As a huge fragrance fanatic, I was lucky enough to be invited to meet and experience something unique from a House that I have admired and loved for years. I first discovered Creed in my teenage years and was instantly blown away by the incredible power of their scents. I was hooked from the first encounter. Ever since then I have been in fascinated by the range of the brand, which has hundreds of years of history and heritage, discovering new scents every time I would visit a department store.
Many now know Creed Fragrances as a household name due to the incredible popularity of their flagship scent, Aventus, which launched in 2010. The fragrance was launched as a landmark celebration of the House of Creed, to mark 250 years of excellence and shattered all conceptions of a modern masculine scent, winning numerous awards and even being crowned ‘Best Ever Men’s Fragrance award in 2013 from respected fragrance editorial, Basenotes.
My love affair began with my first bottle and I have been hooked ever since, so when the brand kindly reached out to me after years of being a fan, I was blown away by the gesture, an ultimate dream turning into reality.
The Exclusive Creed Boutique
I headed to one of London’s most exclusive shopping district’s, Mayfair, to experience a Bespoke one-to-one fragrance consultation and to choose the perfect profile and scent for me. It doesn’t get much better!
The Creed Boutique invited me to experience a truly exceptional, hand-blended fragrance tour and to explore the history of Creed, which dates back to 1760. Following the Covid-19 lockdown, the iconic boutique has reopened following a temporary closure, with reduced opening hours and extra safety precautions in place to ensure my visit was both comfortable and enjoyable.
The Creed boutique at 99 Mount Street, Mayfair, offers a sensorial experience within opulent settings, where in-store services include private consultations, a new pick-up and pay service and a bespoke fragrance monogramming service.
Arriving at the boutique I was kindly greeted by ultimate fragrance connoisseur and boutique Manager, Adrian, who has over 15 years of knowledge and wisdom within the industry. Let me tell you, Adrian is some guy! He is one of the most clued-up gentlemen and experts on fragrances I have ever met. I instantly felt comfortable and welcome as he guided me through the boutique and through the luxurious consultation suite.
Designed by architect Can Onaner, the Boutique is set across two floors, showcasing sumptuous interiors inspired by the avant-garde creative of Adolf Loos. The lower ground floor feels like a secret annex in a private members’ club, further adding to the allure and excitement of this iconic fragrance brand.
The History Of Creed
Upon sitting down with Adrian, we jumped right into the history of the brand, I wanted to know more.
The brand’s unique story began in 1760 when a pair of scented leather gloves were delivered to King George III. Founded by Henry James Creed the Parisian house has been creating fragrances for over 260 years.
To add a touch of British history, Queen Victoria – George III’s granddaughter – appointed Creed as an official supplier to the Royal Household. The still family-owned business is now run by Olivier Creed and son, Erwin Creed – as the slogan goes, From Father to Son, since 1760.
The Art Of ‘Millesime’
Continuing on the luxury, Creed Mayfair boutique opened over three years ago. The space invites guests to explore the history of Creed which, since 1760, has been synonymous with the highest-quality hand-blended fragrances, fusing historical family techniques with innovation. The term ‘millésime’ is used by Creed to represent the highest quality ingredients, resulting in a unique fragrance concentration.
The magic of Creed is in the unique care and quality taken to make each individual fragrance, known as Millesime quality. The word “Millesime” comes from the world of wine, translating from the French to mean a great vintage. In the wine industry, a vintage wine refers to a particular year and place from which the quality of wine was superb.
Creed pride themselves in using only the best quality ingredients in their perfume creations that are high in natural oils. One of the unique joys of a perfume which is high in natural oils is that while the quality always remains 100%, the accents of the scent will vary bewitchingly with every vintage.
The perfume becomes a living entity, as animated and arbitrary as any of its wearers. Each harvest will yield flowers of a slightly varying fragrance depending on hours of sunshine and rainfall.
With Creed fragrances the finished Millesime perfume will always follow the same identical formula, but also breathe out an individual signature, just as a precious wine will vary subtly from year to year. Here is the magical mystery and sophistication at the heart of Creed.
