A few days ago, Olivier David posted a glowing review of a new fragrance on Twitter (X, I know) that he had written for the magazine Nez. I had never heard of the Swiss firm Iroise and trusted his judgment. I emailed them to ask for samples. I got a long and beautifully written email back from owner Julie Barretta explaining her point of view on fragrance. She explains—I paraphrase—that current perfumery is dominated by what perfumes do, i.e., act loud and banal, as opposed to what they intrinsically are, namely mysterious and poetic. She plans to change that.
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