Story of the brand: The brand was developed on whim of a challenge. Jean Laporte and his friends were invited to attend a gala at the Folies Bergères, a cabaret music hall in the 9th district of Paris.
It was a costume party where he was going to be dressed as a banana and was challenged by his friend to create a banana scent to match the outfit.
The perfume in the end was not a success, but instead the idea of mixing fruits and flowers was brought to light. After developing a signature line of fragrances that were a success, “Jean Laporte was named L’Artisan Parfumeur – the craftsman of fragrance – by perfume enthusiasts” and the brand was born.
It was officially established in 1976. This banana scent was also recently reinterpreted in 2019, by a modern perfumer named Celine Ellena, and we now have “Bana Banana” with
Top notes: Violet leaf, mace, pepper
Heart notes: Banana flower, iris, jasmine
Base notes: Amber, tonka, musk
“The fragrances take you on a journey of exploration, one that fuses the careful craft of man with the beauty of nature,” while the bottles are inspired by the apothecary den with a grey-ish appearance in the glass color. The brand was bought by Puig, a luxury conglomerate, in 2015 and now instead of one nose, there are many noses that are outsourced to create fragrances for the brand. This is again where the lines of niche get a bit blurry in the industry.
Today, L'Artisan Parfumeur continues to push the boundaries of perfumery, collaborating with a diverse array of noses to create fragrances that captivate the senses and defy convention. While the lines between niche and mainstream may blur, one thing is certain - the spirit of ingenuity that sparked L'Artisan Parfumeur's banana-scented beginnings continues to inspire and delight fragrance enthusiasts around the world.
***photos and quote references are taken from the official website of L'Artisan Parfumeur