A former professional basketball player seems an unlikely choice for an olfactory star. And yet, you’d be hard-pressed to find a fashion insider who doesn’t name-check Ben Gorham’s Byredo perfume as a favorite. He’s got collaborations with Acne and the painfully cool magazine, Fantastic Man, under his belt and has become a go-to for fragrance lovers who are craving a bit of the unexpected. That’s an impressive feat considering that he only launched his brand three years ago.
Each of his cleanly packaged perfumes, body washes, lotions and candles are inspired by a significant personal memory. “One of my earliest was the way my father smelled. And what I tried to do with Byredo was identify my scent memories with a collective experience. I think many people have a memory of their father or mother through smell in some way,” he explains. “I’m trying to translate emotions and feelings into smell.”
So far, his approach is working. His brand has been closely associated with Stockholm’s current renaissance, which includes Acne and Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair. “It’s a group of people who understand the traditional aspect of Swedish design and choose to take it a step further,” he says. “I think the aesthetics of what some of the other brands do is very different from mine, but the ambition is the same. We’ve learned from our big brother brands like Ikea and H&M that we can translate what we do globally.”
I really love their Pulp fragrance. Sweet and fruity, which normally isn’t my bag at all but although it’s a powerful smell (lasts for absolutely ages!), it’s not sickly. I cam dreading the day i run out – don’t even know where in London it’s stocked!
Hi J,
I have a bottle of Pulp too. I agree with you on the powerful but not sickly point. There’s a Byredo counter at Liberty of London fyi and I believe the brand’s web site should have a complete list of stockists.
All the best,
Kenya