Heritage
A house, in its own words
HEMA was founded in 1926 in Amsterdam as a wholesale hardware and household goods company. Over the decades it evolved into one of the Netherlands' most recognizable retail chains, known for its own-brand products ranging from kitchenware to clothing and beauty. The brand marked its 100th anniversary in 2026 with a notable fragrance collaboration: a limited-edition perfume called HDP (Heerlie de Peerlie) created with Amsterdam-based fragrance house Fugazzi. Launched in May 2026 and sold exclusively in the Netherlands, the collaboration referenced HEMA's centenary through a concept rooted in Dutch heritage. HEMA's fragrance catalog traces back to at least 2013, with the Today I Feel collection arriving in 2014, introducing an emotion-based naming convention that tied each scent to a mood: Energetic, Passionate, Dreamy, Strong, and Marvelous. Parfumo records show HEMA has released 14 perfumes with confirmed launch years through 2026, with a concentration of releases around 2019. The brand's move into perfumery followed a broader strategy of developing distinctive own-brand product lines, allowing HEMA to compete with both mass-market and niche fragrance offerings within its accessible retail format. HEMA's approach to fragrance centers on accessibility and emotional connection. The Today I Feel series, launched in 2014, embodied this by naming each fragrance after a mood or feeling rather than traditional olfactive families, inviting wearers to choose a scent based on how they wanted to feel that day. This democratizing instinct, treating perfume as an everyday choice rather than a luxury indulgence, runs through HEMA's broader brand identity. The 2026 collaboration with Fugazzi suggested an appetite for creative risk-taking within that framework, partnering with an independent Amsterdam perfumery known for unconventional compositions. HDP's subtitle, Heerlie de Peerlie, played on Dutch language and cultural references, reinforcing the brand's commitment to its local roots while exploring new creative territory. Throughout its fragrance work, HEMA appears to prioritize recognizability and emotional resonance over complexity or exclusivity.