Perfumers Cater to Niche Market

In Vancouver, The Perfume Shoppe, is one of a handful of elite boutiques that does just that. Run by the dizzyingly knowledgeable Nazrin Ladha, The Perfume Shoppe is on a mission to revive an appreciation for the perfumer’s art and the perfume’s rich history.

“There was a time when fragrances were created by perfumers… artists,” says Ladha, “not directed by some celebrity who puts their names on it as a form of self promotion. Perfumes were an industry that once catered to the wealthy elitewhere luxury wasn’y an ‘It’ bag, but a lifestyle. People had a signature scent, which they would wear for years, that defined who they were.”

Ladha hand picks every fragrance she sells. Her clients, she says, demand no less than the creme de la creme of the worlds fragrances. “My clients are those who have given up on department store brands or on fragrances altogether, because they either don’t like the quality they offer, or don’t want to smell the same as everyone else. [Luxury brand's aren't] what they used to be. They keep the name, but not the quality. All the fragrances in the big department stores all smell the same.”

Unlike the perfume counters in most department stores, The Perfume Shoppe‘s selection tends towards the exclusively obscure. Private labels by some of the most respected names in the industry line Ladha’s shelves, including Serge Lutens, Parfumerie Generale, amd L’Artisan Parfumeur.