Our Story
Hi, I’m Doug - the ‘Douglas’ in Avery Douglas.
I’ve always loved fragrance, and the unique ability that scent has to affect our mood, our confidence, and even to transport us to another space or time. If I smell a certain type of flower for example, I am transported back to my 8 year old self in my Grandmother’s garden.
It is from this garden that our logo, the butterfly, comes from. My grandmother was always very proud of her garden, and had a bed in the back garden devoted to highly fragrant plants and shrubs to attract wildlife. I have strong memories of a vibrant, purple Buddleia plant which, throughout the summer months would become a riot of colour and activity as it played host to a kaleidoscope of butterflies (and yes, that is the collective noun for butterflies). She would also often take me and my brother on days out to a local Butterfly Park (now sadly closed), where I would happily spend hours in the tropically warm enclosure marvelling at the many different colours and varieties fluttering around.
The brand was born, at least conceptually, not long after the passing of my grandmother, and it felt right that I should in some way honour her. The butterfly therefore is in part a reminder of these happy memories, but also a symbol of confidence, diversity, fun, and passion - values I want Avery Douglas to represent and embrace.
Perfume for me started as a fun hobby. At school, I would visit our local department store, try them all out, and save up my pocket money to buy my favourite. When going on holiday, I would look forward to the Duty Free store in the airport and the hundreds, if not thousands, of perfumes on display. I could happily pass the time waiting to board trying out the different fragrances, and would often select a special bottle as a memento of the trip.
This passion for collecting, turned into a desire to go deeper; to learn the science behind the art. I began experimenting with layering different perfumes together, then creating my own blend to wear as a signature scent. With friends and family asking what that perfume was, and where they could get it, the seed of an idea which would later become Avery Douglas was planted.
When creating Avery Douglas, I wanted it to be everything I loved about perfume, while getting rid of what I saw as some of the more negative aspects of the sector.
For starters, I have always disliked the ‘pour homme’ and ‘pour femme’ dichotomy. Since when did a scent have a gender, and what gives perfumers, or more often fashion brands, the right to dictate what constitutes a masculine or feminine scent. I’ve worn ‘pour femme’ fragrance in the past, because I liked the smell, and find the whole notion almost as silly as the hyper masculine and hyper feminine adverts you see as a result (you know the ones I mean!)
That’s why at Avery Douglas, all of our fragrances are ‘for everyone’, whether you identify as male, female, or anything in-between or beyond. Our philosophy is, if you like it, wear it.
Another important factor for me was that there be cohesion to the collection, while offering a diverse range to appeal to a broad spectrum of customers. This is where the concept of colour was born, and I have used the colours of the rainbow as my inspiration when crafting each scent. I have always seen colours as part of my sensory experience - when listening to music for example - and I experience fragrance in a similar way. Each scent is unique and varied, but they are also crafted to come together beautifully should you wish to layer them up (no muddy browns here!), and also look great together when displayed as a collection.
Quality was essential to get right. We’ve all experienced the disappointment of a fragrance which is there one minute, then gone the next. All Avery Douglas perfumes are Eau De Parfum (EDP) levels of concentrate, meaning they last throughout the day. We also use only the highest quality of ingredients, and where appropriate and possible prioritise naturals over synthetics.
The product also had to look right. A perfume bottle should be a thing of elegance and beauty. It should look equally as good displayed on the shelf as it should smell fabulous on the body. The Avery Douglas range is housed in our unique coloured glass bottles. Simple, with elegant clean lines and a crystal effect cap which sparkles in the light. A bottle you can be proud to display, and I know I am biased, but they really do look something when all lined up together.
Finally value. I wanted my range to be not only ‘for everyone’ but available to everyone. It needed to be a product within reach of my younger self and those pocket money savings. I did not want to be selling perfume in the £100+ price range. That said, raw ingredients are expensive. So are bottles, labels, and everything else that goes into the final product. One of the biggest challenges to a small, artisan creator is you do not necessarily have access to economies of scale. It is very expensive to buy one empty bottle. It is significantly cheaper (per unit) to buy 1,000. Let’s just say that in order to keep my price per unit affordable, I now have a lot of empty bottles to fill!
And so here we are. Gaining exposure in national magazines, and building a growing collection of 5-star reviews. A company born out of passion, with a mission to challenge the outdated stereotypes of the perfume industry, while creating a fun, empowering, diverse space for our customers to be themselves. I’ve had a lot of fun designing this range, and it means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy experimenting with the different scents, and choose to join us in smelling colourful!