de parfum (30% concentration) features the botanical ingredients of the drinks that filled the glasses, the dark woods of the floors on which they were spilt and animalic allusions to the debauched deeds that took place between them
