Unisex Perfume: Imaginary Authors Fragrances Combine Scent With Stories of Intrigue, Passion & Longing by Belinda Lichty Clarke

An interesting outcome of the coronavirus pandemic has been an uptick in reading – for adults and young adults. According to an NPR story published this summer based on data from the virtual lending service OverDrive, weekly e-book lending increased nationwide by 50 percent since March 9.

And who doesn’t want to lose herself good story these days?

Imaginary Authors is a one-of-a-kind fragrance company that has combined the art of scent with the enjoyment of a good book. Each fragrance name is the title of an imaginary novel that, like the company name implies, is written by an imaginary author. Accompanying the description of the scent is a short synopsis of the story that complements the fragrance. It’s left to the fragrance-wearer to expand upon the plot line and characters, based on the name and description of the book.

“Fragrance is art, and with Imaginary Authors perfumes, we want to make new olfactory experiences, not maintain the status quo,” says co-founder Josh Meyer. “The names, titles, bottle label colors, collage elements and stories all come into play to help fill out the experience of the fragrance itself. We want the customer to know to feel like they know what's inside the bottle.” There are 15 fragrances, each with a story to tell, ranging from the passionate, to the romantic to the dark and mysterious.

For example, Every Storm a Seranade uses notes of Danish spruce, eucalyptus and Baltic Sea mist to evoke the passion of the sea. The setting is the desolate west coast of Denmark. “When Stina, a burgeoning writer, decamps to her mother’s summer house for the winter to write a book, her trip overlaps for one day (and one steamy night) with a brawny fisherman named Ulv. While she struggles to gain traction with her novel, her fixation on the mysterious seafarer results in countless unsent letters, the contents of which chronicle the spiraling psyche of lust and longing.”

The Soft Lawn, with notes of oak moss, vetiver, linden blossom, laurel and ivy, is the first book by Imaginary Author Claude LeCoq, published in 1916 while LeCoq was attending Princeton University. “A controversial portrait of adolescent upper-class rebellion in New England, the coming-of-age story follows Hampton Perry, a charmingly snotty college tennis champ who, after years of having everything handed to him on a silver platter, finds himself handing it all back.”

The remaining scents and storylines are equally intriguing: Telegrama, Sundrunk, Slow Explosions, The Cobra and The Canary, A City on Fire, Cape Heartache, O, Unknown!, Whispered Myth, Saint Julep, Bull’s Blood, Yesterday Haze, Memoirs of a Trespasset and Falling Into the Sea.

“We want to create a real experience for each customer, using these storylines and imagination that match the fragrances authentically – rather than something like sex appeal,” Meyer explains. “Our simple goal is to make exceptionally fun, unique scents that are also wearable for a particular season. I hope you're able to find a few from the line you love!”

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