The Story of Diptyque
1961: the The kindling of an imagination
Diptyque’s founders: A trio of artists and friends
"We were artists. We were not driven by ambition, but rather by passion, imagination, creativity and the desire to do something with true integrity"
"We were artists. We were not driven by ambition, but rather by passion, imagination, creativity and the desire to do something with true integrity"
The signatures of a new art of living
In 1963, the trio of artists invented one of the Maison's signatures by carving out new territory for the scented candle. Previously a purely practical item, the candle was transformed, in their hands, into a decorative and sensory object. Now it was possible to travel without ever leaving your living room, to lend your home a distinctive character. With the simplest of gestures, this refined and creative object took on a universal character to become the icon of a new art of living.
Aubépine (Hawthorn), Cannelle (Cinnamon) and Thé (Tea) were the first scents in a herbarium inspired by nature’s sensations – an olfactory landscape of spices, flowers and leaves. This original process is part of the legacy bequeathed by Desmond Knox-Leet, who composed his fragrances as a painter prepares his palette, by mixing his raw materials.
The signatures of a new art of living
Five years later, Diptyque continued its olfactory explorations when it released its first eau de toilette. The inspiration for L’Eau came from a 16th-century recipe containing cinnamon, rose, clove, geranium and sandalwood – a nod to traditional clove-studded English orange ‘pomanders’.
Like no other genre, L’Eau is an olfactory work of art. The first in a collection of eaux de toilette and fragrances, it promised boundless wanderings through distant lands: journeys into the intimate workings of a real or imagined memory.
The fragrant line: An artistic adventure
A sensory encounter between nose, eye and hand, Diptyque’s creations are the fruit of a singular creative philosophy. The Maison’s founders may have drawn inspiration from a fragrance to create an image, or an image to create a fragrance, but were always guided by the light of creative freedom.
Perfumers and illustrators work hand in hand to this day. Each of Diptyque’s fragrances is a collective work that celebrates an encounter between the Maison’s imagination and their respective sensibilities.
Diptyque’s inspirations
NATURE
TRAVEL
GRAPHIC ARTS
An invitation on a voyage through Diptyque's worlds
