From as early as I can remember I have had a passion for scent and the world of perfume. What started out as a modest interest in childhood led to a more refined appreciation in my 20s and 30s as I grew my collection of bespoke, rare and luxury perfumes ranging from lesser-known indie brands to high-end perfume houses.

In the meantime, I continued to develop my corporate marketing career that no question brought me valuable knowledge, experience, and comfort, but I was also looking for something that I could grow on my own, something more personal where I might have to face my fears but also be able to express myself in the world. My husband (West) and I have always been captivated by music and the visual and gastronomic arts and constantly drawn toward travel and unique cultural experiences. How could we join these pursuits together in an interesting and genuine fashion?

Perfume.

It was perfect. Our sense of smell is directly connected to our memory and our emotions, making perfumery a very intimate and powerful form of self-expression for both the perfumer and the wearer. After beginning by experimenting with rudimentary perfume-making on my own, I longed to explore the world outside the bounds of commercialized perfume and move into the world of handcrafted natural perfumery. Encouraged by West to channel my desire to create a unique and expansive natural perfume line as well as nurture my delight in constructing custom bespoke perfumes, I set out to learn from the masters by studying perfumery with world-renowned natural perfumers such as Anya McCoy of the Natural Perfumery Institute, Mandy Aftel, owner of Aftelier Perfumes and Charna Ethier of Providence Perfume Co.

Embracing all that I have studied, thrilled by West’s willingness to join me on this journey, and inspired by the idea of building an uncompromising perfumery that could connect life’s many passions and share them with others, Wit & West was founded in 2021.

Today, West and I continue to build upon the Wit & West olfactive journey with a focus on natural materials for our perfumer’s palette and an emphasis on developing unique creations that don’t smell like everything else. As avid believers that an artist can never stop learning and growing, I approach perfumery with a mindset that is open to new techniques, styles, and ideas through ongoing mentorship and training with other natural perfumers as well as continuing education through the Grasse Institute of Perfumery (GIP). In addition to a focus on perfumery as an artform, West and I are committed to ensuring our small-batch process, ingredients, packaging and shipping processes have a focus on sustainability, minimalism and recyclable materials (learn more about our ingredients, process and focus on sustainability by checking out Our Philosophy).

- Wit