The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Allen* arrived in 2010, joining retaW's growing catalogue of fragrances. The brand had been working in scent before that, building a body of releases that each carry their own personality. Allen* takes its character from the contrast that gives it its structure: tart cassis meeting creamy white florals, a pairing that the brand describes as deep, elegant lily balanced against bold tartness. The opening accord is a burst of blackcurrant bud, that small green sharpness cutting through like a cold rinse before the florals can settle. Freesia softens the transition with a watery, almost cucumber-fresh lift that keeps the fruit from reading as syrupy. Then the heart unfolds into tuberose, jasmine, and two forms of lily, a layered white arrangement that leans more waxy and creamy than powdered.
What makes Allen* worth noticing is the tension at its core. Blackcurrant and freesia open sharp and almost green, the kind of brightness that reads more like cold water than fruit. Then the heart piles on tuberose, jasmine, and two forms of lily, a dense white-floral arrangement that leans creamy and animalic rather than powdery. The interplay between the tart fruit and the creamy florals creates a push-pull that holds attention, each element tugging the composition in its own direction.
The evolution
The first fifteen minutes belong to the cassis. Sharp, almost sour, a little green, cutting through whatever else is on your skin. It reads cold. Then the freesia softens the edges and the lilies start to push in. The heart is dense: tuberose brings a creamy, almost waxy weight, jasmine adds its indolic hum, and the two lilies, lily of the valley and straight lily, give it a wet, garden-fresh undertone that keeps the florals from going soapy. For the next two to three hours this is a white-floral composition with a backbone, noticeable without announcing itself. The heliotrope in the base rounds the drydown into something slightly powdery and almond-soft, a quiet finish that stays close to skin through the rest of the day.
Cultural impact
Allen* sits within retaW's small but deliberate catalogue, a label with a range of releases that span different scent families. Its floral character places it apart from spiced compositions such as Natural Mystic, which is described as a spicy scent with patchouli and vanilla, offering a different register that still carries the house's preference for tension over prettiness. The contrast between tart blackcurrant and creamy white florals gives Allen* its identity, a structure built from opposing impulses that somehow resolve into a coherent whole.
