For those of you who have even a passing interest in perfume, the Barnes Fragrance Fair is quickly becoming The Unmissable Perfume Event of The Year. It’s the Glastonbury of Good Smells, The Crufts of the perfume world, The Chelsea Flower Show of niche perfumery. It’s an affordable UK version of Milan’s Esxence, a stone’s throw from the banks of the Thames. Set on the Barnes Village Green in a church hall and set out like a terribly British church fete (yes there was even a raffle), Barnes Fragrance Fair has rocketed since its humble beginnings just three years ago. Conceived by Amanda Carr of We Wear Perfume, just one of her many, many fragrant hats, the event is an opportunity for UK niche and or/independent perfumers to meet the eager noses of perfume lovers old and new from near and far. My trusty accomplice and enabler Lisa Jones and I travelled from South Wales for it and je ne regrette rien.
When we arrived, following our noses from the car, there was a sun-drenched lavender stand from Castle Farm Lavender in Kent. Since my dress was lavender coloured, I was happy to snap a few Kodak moments before buying several pretty lavender bags. You just don’t see enough of them these days.
The first indoor stand we saw was 4160 Tuesdays, with a lovely pile of The Perfume Companion books ready to sell, which I co-authored with Sarah McCartney. The big news from Team Tuesdays was the launch of Sarah’s latest creation, Vianne’s Confession, made in collaboration with author and perfume enthusiast, Joanne Harris to coincide with her prequel to Chocolat, Vianne. More of this anon.
Moving on, we saw Nick Gilbert and Pia Long of Olfiction, showcasing their Boujee Bougies and Eau de Boujee collection. Their most recent launch, Infleurno, is a real stop-in-your tracks-beauty. This dynamic duo are a joy to know and create beautiful fragrances for many global brands and unique, high quality candles.
I was thrilled to see my fellow compatriot all the way from Wales, Louise Smith of Wales Perfumery and her husband, Kenton. I’ve reviewed Louise’s fragrances here, so check them out and be transported to Wales’ beautiful coast, skies and countryside. Later on, I was pleased to see her stand swamped with sniffers and new fans.
I stopped for a chat at Perfino, founded by Kim Brookes, who has imagined a new way of wearing fragrance, close to skin but not on the skin. Infusing permeable balls with scented oils, each pendant hangs on a gold or silver chain. Check them out here.
A perfumer I’d always wanted to meet is Nancy Meiland and at Barnes, our paths finally crossed. Nancy talked me through her beautiful collection and I fell in love with Rosier, which I plan to explore further.
Kingdom Scotland is a house fairly new to me, and you can read my recent impressions here. I was pleased to meet founder Imogen Russon-Taylor, who surprisingly, did not have a Scottish accent, though her love for Scotland is exemplified by her beautiful fragrances. She shared with me a sneak preview of the next launch coming around September. Trust me when I tell it will be worth seeking out, especially as it contains an ingredient that may surprise you. It certainly surprised me, but Oh Boy! It really works.
Nick Steward of Gallivant is a regular at Barnes and it took me a while to get to him, so surrounded was he by the snifferati. Eventually, there was a gap in the crowd and we managed to catch up. Nick has some exciting Middle-Eastern inspired launches coming out this year and I hope you will like them as much as I did.
“The last deodorant you’ll ever buy” is the intriguing, (and slightly menacing?) soundbite from ROLLR. In beautiful glass bottles with semi-precious rollers, this everlasting deodorant roll-on is empty for you to refill with their sachets- to which you add water and give a little shake.
I was tempted, but I was on a No Buy promise… Until I saw the multi pack of Nesti Dante soaps at the Fiole stand, that is. I’m a soap fanatic, so you can keep your shower gels. It was nice to catch up with Sam from Fiole and also to see a selection of Le Jardin Retrouvé fragrances from my chums in Paris, Michel and Clara.
I stopped, like a butterfly visiting a flower,at the RNDL stand. I was tempted to call it Randle, but don’t, because it’s Arr-Enn-Dee-Ell. This is a new brand to me and I enjoyed their beautiful candles, especially the artwork ones, alighting on Dinner Party for its beautiful painting on ceramic. Obviously I didn’t light any, but if a candle has a good cold throw (unlit), it’s always a good sign of quality.
I had loosely arranged to meet Jay Patel, founder and perfumer at Shloksha. By loosely, I had told him what I would be wearing and that I was short with red hair. He found me, introduced himself, and we went outside for a quick catch up, this being our first face to face having been sporadic pen pals over the last few months. Shloksha is an innovative, no frills brand and the fragrances speak for themselves. I wish Jay lots of luck but I doubt he’ll need it. His perfumes are fabulous. I’ve yet to dislike one. Read my Shloksha review here.
As I was taking to Jay, who should appear but Jo Fairley of The Perfume Society, The Scented Letter, The Beauty Bible and co-founder of Green and Blacks, with her fellow co-founder and pioneer, husband Craig Sams. We had time for a mini catch up and a few photos. I was jealous of Jo’s leopard print frock, but hid my jealousy well. Jo has more Jasmine Awards than I have rooms in my house.
Breezing though, like a majestic ship in full sail, I just caught a photo op with glamourpuss, writer and smellfie inventor, Suzy Nightingale, with her partner in crime, Nicola Bonn, both of the award winning On The Scent podcast. Suzy is warm, friendly and her perfume knowledge needs its own planet.
Passing back through as the parking meter tick tocked away, I managed to catch Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays with my butterfly net. Barnes is a very busy day for Sarah, which makes it no different to any other day for her. We had about 30 seconds together and I will go back for more later in the year when we have time for a cuppa and a sniffalong. It’s always great to see her and her husband Nick.
Shout out to PR maven Sharon Whiting who gave me a press pass. It was like Christmas and it made me feel like a mover and shaker. I hope to see some of you there next year, although I’ve a feeling we’re going to need a bigger boat.
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