Loree Rodkin
Chicago-born in 1949, Loree Rodkin built a career that defies easy categorization. She began designing interiors for rock stars before pivoting to jewelry, where Elizabeth Taylor became her first client. Her baubles eventually caught the eye of Michelle Obama, who wore Rodkin's pieces for a White House appearance. But Rodkin's creative ambitions extended further still. She trained formally as a perfumer, becoming one of the few professionally trained female noses who also runs her own perfume house. Now based in Los Angeles, she approaches fragrance the way a painter approaches a canvas, working across multiple mediums with equal conviction. Her journey from Chicago upbringing to Hollywood design circles to the perfumer's organ reflects someone who has never met a creative boundary she couldn't ignore.
The hits
Notable creations
The signature
How Loree composes
Rodkin gravitates toward rare, natural materials and builds her compositions from a foundation of high-quality raw ingredients. Her 400-plus oil collection reflects a preference for sourcing uncommon materials directly, giving her work a distinctive character rooted in both luxury and personal discovery. Her jewelry background shows in how she constructs a fragrance: layering precious elements, balancing weight and sparkle, considering how each component catches light against the skin. She favors complexity over simplicity, treating each creation as an intricate object meant to be examined up close.
Philosophy
What drives Loree
Rodkin calls herself a 'mad designer,' and the word choice feels accurate. She has shaped homes, careers, jewelry lines, eyewear collections, handbags, and fragrances. Each medium gets the same obsessive attention. She views herself as a painter working in different materials rather than a specialist confined to one discipline. Her perfumer's organ holds over 400 rare, natural oils, many sourced personally during her travels. She creates because she loves creating, finding genuine pleasure in the craft itself rather than in industry accolades or recognition.
The houses