The Smell of Success
As luxury perfumery, Ormonde Jayne celebrates 20 years in business, The Cheshire Magazine speaks to its Cheshire born founder, Linda Pilkington about the evolution and success of her brand
On November 22nd 2000, perfumer Linda Pilkington registered her British perfume house at Company House in London. Still independently owned by Linda, Ormonde Jayne has grown from creating scented candles on a kitchen table for private clients, to one of the leading niche perfumers with 200 points of sale around the world. Disrupting the world of perfume since its beginning, Ormonde Jayne introduces rare and exquisite ingredients, elevating perfume to an art form. Here Linda sits down with The Cheshire Magazine to discusses her lasting success.
Was there a lightbulb moment to take you from creating scented candles on your kitchen table to registering Ormonde Jayne as a perfume house at Company House and opening your boutique in Mayfair?
I have never been one to market research or make extensive business plans. I tend to be impulsive and Iβm more a βback of the envelopeβ type. When I saw this available space in a gorgeous Victorian arcade with double height window, I saw a great stage that would lend itself perfectly to perfume. It felt so right as a location for my new range of perfumes and my philosophy. From seeing it for the first time to serving our first customer was a matter of a few weeks which was supersonic for retail openings, as it was long before the era of popups!
I had to convince the landlord of the Royal Arcade that I would be an asset to his arcade and would be able to flourish. It wasnβt easy as he was dubious about my lack of previous retail experience in London! The way I convinced him was by arriving in his office clutching my entire collection of scented candles and flacons and showed him I would create a really gorgeous unique perfumery that would benefit the area.
It was certainly an instinct and a vision where I knew I could make an amazing perfumery and thankfully, I turned it into a reality.
You have a close team of employees including family and friends. What are the benefits of working with friends and family?
I am very blessed with a loyal team of 33 employees, some of whom have been with us for 15 years. You canβt do that without good working conditions and I have never treated myself as the taskmaster or the big boss. I have always employed people who I believe can do the job better than myself, so of course I have particular respect and give them a carte blanche. The people that make Ormonde Jayne happen are on the same page and I really appreciate their input.
Although not an employee as such, I have had 100% support from day one from my husband. He is always that other pair of eyes, ears, nose and head. My husband is also an inspirational man on many levels; he is a great cook who conjures up unbelievable dishes cooking by instinct with no recipes. When he wanted his own perfume for his 30th birthday, we made a bespoke perfume together which was the basis for Isfarkand. It had attracted a great deal of attention, and he still gets chased down the street by strangers asking him what he is wearing so always carries a supply of 2mls samples. He has a natural instinct in perfume which compliments my sense of aesthetics.
What are the foundations of Ormonde Jayne?
Translating what I believe to be creative, abstract, unique and appealing ideas into fragrance for our clients, who come from all walks of life. The evidence is seeing people who walked into our boutique in the first weeks returning today to buy the same fragrances, because they return that belief. Although our perfumers are open to everyone, itβs like being part of a special exclusive community and when asked, our clients enjoy recounting that their perfume is bought from a small British handmade perfume house in Mayfair.
Who is a typical Ormonde Jayne wearer?
Itβs impossible to answer because our customers come from all walks of life from all over the world. We can place an Ormonde Jayne flag in every country! We donβt just cater for people from The Middle East or from Europe as we have such a wide variety in our fragrance and ingredient repertoire. We really see all ages from 12 year olds buying their first bottle, to sprightly 94 year olds, but the one thing our customers have in common is that they know a good perfume when they smell one!
We are delighted to count Bryan Ferry, Goldie Hawn, Emma Thompson, Will Smith and others as loyal fans, but even more delighted when I see clients that came into our boutique on the first day, come back each year.
How has Ormonde Jayne evolved in the last 20 years?
On a micro level, itβs a constant evolution because every time we reach the end of a stock item, instead of re-ordering automatically, I think, βcan we do better?β, whether itβs a ribbon or a bottle or the lease on our studio. So, in a very organic way, we are continually upping the anti all the time. For instance, our packaging, is at the very top end of the market and always has been, from the orange linen boxes to the booklet inside the perfume box for our clients to read about their perfume and our philosophy. It gives them something extra and they become part of our brand. People see that when they hold our overcap and open the bottle, feeling the weight and design, and connecting it to our overhead lighting in the boutique which has the identical shape.
There are two aspects that have shaped our evolution by remaining resolutely static though! One is that we have never compromised on quality from day one, there is no point and we would never do it. If itβs not the best of the best and the purest quality available, we wonβt use a second best. The second part of our evolution has been down to remaining privately owned and completely independent. I think I am possibly the only British female perfumer to own their own perfume house after 20 years. It means many things, but essentially it translates as no one else dictating what we can or canβt spend on an oil or pressuring us to release a fragrance when we are not ready.
On a larger level though what started out as one scented candle made for Chanelβs boutique 20 years ago, followed by a dream little boutique in Old Bond Street, has now evolved into 200 points of sale in the worldβs best boutiques, concept stores and department stores. But with all those points of sales, we can still have a personal relationship with each of the store managers, training our staff and I think the secret to that is because we are still privately owned.
What has been your proudest achievement?
I would say greatest achievement is the work life balance; I run a business but for 48 weeks a year, my two young sons see me first thing in the morning and last thing at night and we can sit down to at least a breakfast together. Itβs no mean feat but I did learn to master it fairly early on and I so I would say I am particularly proud of it, and our sons too!
In 2004, I launched Ormonde Man which was the very first ever fine fragrance that contained the ingredient Oudh. No one had heard of it and we would have to spell it out to every beauty editor. Now, itβs a confirmed category and itβs almost mainstream. The other ingredient we introduced was Taβif rose. Until our fragrance Taβif launched in 2005 it was used as an attar in the Middle East but had never been used in a fine fragrance. I travelled to the town of Taβif in 2004, a dusty hot hilltop town in Saudi Arabia, met with the growers and was given mountains of fresh dates. I wanted to create a fragrance with Taβif that also connected its local heritage. Now, many people have heard of Taβif rose and the town and itβs one of our most popular fragrances loved by men and women.
In 2005, I decided to make our entire collection gender free and erase all traces of men and women, with the exception of Ormonde Woman and Ormonde Man. I took that decision after two particular experiences with men choosing two fragrances that had been classified as feminine. It seemed a radical move fifteen years ago as there was no public debate about gender politics. But today, I think itβs seen as forward thinking and almost obvious to refrain from pigeon holing gender with our sense of smell. So, although it wasnβt intended to be an achievement at the time, I am pleased I followed my instinct and ignored the marketing norms of the time.
What do see for the next 20 years?
I would like to see Ormonde Jayne standing the test of time and built upon what we have already achieved. To be present in only the top end boutiques around the world. I would like my brand to exist side by side to the very best market; And ultimately for my family to be healthy and happy.
Philosophy is to look for ingredients not widely used, recently I managed to track down pure gardenia absolute as it is such an elusive ingredient. That suits me down to a tee! I would also like to collaborate my love of food, Gourmande Jayne features on my website, and is another aspect and having the pleasure of eating it afterwards! Ideally, I would like to hook up with chefs and cook for my closest and dearest friends.
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