Finding My Scent – The Creed Experience
The beautiful scents instantly filled the air as walked down the stairs to this lovely exclusive consultation lounge.
Aesthetically chic with a heritage feel, the room exhibits the history of the fragrance house and where the brand started in a tasteful non-cliche way.
Mr Creed himself Adrian, instantly enhanced the experience by finding out what exact fragrance I had in mind, and what I traditionally wear. I wanted something, bold, strong and masculine. As the seasons have begun to change and summer transitions to Autumn I wanted something to reflect this. Luckily Adrian assured me that he had me covered! I knew I was in for an exciting morning, filled with fragrance knowledge.
Upon taking a seat on the plush sofas, I was instantly drawn to all the luxurious bottles lined up, in various shapes, colours and sizes, all rich in opulent colour.
Offering the ultimate sensorial experience for fragrance aficionados, the Boutique beautifully exhibits an impressive library of Creed’s adored scents, married with immaculate customer service in the most opulent settings.
Creating impressions of structure, symmetry and infinite space, the myriad of lights amplify the geometry of the exquisite taupe and white marbled floors, laid by Parisian artisan stonemasons, the Boutique matches the luxury of the scents on offer.
The Process
Once a number of fragrances were sprayed onto individual cards, Adrian took me through the profile of each Creed fragrance in great detail, discovering the notes, profile and depth.
The private consultation is not about telling you what to buy, but a way of discovering it for yourself. Adrian let me take me my time to full immerse myself in each powerful scent and decide if it was right for me. Once I had sampled all the process of narrowing down and eliminating from the selection began, not easy when you truly love every Creed scent and discovered new favourites!
Scent is so specific and subjective, it can often be influenced by everything from the the look of the bottle and even your own preconceptions. Adrian helped to strip all that away during our unique consultation process, challenging me to find out what you really like, not just what I thought I liked.
Once I had my final selections, I was encouraged to close my eyes and do a ‘blind test’. This was my favourite part of the process, really taking in every note and getting lost in the complexity and craftsmanship that has gone into each bottle. The experience not only changed my mind, but challenged my ways and expanding scent horizons.
Liquid Gold – Ambergris
Also known as liquid gold, Ambergris is formed from a secretion of the bile duct in the intestines of the sperm whale and can be found floating on the sea or washed up on the coast. It is also sometimes found in the abdomens of dead sperm whales. Because the beaks of giant squids have been discovered within lumps of ambergris, scientists have theorised that the substance is produced by the whale’s gastrointestinal tract to ease the passage of hard, sharp objects that it may have eaten. The sperm whale usually vomits these, but if one travels further down the gut, it will be covered in ambergris.
It truly is the unique part of creating a fragrance, it’s usually the oddest and disgusting raw material that creates the most amazing scents.
Musk a well known raw material used in fragrance is actually a name originally given to a substance with a penetrating odour obtained from a gland of the male musk deer and is now synthetically created.
The Ultimate Experience
Once the test was over, it was time to make my decision and pick the profile for me, I was delighted with my final choice.
My scent was then personalised with my name on it and packed to perfection, the final touch of class.
Adrian encouraged me with some final tips and wisdom to take away with me.
Put your fragrance on, warm damp skin. This will last longer on the skin as the pores are more open. After the shower or bath is perfect, once your towel dried. This is why perfume smells amazing on holiday or in warmer climates.
A fragrance can give people an opinion of you and leave a lasting memory associated with that scent, that’s why finding a niche fragrance for you is so important and why this entire process is incredible value.
I would highly recommend this service for anyone looking to learn more about fragrance and finding a scent for you that’s not just something everyone is wearing on a day to day basis. Finding the right fragrance takes time and having an expert to guide you is so much easier and also a lovely way to spend your morning or afternoon.
I’m eternally grateful to Creed for inviting me to be part of the family and to experience this service, educating me on the magic of their incredible brand.
To book an appointment contact the boutique on the website here: https://www.creedfragrances.co.uk/boutique
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