When Holly Hutchinson founded Memoize London in 2018 it was born out of a long held love of fragrance. This wasn’t just another company owner cashing in on the tidal wave of niche perfumery, Holly’s scented history stretched much further back. Her mother was a passionate collector of unusual and interesting fragrances, so it was inevitable that this fascination would be passed on to her daughter. A set of miniature perfumes, given to her at the age of seven, truly captured her imagination and the seeds of a very successful future career were sown in that moment.
The Memoize collection has grown over the years to include the Dark Range, the Light Range and, more recently, the sculpture-inspired Creative Range. However, Holly’s strongest statement as a brand owner came in 2022 with the Colour Range. This collection of eight fragrances was inspired by the original 1978 Pride flag and was a scented way of “encouraging harmony and celebrating uniqueness” across the LGBTQ+ community. Holly metaphorically pinned the flag to the company mast, a move which many companies shy away from, and at the same time made a donation from every sale to Just Like Us. But there was more to come.
Alte opens with a bright citrus blend of bergamot and lemon but, alongside the green cardamom and basil, there’s also a whisper of leather that peeps its head out at the very start. This aromatic quality continues with a campherous juniper and lavender pairing, before touches of milky rose come into play to duel with the androgynously earthy geranium. The base really feels as if it’s where the real magic happens though. The combination of vetiver with a dry amber accord, which contains a very smooth patchouli, creates an unusual vibrancy in the deeper notes, but it’s cleverly offset with cashmere-like sandalwood for a textural smoothness. Alte is a perfume full of surprises, with arresting richness at the top and exciting brightness in the base, and this is surely what being “individual” is all about.
Alte is available from the Memoize London website at memoizeperfume.com priced at £147 for 100ml, £29 for 7.5ml and £7 for 2ml. [Sample provided by Memoize]
* I work freelance for Memoize London but all opinions within this article are my own.
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