Heritage
A house, in its own words
Arielle Shoshana Weinberg opened the first Arielle Shoshana boutique in the Mosaic District of Fairfax, Virginia in 2015. She co-owns the business with Katri Haas, who serves as a partner in the venture. The boutique earned recognition as a niche fragrance destination in the greater Washington D.C. area, drawing customers seeking hard-to-find scents that went beyond mainstream fragrance counters. For the first two years, Weinberg operated the store without a house fragrance line, focusing entirely on curation and building relationships with specialty fragrance houses. She eventually decided to create her own fragrance after amassing deep knowledge of what the market was missing. That first creation launched in 2017 under the name Arielle Shoshana Eau de Parfum. Weinberg later renamed it Saturday, cementing the weekday naming convention she would adopt for all subsequent releases. Sunday followed in 2019, then Friday in 2022, Monday in 2023, Tuesday in 2024, and Wednesday in collaboration with Michelle Visage in 2025. The brand relocated its boutique over the years, eventually opening a new space in Old Town Alexandria where it continues to serve both local clientele and fragrance collectors online. Weinberg speaks openly about the learning curve of launching a fragrance brand, acknowledging in interviews that the early days involved uncertainty about branding direction and the future trajectory of the company. She credits the physical retail presence with shaping her understanding of what customers actually want, a knowledge base that directly informed her approach to formulation. The co-ownership with Haas provided continuity and complementary expertise as the brand scaled from boutique to fragrance house. The weekday naming convention is the most visible expression of what Arielle Shoshana stands for, but it reflects a deeper belief about fragrance as a daily companion rather than a special occasion luxury. Weinberg chose days of the week as names because each one carries its own associations and emotional weight. Friday implies relief and transition. Monday signals a fresh start. Saturday represents creativity unbound. The names invite the wearer to think about where a scent fits in their week and their life rather than defaulting to seasonal or gender-based framing. The boutique environment reinforced this philosophy early on. Weinberg built the business on the premise that fragrance should not be intimidating, that customers benefit from guidance rather than intimidation, and that the right scent is less about price or prestige than about resonance with the person wearing it. The brand positions itself as accessible in spirit while offering products that fall into the niche category, a line that requires careful calibration. Weinberg has spoken about the importance of projection that feels welcome rather than overwhelming, pointing toward a preference for intimate, skin-centered fragrance experiences over dramatic sillage. The Wednesday collaboration with Michelle Visage introduced an external voice to the brand identity while maintaining the same inclusive, playful tone. Visage, known for her work in entertainment and as a drag performer, brought her own perspective to the brief, resulting in a fragrance that functions within the Arielle Shoshana universe without feeling like a celebrity afterthought. The philosophy centers on fragrance as a tool for self-expression that does not require permission from industry gatekeepers.