A scent of a story

We often talk about the stories customers can tell about our clients brands. And recently we’ve discovered a little retail experience in Redchurch street that we’ve been dining off for weeks now!

It’s called Le Labo and its an Agender perfumery shop, no bigger than 500sqft. From the street it just looks like another shop, very beautifully designed in an urban-cool sense, but nothing to stop you dead.

Inside, on first glance, much the same. Polished concrete, raw steel, Georgian glass and wonderful visual merchandising. But the surprise comes when you engage with a member of staff.

“There are ten perfumes, all Agender, and they range from very light and fresh scents on the left, going through to heavier, musky scents on the right. Once you have chosen the scent that you like, let me know, chose a bottle size and I’ll make it up for you”.

“I’m sorry, did you say make it up for me?”

“That’s right.”

And as cool as you like, she walks off.

Now it’s worth mentioning that I’m not big in to perfumes. There are so many out there and the thought of wandering in to a perfume hall and playing lotto with big brands that give promise of a more perfect me just because I wear their perfume, sends me in to a spin.

However, here’s a simple ‘scale’ of smells that you can understand and then they’ll make it right in front of me.

Once I’d chosen (Bergamonte), the technician opens a huge fridge, pulls out several brown, medicinal bottles and with scientific precision measures dosages and mixes my perfume. I can then customise my label, it gets boxed up and I’m good to go!

“Don’t use it for 5 days as the perfume needs to go through the macerate process to bond together. After that, you’re away!”

An incredible experience that saw me buy perfume for the first time in over 10 years. Why? It was simple to chose and amazing to watch as something was created for me.

Now that’s a real status story.