The Story of Diptyque

The Story of Diptyque

The story of Diptyque chronicles the creative adventure of three friends inspired by nature, travel and art, who founded a Maison of artists.

1961: the The kindling of an imagination

Three artists, three free spirits, one vision. At the turn of the Sixties, at a time of tremendous excitement and optimism marked by a strong...

Diptyque’s founders: A trio of artists and friends

Paris, 1949. The story begins. Desmond is a painter, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts, the Paris school of fine arts. Christiane is an...

"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"
CHRISTIANE MONTADRE-GAUTROT
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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
The fragrant line: An artistic adventure

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

Diptyque is rooted in a shared passion for nature, authenticity and truth. Wild, lively and colourful, nature guided the founding trio to create...

TRAVEL

Travel also broadened their horizons. Their wanderings led them from Europe to Asia, and from Venice to Moscow, and they followed in the...

GRAPHIC ARTS

Drawing on their shared passion for the graphic arts, the trio also created a playful and subtle new language. Graphic design was now a medium...

An invitation on a voyage through Diptyque's worlds

FRAGRANCES

FRAGRANCES

At Diptyque, perfume is an invitation to embark on a journey - one on which, from the very first notes, our imagination and senses awaken. Far from the beaten track, perfumes and perfume gestures beckon you to follow in their sillage, discovering unexpected fragrances and compositions.
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34 boulevard Saint-Germain – 5th arrondissement, Paris
34 boulevard Saint-Germain – 5th arrondissement, Paris
The birthplace of Diptyque, at the heart of the Latin Quarter, 34 boulevard Saint-Germain is steeped in history and imbued with fantasy, a place of poetic wanderings.
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Diptyque’s codes
Diptyque’s codes
Do you speak Diptyque? The writing crafted by the Maison tells the story of a heritage that grows richer by the day – a living language.
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