Violet
Violet is a French perfumery founded in 1827 by François-Étienne Violet. A holder of several patents including one for thridace soap, the fragrance house received many awards until it went into administration in 1955. It was resurrected in 2017 by three young fragrance enthusiasts, keen to combine the history of the house with their modern visions of perfumery; the classic with the avant-garde.
From 1857 Violet was an official supplier of the Empress Eugenie and Queen Isabel II of Spain. This status allowed the house to use the royal emblem as their trademark: the bee. In order to certify the authenticity, Violet affixed this imperial symbol to each product. The bee lives on throughout the company’s revitalisation in honour of its history.
The company was listed on the French stock market in 1885 and began trading globally, including in the United States under the name Veolay. After many years of growth, Violet experienced a downturn following various world wars and world financial crises of the mid 1900s. It officially ceased trading in 1955.
Victorien Sirot, Paul Richardot and Anthony Toulemonde met while studying perfumery at Ecole Supérieure du Parfum in Paris. Enamoured by the rich and expressive accents of vintage fragrance, the trio decided together to resurrect Violet – a centuries-old lost gem. Their profiles, although different, are driven by the same passion for perfume and history. They have produced a number of scents that balance the depth of vintage fragrance with a sparkling modernity.