Its a happy coincidence that as I write this post, it also happens to be National Fragrance Week! What better way to celebrate than sharing some love for a small British perfume company who are building something that’s truly marvellous.
I love an enticing brand and Ffern are a company that are masters at brand storytelling, have designed a visually stunning look with evocative imagery and compelling language, and have marketed themselves exceptionally so that they stand out amongst an oversaturated market. Engagement is also encouraged through their standout seasonal podcast ‘As the Season Turns’ hosted by nature writer Lia Leendertz (you may have seen her Seasonal Almanac) which produces episodes at the start of each month and act as a guide for what to look out for over the coming weeks, helping to encourage further connection to the world around us and feel more aligned to the rhythms of each season. As my own mother put it at the weekend, they make you want to support them.
They are an organic perfumers based in Somerset, who release small batch seasonal perfumes four times a year - in line with the equinox and solstices. Just from that sentence alone you can probably tell why I am so taken with them - receiving each bottle has become a real seasonal treat whose delivery I eagerly anticipate (alongside de Mamiel, about which I’ll share another time). You have to be on ‘the ledger’ to gain access to each blend, and it works as a subscription model.
Ffern are rather clever in how they ensure that you both enjoy the bottle of perfume but also minimise waste - you are sent your box which includes a small sample vial which you spray first. Its only once you’ve given that a good sniff (and given time for the scent to settle) and considered whether this is a scent for you that you then open the main box. If its not for you then you send the main, untampered box back, and a full refund will be credited to your account which will go towards your next bottle. I have to say that I have had three seasons from Ffern (Autumn 23, Winter 24 and Spring 24) and it has been 3/3 so far, so I can’t imagine many bottles get returned. Each blend has been exceptional and I have a very picky nose!
Excellent perfume and excellent branding & marketing aside though, Ffern have also created an amazing customer experience. You always get a little extra gift in the box for you to keep -for Spring it has been a packet of rhubarb seeds, inspired by the fresh rhubarb scent of this seasons perfume. They have also included an info sheet which features a beautiful piece of artwork made by an independent artist - plus a little ceramic diffuser stone which always gets sprayed liberally and deposited straight into my sock drawer.
You only need to take a look at their instagram account to see for yourself not just the attention to detail and style in how they curate their seasonal collections - which often include interesting films and documentaries related to their scents for that season - but also the genuine appreciation from customers upon receiving their packages. Everything works together to make for a really special customer experience, which keeps you on ‘the ledger’ for the next season!
I could wax poetic over how they write their copy too - so inspirational and has a tone that totally appeals to me. I absolutely love evocative copy and they have really mastered their storytelling. Maybe its not for everyone but this is a style that I totally respond to and they have got me hook, line and sinker! It was the Autumn 23 collaboration with Julius Roberts that got me signing up for the ledger waitlist. Just listen to this:
“Autumn 23 has fig and iris at its heart — with notes of dark fruit, rich hay, and a drift of smoke, this is a fragrance for the harvest festival.”
Now imagine yourself at that turning point of the year when the days are getting shorter and the smell of woodsmoke is punctuating your daily walk. Local communities are celebrating Apple Days in orchards across the countryside and the need to snuggle down in piles of soft, wool blankets is growing. Would you not want to wear a scent that totally matches your seasonal mood?
Spring 24 is another smash-hit that has totally invigorated in me the rising sap energy of Spring. A beautiful fresh rhubarb scent that is just so springlike without being saccharine - and as previously stated i do have a very picky nose and have been turned off by rhubarb perfumes before -despite greatly enjoying it in crumble form. Ffern manage to create fragrances with such balance and depth - I had been wary over the possibility of an overly floral winter rose scent last season - yet sprayed my sample vial to discover a beautiful rose that had an underlay of peppermint. So unexpected and yet worked so well. Ffern crafts scents that exude style, leaving you pondering the signature fragrance adorning someone as you encounter them ‘out and about’, and are so unlike anything you’d find on the typical shop floor perfumery. Enigmatic, evocative and true to each season.
Going back to the Spring 24 scent, I’ve felt a palpable difference in my energy this weekend which has coincided with receiving the new scent. I am waking that bit earlier and wanting to get outside for refreshing walks. I’m moved from hearty winter stews through to craving fresh spring greens. I had been struggling with feeling a little energetically stagnant recently and had slumped into my worst eating habits, and yet suddenly this weekend I have been reinvigorated - pre-preparing nourishing and nutritious meals for my breakfast and lunches this week -and having the energy to do so!
Maybe it’s been that touch of Saturday sunshine and a hint of the blue sky - but I do think a new, evocative Spring scent has awakened my senses enough to give me a bit of a kickstart to start my transition into Spring this week.
In the Chinese 5 Elements system the ‘sense' of spring is sight/vision. Lambs might not be gambolling in the fields yet but certainly the carpets of yellow daffodils are a cheerful visual marker that Spring is swiftly incoming. Its seeing those first green shoots start to emerge from the soil, buds and blossoms appearing on the trees - and witnessing the lengthening days which help to show us that the wheel of the year is continuing to turn and here we are, renewed in a new season. If nature has the visual covered, then Ffern stands ready to awaken our olfactory senses to the season's splendour.
So, if you are on the market for a new scent - or simply intrigued enough about the prospect of trying something unique whilst also supporting a British brand then do visit their website. Immerse yourself in their captivating copy and let me know if you love their brand style and content as much as I do. As we approach the Spring Equinox this week I will be dowsing myself in Spring 24 liberally, eagerly anticipating what the next season holds in store.