Le Labo is one of the OGs of niche perfume brands. Back in 2006, long before department stores were full of quirky, beautifully presented collections of sometimes challenging fragrances, this NY-based company opened its first boutique in NoLiTa, and Graham still remembers visiting the shabby-chic apothecary-style store and treating himself to a bottle of Santal 33 with his name printed on the label.
Twenty years later, Le Labo are still one of our favourites, Graham now favouring Poivre 23 and Robin known to love a spray or two of Fleur D’Oranger 27 (the number, by the way, refers to the number of ingredients). We also love a coffee table book, so we were delighted when a copy of ‘Le Labo: The Essence of Slow Perfumery’ landed, heavily, on our doorsteps.
A book about fragrance is a rather challenging concept: after all, short of making a Scratch ’n’ Sniff edition, the central sensory element is missing. But this 551-page tome uses personal essays, beautiful photographs and some lovely stories to evoke just what it is that makes Le Labo special.
It also looks the part, beautifully bound in signature natural colours, so expect to see it on the shelves of many a stylish home, perhaps with one of the brand’s candles wafting the scent of Figue 15 at its side.
Available in selected stores and online here.
