I remember catching a scent on my uncle and immediately wanted to smell as good. He got me the same one for my 13th birthday. For a time, I would never leave home without it and became very conscious of how I smelled. This little bottle of smelly water gave me a new found confidence. The walking around, with shoulders back and head up kind of walking.

Over time, this developed in to owning better scents and expanding in to an obsession with anything scented, whether it be candles, diffusers, deodorant - I have even tried heavily perfumed laundry detergent.

Over the last few years, my collection grew exponentially as I fell in to the rabbit hole of online reviewers and niche perfume houses. A friend did once say "your bedroom reminds me of Heathrow duty free" which I took more pride than shame in.

As my interest grew, I began experimenting with layering fragrances to make something completely unique. But I wanted to learn more, to actually understand how perfumes were made, how notes were chosen, and what made certain scents last longer than others.

I became obsessed, to the point where I’d fall asleep watching YouTube videos by Sam Macer, an online perfumer. Around that time, I noticed a few influencers releasing their own perfumes and wanted to give it a go. I started reaching out to perfumers who might be willing to support, and eventually, after a bit of persuasion, one agreed to help me.

Whenever I tried to describe a scent to someone, I never just listed notes. I told stories. “What does it smell like? Well imagine you’re at The Savoy having afternoon tea, kind of like that.” It always came naturally to connect scent to a moment, a place, or a feeling.

So when it came to creating my own, it made sense to build them around those same kinds of moments.That’s how Archives of a Storyteller was born.

The name came from my love of storytelling, whether it’s performing on stage in musicals, doing close up magic, or teaching. For me, storytelling has always been at the heart of everything I do. These fragrances are stories taken from the archive, moments captured in scent form. (I originally wanted to call it Memoirs, but someone had already taken it.)

When thinking about what I liked to wear, I realised that many of my favourites were traditionally marketed as feminine. I’ve always been confused, and a bit frustrated, by the idea that fragrance can belong to just one gender. Obviously, scents can lean one way or another, but for me, if I like it, i'll wear it. You won’t find black bottles with bold lettering or pink ones with bows here. This isn’t about chasing trends or creating overblown marketing stories. It’s about creating something that feels human.

Each fragrance is built around a real feeling or memory, to really try and mean something.

There is so much negativity in the cosmetic and beauty space. The use of harmful ingredients not only to health, but the environment too. It was important to me that we avoided that. Archives will only use ethically sourced ingredients which are cruelty free.I’d love to say “always small batch” because it sounds artisanal, and it is, but honestly, it’s also because making perfume is far more expensive than I imagined. Producing in small batches lets me keep things personal and focus on quality, not scale.

At its core, Archives of a Storyteller is about capturing moments. Bottling those short stories and allowing whoever wears them to finish them off in their own way.

Every scent tells a story, but more importantly, it lets you tell yours.

Welcome to Archives of a Storyteller.

This is personal. This is the archive.

Thanks for coming along.

- Aaron