The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
For The Memories Of began with a single trip, Alice Lavenat's journey to Bali in 2023. She arrived expecting a beautiful destination. What she found was something that rearranged her imagination. The lush forests of Ubud, where every corner held a different scent, a different story in the air. The shimmering golden ornaments. The kaleidoscopic flowers. The warmth of warm, welcoming people who called it home. She wanted to carry it with her. Not as a photograph, but as something you could wear. Being and remembering, that's what the name asks of you.
The composition mirrors how memory actually works. Bright citrus opens like a sudden flash, bergamot and mandarin, the sharp awareness of being somewhere new. Then the yellow florals arrive: ylang-ylang, slow and heady, the way a place seeps into you over days, not hours. Chamomile adds a quiet herbal note that grounds the sweetness, keeping it from becoming precious. Frankincense and elemi resin provide the depth, the incense smoke you didn't notice until you were already saturated in it. Vanilla doesn't arrive immediately.
The evolution
The opening hits bright and immediate, bergamot, lime, mandarin orange arriving together in a citrus burst that feels like stepping off a plane into tropical heat. As the bright top notes begin to recede, the yellow florals expand slowly, filling the space the citrus leaves behind. Chamomile adds an herbal coolness that prevents the heart from becoming too heavy. Then the base arrives: frankincense smoke threading through vanilla and sandalwood, resinous and warm, the drydown that makes you press your wrist to your nose just to confirm it's still there. On fabric, the sandalwood lingers into the next day, faintly sweet, faintly smoky, like a hotel room you'll never enter again.
Cultural impact
For The Memories Of occupies a quiet position in the niche fragrance landscape, neither shouty nor invisible. The Ubud inspiration places it alongside other place-inspired releases, though its emphasis on memory rather than spectacle gives it a different register. Wearers tend to be those drawn to the idea of fragrance as autobiography, scent that means something specific.
The House
ÊtreÊtre is a fragrance house operating at the intersection of Indonesian and French olfactory traditions. The brand explores the sensory landscapes of both countries, seeking to capture distinctive elements from each and identify where they converge. Its catalog spans multiple years, including releases such as Bouquet de Joie (2024), Force d'Âme (2022), For The Memories Of (2023), Angélique (2024), Volcanique (2022), A Place We Call Home (2023), Tout Feu Tout Flamme (2023), Libre d'Esprit (2022), and Fleur de Chance (2024). The house draws its name from the French word for "being" or "to be," reflecting an approach centered on presence, memory, and sensory experience.
The Creator
Alice LavenatLavenat's style favors precision over excess. She gravitates toward natural materials, particularly the kind of delicate aromatics that require careful handling: buds, blossoms, and the subtle green notes that form the invisible architecture of a fragrance.
