The Heritage
The Story of Bond No 9
Bond No. 9 is a New York fragrance house that has spent over two decades translating the city's distinct neighborhoods into scent. Each fragrance captures a different borough, avenue, or cultural moment, transforming geography into something you can wear. Founded by Laurice Rahmé, the brand occupies a singular space between luxury perfumery and urban nostalgia.
Heritage
Laurice Rahmé launched Bond No. 9 in 2003 from a single boutique at 9 Bond Street in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood, naming the house after its own address. Born and educated in Paris, she spent years in the fragrance industry, eventually distributing Creed fragrances in the United States before striking out independently. Rahmé became the first woman in New York to head a perfumery, and she built the brand around a dual mission: restoring artistry to perfumery and celebrating each New York neighborhood with its own signature scent. By 2013, the house had already produced over sixty fragrances, with most inspired by specific NYC locations. The brand celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2013 by launching Perfumista Avenue, a fragrance based on a fantasy neighborhood. In 2023, the house marked its twentieth year with New York Forever, an anniversary eau de parfum honoring the layered history of the city that inspired it all.
Craftsmanship
Bond No. 9 produces its fragrances locally in the New York metropolitan area, a notable distinction in an industry where many houses manufacture abroad. Most of their perfumes feature eighteen to twenty-two percent perfume oil concentration, while their Signature Perfume and select releases reach thirty percent, placing them in the rare category of pure perfume. The house works with a rotating roster of perfumers including David Apel, who composed Bleecker Street in 2005 and The Scent of Peace for Him in 2013, as well as Maurice Roucel, Aurélien Guichard, and others. The brand also offers custom blending services through trained consultants called Bond Perfumistas, who guide customers through creating personalized fragrances. Beginning in 2007, Bond No. 9 held a licensing partnership with the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, producing fragrances with Warhol-inspired bottle designs. Their commitment to local production and high-concentration formulas reflects an older craft tradition rather than the dilution common in mass-market fragrance.
Design Language
Bond No. 9 presents one of perfumery's most recognizable visual identities. The brand's signature bottles feature bold, saturated colors with a graphic design sensibility that nods to Pop Art, particularly through the Warhol collaboration. Each fragrance gets its own distinctive color story, applied consistently across packaging, bottles, and advertising. The bottles themselves function as decorative objects, with some limited editions adorned in Swarovski crystals. Their eponymous boutiques, five locations throughout New York City, reinforce the brand's identity as a neighborhood-focused luxury destination. The stores match the fragrances' aesthetic: colorful, confident, and unmistakably New York in their energy.
Philosophy
Bond No. 9 operates from a straightforward conviction: every New York neighborhood deserves its own fragrance. This approach treats the city itself as a palette, drawing from specific streets, parks, and districts to create scents that evoke particular places and their unique atmospheres. The house resists the gender-binary conventions common in perfumery, offering fragrances it describes as for women, men, and unisex without rigid boundaries. Rahmé has spoken about customers seeking scents that speak personally to them, beyond traditional labeling. The brand prizes independence, having maintained autonomy since its founding without corporate acquisition. This freedom allows the house to take creative risks that larger, conglomerate-backed brands might avoid, whether that means unusually high perfume oil concentrations or fragrances inspired by a neighborhood that exists only in imagination.
Key Milestones
2003
Laurice Rahmé launches Bond No. 9 from 9 Bond Street in NoHo, New York
2005
Perfumer David Apel creates Bleecker Street, one of the house's signature colognes
2007
Bond No. 9 begins licensing partnership with the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts
2009
Astor Place wins FiFi Award for Women's Fragrance of the Year; Brooklyn wins for Men's
2012
New York Oud wins FiFi Award for Perfume Extraordinaire
2013
House releases The Scent of Peace for Him; celebrates tenth anniversary with Perfumista Avenue
At a Glance
Brand profile snapshot
Origin
United States
Founded
2003
Heritage
23
Years active
Avg Rating
4.2
Community sentiment