Ffern
Meeting with Owen & Emily
With a vision to restore perfumery to its artisan roots, the perfume house Ffern challenges conventional norms, offering a deeply personal and sustainable olfactory experience. Join us as we explore the world of Ffern with its sibling founders, Owen and Emily, to understand how they’re redefining luxury fragrance, one seasonal scent at a time.
Ffern Autumn 25 Parcel contents: Ffern Autumn 25 Fragrance, The Dance of Fruit by Ffern Artist Azzurra Galatolo, Ffern Diffusion Stone, Paper Orchard by Ffern Artist Florence Sweryda.
O wen, you founded Ffern with the vision of ‘restoring perfumery to its artisan roots.’ Can you elaborate on what that means to you, and how you see Ffern achieving that goal?
Our goal is to establish a new standard for natural perfumery that draws on the traditions of the past. At Ffern, we often talk about what we can learn from winemakers – those who celebrate organic grapes and time-honoured processes. In fine wine, artisanship and craft are given the greatest importance. There’s a lot we can learn from this as perfumers, which is why we prioritise the quality of our ingredients, the terroirs they are grown in, and their provenance.
Emily, as Creative Director, how do you translate that artisan vision into the visual and narrative language of the brand?
The storytelling is so important. We want to immerse our members in the world of every fragrance, helping them truly connect to each season. For example, for our current season, Autumn 25, we pictured golden light shining through leaves onto branches laden with apples and pears… And I remembered a favourite scent, windfallen apples, which still transports me back to my childhood in Somerset. With this as our concept, the story began to tell itself. Starting with the apple, we reached for a natural crab apple extract made from skins and pulp left over from cider-making. For our other orchard tree, pear, we searched far and wide for a natural way of producing its scent. In the end we found it in sugarcane. The stories of these ingredients sent us on wonderful sensory adventures. We created our seasonal film and worked with artist Azzurra Galatolo on a folkloric poster, where the land whispers of seasons past.
The ‘ledger’ system is central to Ffern’s unique approach. Owen, what were the key factors that led you to implement this model, and what advantages does it offer compared to traditional perfume distribution?
We’ve focused on quality over quantity from the beginning. Using nature as our guide, choosing only the finest, ethically sourced ingredients… These weren’t ever questions for us, but they did urge us to set certain parameters in place. The ledger system came quite naturally out of those self-imposed restrictions. By making just enough for the members on our ledger, we’re able to maintain our high standards and create as little waste as possible.
Model wears the Cecily Dress by Faune and the Somerset Song Coat by Bonfield Block Printers.
“Our ways of seeing the world, and our love for nature, are entwined together. We’ve been creating things with one another for as long as we can remember.”
You’ve both mentioned a desire to ‘gently disrupt’ the perfume industry. What specific aspects of the traditional perfume model are you challenging, and what alternatives are you offering?
Our commitment to seasonality is quietly disruptive. The fact that our fragrances are made just once, and arrive on a set date each season, requires a shift in perception that ledger members have really embraced.
I think we’ve also challenged patterns around consumption, and the expectation of purchasing whatever we want at the touch of a button. There’s something wonderful about waiting for something to be grown or created for you… It’s a bit like gardening, doing the hands-on work and then sitting tight, embracing the waiting, while the flowers bud and fruits ripen.
Sustainability is a core principle for Ffern. Owen, can you discuss the challenges and triumphs of creating a truly sustainable perfume house?
We’re lucky in that we’re still a relatively young fragrance house – because sustainability was always front of mind, we built our processes around it. We weren’t burdened with old systems, or legacies to untangle, and are now at the point where we want to go beyond sustaining, to actively improving the world around us. We think that connecting with nature is the first step towards caring for it, so we want to create lasting changes that will make things better for generations to come.
Owen, you mentioned a year of rigorous research into natural perfumery. What was the most surprising or enlightening discovery you made during that time?
A pivotal moment was when I started reading about the 19th century perfumer, Joseph Robert. I immersed myself in learning all I could about this French chemist - namely his method of extracting absolutes from natural ingredients. The importance of Robert’s discoveries cannot be understated – he unearthed a plethora of ingredients that were stronger than everything before. It was learning about Robert that really made me excited about making natural perfumes.
Ffern friend and model, Carmen de Pons wears the Adeline Dress by Of Her Own Kind, with bespoke hair accessories by Jess Wheeler.
Owen and Emily, working as siblings, how has your family dynamic influenced the way you approach decision-making and creative collaboration within Ffern? Were your roles within the company naturally defined, or did they evolve over time?
It’s been a real strength – and probably no coincidence – that many of Ffern’s values stem from our memories of growing up together in Somerset. Our ways of seeing the world, and our love for nature, are entwined together. We’ve been creating things with one another for as long as we can remember – first dens and forts when we were little, then as we got older, short films. Having that shared history means we don’t have to explain much to each other. Instead, we can be honest and just focus on the challenges at hand. In terms of our roles, Owen drives product development and Emily leads creative direction. Like most business partners, we constantly ask for advice and share ideas with each other. It’s much more professional now than when we were little! But in all seriousness, we’re very lucky to work together like we do.
Emily, Ffern places a clear emphasis on craftsmanship and collaboration with perfumers and artists. Can you discuss the importance of these partnerships in creating your fragrances and shaping Ffern’s identity?Where our community of artists and makers really comes into its own is in the storytelling. Over the years we’ve built this ecosystem of collaborators who are experts in their fields. Whether they’re painters, rewilders, tea-growers or nature-writers, these artists are the people who bring our scents to life. They are the ones who anchor Ffern’s fragrances in a broader landscape, a bigger picture.
Could you give us an example of a specific collaboration that was particularly meaningful or impactful for Ffern?
In 2023, we collaborated with chef Julius Roberts on our autumn fragrance. During a visit to Julius’s farm, which is deep in the Dorset countryside, surrounded by orchards, we were struck by the scent of a fig tree. Julius told us it would waft through his bedroom window on warm days. Fig is a ‘mute’ plant, which means its scent can’t be extracted directly. This marked the first time we tried to create an all-natural, standalone accord for a mute plant. As always, Elodie, our Head Nose, rose to the task. It was a significant moment – one that unlocked more of the potential of natural ingredients, thus allowing us to innovate and experiment creatively.
Owen and Emily, looking ahead, are there any exciting projects or collaborations on the horizon for Ffern that you can share with us? What can we expect to see from Ffern in the near future?
We are so excited about the Ffern Farm in Somerset, which is at last taking shape. We hope to create a haven where we can show what goes into making a Ffern fragrance. Our dream is to host events and to grow the plants to make our own fragrance oils. A holistic home for our loyal community. In terms of our fragrances, we have another exciting development we are planning to announce soon. But it’s still too early to reveal! So you’ll have to watch this space…
www.ffern.co
@ffern.co
Pictures - Hana Snow @hana.snow
Interview - Camille Gressier @camille_gressier
Illustrations - Azzurra Galatolo @azzurra_________galatolo