Heritage
A house, in its own words
Naomi Goodsir began her creative career designing couture hats, a background that cultivated her understanding of form, proportion, and the relationship between object and wearer. Born in Australia, she moved to Grasse, the historic center of French perfumery, where she established her house and began translating her design sensibility into olfactory form. Her earliest fragrances appeared in 2012, with Bois d'Ascese and Cuir Velours establishing the architectural approach that would define subsequent work. By 2014, Or du Serail demonstrated her capacity for warmth and golden luminosity, expanding her range beyond austere structure. Iris Cendre followed in 2015, offering a smoked iris composition that balanced powdery delicacy with charred undertones. Nuit de Bakélite arrived in 2017, representing perhaps her most complex work to date, layering banana-shaped molecular notes with warm florals and green accents. Corpus Equus appeared in 2021, marking her most recent signature. Throughout this period, Goodsir reportedly maintained complete independence, developing each fragrance without the intervention of external perfumers, a rare position in contemporary niche perfumery that allows direct translation from concept to finished scent. Goodsir approaches fragrance creation with the precision of someone trained in garment construction. Hats, like perfumes, must function as complete objects, maintaining integrity across different conditions and wearers. Her creative vision centers on unexpected combinations and deliberate dissonance, seeking reactions that range from discomfort to profound attraction. She reportedly treats each fragrance as a separate exploration rather than part of a house vocabulary, allowing each scent to develop according to its own internal logic. The goal appears to be provocation rather than consensus. She has described her pieces as statement objects, implying that wearing one carries deliberate weight, a chosen position rather than default pleasantness. Her background in wearable sculpture informs a perspective where fragrance must justify its presence through distinctiveness rather than universal appeal. This approach naturally limits her audience while deepening commitment from those who connect with specific works.