A passion for colour and fragrance
Colour has always been a source of inspiration for me, drawing me to vibrant hues that express my personality. In previous roles, where black workwear was the norm, I often longed to wear my favourite pink dresses. This passion for bold, lively colours is at the heart of LORDS Fragrance House. I wanted to break away from the traditional aesthetics of the luxury scent world and create something unique, vibrant, and full of life.
LORDS Fragrance House is a family affair, with a strong connection to The Aroma Company, led by none other than my mother—a powerful and influential figure in both my personal and professional life. Together, we manage both businesses from our Oxfordshire office, where we balance creativity and business in perfect harmony.
And of course, no day is complete without the presence of our beloved office mascot, Khutzey, who keeps us company as we bring our passion for fragrance to life.
I’d been designing scents for companies and other people for years then when covid hit I finally had the time and energy to realise my own ideas. It was a creative outlet after a tough time personally and an opportunity to merge my love of nature and travel with my passion to craft something different and unique in home fragrances. I collaborate with a team of passionate experts to craft my luxurious, vegan collections and our combined mission is to enrich interiors and bring happiness and colour into your life.
Our USP is that our scents are completely ours. They are British made, designed by us and inspired by my own personal memories of best loved destinations during my travels around the world. We pride ourselves on being a brand that offers natural and beautiful scents but not in the neutrals and monochrome packaging that you usually find in home fragrances. I’m someone who immerses themselves in colour, so my collections are designed to be bright and joyful. With the branding, the pink is all me, and the green represents the wonder of nature. I felt it was important to have colourful twists that stand out and ‘pop’ in homes and happy places.
The basis of the design process for our scents stems from reliving my incredible experiences and trips and being inspired by nature. Fragrance has such a powerful link to memories and can instantly take you somewhere. We want to offer people that escapism through the essence of those destinations. I’m also all about female empowerment, so, I’ve partnered with a few of the incredibly talented women I’ve met on my journey. Where our businesses have aligned, we have created beautiful products together – the Colour Emporium, Piece of the Peach Designs, Charlotte Manser ceramics.
You have to be committed to being as sustainable as possible but that is not always easy. At LORDS we make all our collections in house, and I’m involved in everything, with my ethical eye! We only source from UK suppliers that ensure transparency across their businesses and use recyclable FSC certified packaging and glass vessels. We feel by actively encouraging reuse of our products and offering an incentivised refill service through our glass recycling program, we are moving in a planet positive direction.
Nature has always inspired me, and moments in life like walking the dog through the countryside or seeing the sun hit the ground after it’s been raining are smaller everyday inspirations and precious times to be appreciated.
It has to be creating a brand that has my family name on it. We were so excited when we first saw the products and when they were stocked in a store for the first time. Also, when I applied for a ‘pop up’ space in John Lewis over the Christmas period it was such a great feeling when they said yes. It felt so good that this known and trusted retailer wanted our LORDS collections in their storeI
We have just launched our new Glencoe home scent which is inspired by my holiday hiking the pap of Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands. I’ve captured the essence of this magical place known for its natural waterfalls and where I have wonderful memories of climbing the peak trails. And every day ended in a cozy bothy with a crackling fire and a warming drink in my hand. I chose a unique combination of natural ingredients so that anyone who smells it will be transported instantly to that place of wild beauty. Scottish pine, honey, heather, tobacco leaf, and patchouli, blend with undertones of tonka bean, vetiver, and cedarwood, to create this cosiest of amber smoke scents. So, light the natural wax candle, diffuse the reeds and allow the aroma to take you there!
No not really. We try not to follow trends but stay true to what we believe in and what we think will bring a touch of fragrant happiness into people’s lives.
Anyone who appreciates incredible scents! It’s all about enhancing people’s lives and bringing a dollop of dopamine to brighten their everyday. We bring colour and humour to our marketing and communications, and I’m very much involved in the social content for authentic brand story telling. One thing I’ve realised through building my brand is that you have to stay true to what you feel is right and be as honest and open as possible.
I love being in control of my own destiny and what we are creating. My enjoyment comes from seeing people experience and enjoy our scents and knowing that we are creating luxurious and ethical products that make their day a little better.
Just do it! Stay true to why you first started your business and don’t get side tracked by other peoples’ views and comments. Believe in your choices and vision and listen to your gut. There will be difficult days, but you will get through by leaning on trusted and supportive people in your life. So be bold, take chances and don’t be afraid to ask for help, you can’t always do it alone.
