The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
The name gives it away. Roots of Kente was built around the idea of heritage, not as nostalgia, but as foundation. The Ghanaian reference in the title isn't decorative. It's the brief. The founders wanted a fragrance that reached backward and forward at the same time, and they gave perfumer Joschka Klee the framework to do it. African tonka bean and coconut milk in the heart, brown sugar and aldehydes up top, something traditional reframed with a modern edge. Kente cloth is woven from many threads. This fragrance works the same way.
The tonka bean in the heart of this fragrance does something unexpected. It starts nutty, almost almond-like, but then the heliotrope and coconut milk round it into something softer. Powdery. Floral-adjacent. The coconut milk reads more as texture than as a tropical note, creamy, almost laite, without any sunscreen association. That keeps the entire composition grounded in warmth rather than going somewhere bright. The aldehydes deserve attention too. They give the opening a waxy, almost medicinal quality that lifts the brown sugar above simple caramel into something more complex. It's the detail that prevents this from becoming just another sweet fragrance.
The evolution
The aldehydes hit first. Sharp, bright, almost electric. They hold the line for the first hour while the brown sugar slowly dissolves into caramel warmth. Then the hand-off. Around the second hour, the cocoa and coconut milk arrive together and the whole thing shifts. Almost drinkable. Heliotrope and tonka bean layer in a soft, powdery sweetness that clings close to the skin rather than announcing itself. By the time sandalwood and vanilla arrive in the drydown, the warmth has settled into something quieter. Intimate. Skin-warm. The labdanum adds a resinous depth that keeps the base from going flat. On fabric, this one lingers into the next morning.
Cultural impact
twentysecondofmay releases limited editions for collectors who want narrative alongside composition. Roots of Kente fits that model, a fragrance with a specific reference point, a clear point of view, and the kind of performance that makes you reach for it again. The brand's ethos puts heritage and duality at the center.
The House
twentysecondofmaytwentysecondofmay is an independent niche fragrance house that frames scent as a bridge between memory and the present. Founded by Luisa Graßl and Morgan Fassbender, the brand releases limited‑edition perfumes that explore the tension of “harmony in duality.” Each bottle is crafted in small batches, shipped worldwide, and positioned as an olfactory vignette rather than a commercial line. The house debuted its first 2025 collection – Bee’s Home, Roots of Kente, Sunbeds & Daydreams, and Frosted Flame – establishing a reputation for narrative‑driven compositions that invite collectors to pause and reflect.
The Creator
Joschka KleeKlee gravitates toward complexity and contrast. Serpent alone demonstrates this with its dual-potion structure, offering The Innocent Flower alongside The Fatal Poison.
