A LETTER FROM THE FOUNDERS

Dear traveller,

Parfum Par Avion began, quite literally, in a suitcase.

Early on with us dating, Dan was preparing to travel overseas for five weeks to teach wheel pottery at a camp in amidst the Californian Redwood Forest. We'd been inseparable prior to that and, although I was excited for him, I was not looking forward to feeling the distance between us. I knew he would be hard to reach digitally and I wanted to find a way for us to remain connected to one another.

Fragrance has always been a huge part of my life and who I am. I can vividly remember being a small child and playing with the bottles on my mother's nightstand like they were magical potions with world-transporting properties. Even today, when I smell Kenzo Flower or Dior Hypnotic Poison it feels like time-travelling.

And so, as it has many times in my life, my love of scent helped guide me.

I picked some sample vials of different fragrances for Dan to take on his journey, along with a journal and separate handwritten letters describing each scent and asking him questions about his travel experiences. I sealed each letter with a wax seal (I actually bought wax, a burner, a wooden handle spout and a stamp just for the purpose of doing this for him) as wax seals had always felt romantic to me, a nod to something old-world and evocative of the nostalgia of slow travel.

For Dan, each fragrance became a postcard of a moment. Reading the letters, experiencing the scents and writing his responses to my questions became a ritual. It also introduced him to a world that I have loved, and been involved in, for more than a decade. He got to know me, and himself, better through exploring different scents.

However, he also found out first-hand how difficult it can be to travel with fragrance in a luxurious and functional way. His bottles leaked and he didn't love the experience of digging through his toiletry bag to hunt for where they'd hidden underneath his toothbrush and floss.

Upon return, Dan and I got to talking about what we would do differently if we had the chance...and Parfum Par Avion was envisioned.

From our home to yours, we hope that you carry these fragrances and our Leather Portfolios wherever you wander by land, sea, or air - thank you for making us a part of your journey.

With love and gratitude always,