Heritage
A house, in its own words
Nicole Richie entered the fragrance industry in September 2012 with Nicole, her first eponymous perfume. The project came together through a collaboration that connected two worlds she had been working in since the late 2000s: fashion and television. Richie, best known for her role on the Fox series *The Simple Life* and later as a mentor on NBC's *Fashion Star*, had spent years building House of Harlow 1960, her jewelry and accessories label founded in 2008 and inspired by vintage bohemian style. By 2012, the label had grown into a broader lifestyle brand, with Richie telling press at the time that she wanted fragrance to feel like a natural extension of that world rather than a celebrity cash-in. The Nicole launch was produced by TPR Holdings LLC, a New Jersey-based fragrance manufacturer that also works with established designer houses. Richie worked closely with the company's perfumer Steve DeMercado to shape the juice, and she promoted the scent on the NBC reality competition *Fashion Star*, where she appeared alongside John Varvatos and Jessica Simpson during its first season in 2012. The approach of tying a fragrance debut to a television platform was deliberate, with Richie framing the launch as an extension of her personal style narrative rather than a licensing deal. In 2014, Richie followed up with No Rules, her sophomore fragrance. Where Nicole had been a study in soft femininity, No Rules leaned toward something more playful and irreverent, with packaging designed to appeal to a younger customer. The two-scent catalog kept Richie relatively hands-on compared to many of her celebrity peers, with reported input into naming, juice direction, and visual identity. While the fragrance line did not grow into a sprawling catalog, it stands as a small, focused body of work, defined by the same aesthetic instincts that shaped her jewelry and accessories line. Richie's approach to fragrance begins with personality rather than product. In interviews around the Nicole launch, she described scent as an extension of how a person presents themselves to the world, positioning fragrance as one more layer of styling alongside clothing and jewelry. That philosophy mirrors the design ethos behind House of Harlow 1960, where vintage finds, mixed metals, and a bohemian sensibility come together to suggest a curated, individual point of view. The decision to develop two contrasting fragrances rather than a sprawling lineup reflects a values-first mindset. Nicole, with its soft floral-fruitchouli profile of blackberries, oranges, and warm base notes, captures a romantic, feminine register. No Rules, released two years later, deliberately pushed in a different direction, embracing a more carefree, youthful energy. Together they read as two sides of a single creative point of view, one that prizes range and play over uniformity. Richie has also been notably involved in the development process, working directly with perfumer Steve DeMercado and the TPR Holdings team rather than appearing only on the marketing side. That hands-on engagement shows in how the scents are presented, each tied to a specific mood or identity rather than pitched as a generic celebrity perfume. The result is a small but considered catalog, with Richie treating fragrance less as a branded commodity and more as a personal creative statement.