It is not easy for a fragrance house to live up to a moniker like L’Artisan (the artisan). It is, after all, once of those names that brings with it expectations of unwavering dedication and an unfettered love for olfactory craftsmanship. So the fact that L’Artisan Parfumeur has managed to keep the brand synonymous with quality and creativity for nearly 40 years is really quite an achievement indeed. The secret, it seems, is staying true to the vision that was dreamed up by its founder — perfumer-chemist Jean Laporte — when he established L’Artisan in 1976. Laporte, who was one of the first perfumers to offer niche scents, wanted to pay tribute to traditional fragrance-making know-how but interpreted in a modern, innovative way and using, of course, only the very best ingredients.

Throughout the decades, L’Artisan has done precisely that and now boasts an historical library of scents that are pure and authentic yet creative and bold enough to stand the test of time. The iconic Mûre et Musc fragrance, for instance, was created in 1978 and yet the blackberry and musk scent remains one of the brand’s bestsellers. Bright yet rich and warm at the same time, it is an intriguing creation that encapsulates within it all that L’Artisan stands for. In 1993, a reinterpretation of the scent was created (with stronger hints of blackberry). Titled Mûre et Musc Extrême, it forms the basis of one of L’Artisan’s most innovative creations to date — a limited-edition run of scented leather gloves (launched in Autumn 2012). The gloves are realised through the soaking of the leather for four hours in oils and a special Mûre et Musc Extrême concentrate, the idea a throwback to the days where perfumers were also tanners. A modern concept with its roots in history, the scented gloves prove that L’Artisan can effectively work between the lines of past and present and illustrates just why it remains one of the most relevant and respected fragrance labels today.