Heritage
A house, in its own words
Riggs traces its origins to London in 2018, when founder Ori Leslau established the brand with a straightforward conviction: the fragrance industry had become too distant from the people it served. Rather than positioning scent as an occasional luxury reserved for special moments, Leslau envisioned something different, a line of perfumes people would reach for daily, fragrances that became part of their routine rather than a statement piece gathering dust. The brand name itself carries weight, evoking strength and authority while remaining unpretentious. From its London base, Riggs began building a collection that prioritised accessibility without compromising on quality of materials or composition. The timing proved strategic, as the brand emerged during a period when African consumers were increasingly seeking premium alternatives to mainstream international fragrances, many of which had become difficult to obtain or prohibitively expensive in local markets. Riggs filled that gap, offering scents that matched the performance and complexity consumers craved while remaining within reach financially. The brand's growth trajectory accelerated through word-of-mouth in Nigeria and surrounding markets, where consumers discovered that London-originated fragrances could deliver the olfactory experience they wanted without the traditional luxury markup. This organic adoption in West Africa became one of Riggs' defining characteristics, distinguishing it from competitors who pursued Western-centric distribution strategies first.
The Riggs philosophy centres on democratising quality fragrance. The brand operates from the belief that scent should be personal, an intimate part of daily life rather than a barrier to entry or status symbol. This approach manifests in several deliberate choices: pricing structures that prioritise accessibility, fragrance concentrations balanced for extended wear rather than fleeting projection, and scent profiles designed to resonate across diverse preferences rather than catering to narrow aesthetic niches. The brand resists the traditional fragrance industry hierarchy where certain houses command reverence simply by virtue of age or heritage. Instead, Riggs measures success by whether consumers find their scent, wear it regularly, and return for subsequent purchases. This customer-first orientation shapes everything from bottle sizing to the decision about which fragrance families to explore. The philosophy also acknowledges that fragrance preferences vary dramatically across markets, a reality Riggs has embraced rather than resisted. What performs well in Lagos may differ from what resonates in London, and the brand has shown willingness to develop its collection with these variations in mind, even as its core identity remains consistent.