Our Philosophy
To capture precious moments, we use a camera.
To capture music, we use a recorder.
To capture scents, we can only use our memory and creativity.
What is your favourite scent?
Is it that sniff of near ripe apples walking past the local market...or
the familiar scent of roasted Arabica in a sunny morning...or
salty seashore scent that reminds of summer?
All the little things in life adds up to make our lives full - and a large part of it comes to scents, yet usually unaware by many.
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Who are we?
Floriography is a perfume house based in Hong Kong, established in 2018. We explore, experiment and curate curious and interesting scents of everyday life.
We began our road in perfumery after discovering lots of fragrant species in Hong Kong and in wider Asia that were untapped and unexplored. Although there is a rich variety of plants and flowers in the broad terrains, perfume culture in Asia is less pertained than in the West and more about 'big brands'. Ironically, the Chinese translation of 'Hong Kong' - 香港 means 'Fragrant Harbour', as Hong Kong was the major exporter of Agarwood in the past.
One of our goals is to record the scents we love - and not just simply recording it. Some of our scents conjure of Asian and unique local plant breeds. We hope to share them with our friends in the whole wide world through wearable art - perfumes.
Scent is very personal in the sense that our olfactory perception is shaped and affected by our cultural differences and personal experiences. Albeit the scent of a particular material is the same, in some sense it is not. It is your brain that does the rest of the imagination and fill in the gaps. Through filling in the gaps, the concept of 'fragrant' or 'beauty' emerge.
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Mono no aware (物哀)
One of the four main Japanese concepts regarding aesthetics - Mono no aware, to appreciate the ephemeral nature of all things. The term 'Aware' - 哀 carries a sense of melancholy and sorrow, in discovering everything is impermanent, like the White Jade Orchid that only blooms for an hour each sunrise. That sunshine that casts a beautiful shadow on your concrete wall, only lasts for a few seconds.
Likewise, scent is impermanent and fades quickly, it is unique in each second as different volatile materials are received by olfactory receptors and interpreted by your brain. The fleeting nature of scent is exactly why it is an art - as a scent choreographer, we curate not just the harmony of notes, but the pace and flow of the perfume in a way that it unveils itself gracefully at the passing of time, celebrating its transcience.
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We present here to you our olfactory interpretation of our own memories combining perfumery aesthetics.
Like life, they may invoke different emotions on you, be it happiness, bewilderment, calmness, melancholy, gratefulness or surprise.
Enjoy!