The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Modak arrived in 2023, composed by Sian Lee for UNDER THE PERGOLA. No further account of the perfume's inspiration or intent has been documented, so the listed composition tells the story: pine tar and cherry at first contact, blackcurrant adding dark fruit, then rose, Rose de Mai, and Lily of the Valley. Together, the notes create a layered floral-fruity composition with distinct shifts in emphasis. The listed materials move from fruit and tar into flowers before reaching civet, amber, sandalwood, and moss. The result feels less like a bright garden than the shaded patch just beyond it.
Its character comes from the relationship between materials that seem unrelated yet share a convincing depth. Pine tar, cherry, and blackcurrant establish the opening combination, while rose and Rose de Mai add another floral layer alongside Lily of the Valley. The composition continues with civet, amber, sandalwood, and moss, completing a progression from fruit and flowers to animalic, warm, woody, and earthy materials. The note list gives Modak a clear structure, though its interpretation remains open to the wearer.
The evolution
Modak opens with blackcurrant, cherry, and pine tar, establishing a fruit-led beginning with a distinct tar accent. Rose, Rose de Mai, and Lily of the Valley introduce the floral portion of the composition, while blackcurrant and cherry remain part of the broader note architecture. The later notes are civet, amber, sandalwood, and moss, adding animalic, warm, woody, and earthy dimensions. Together, the listed notes suggest a layered composition whose character comes from the changing relationships between fruit, flowers, woods, and earthier materials over time.
Cultural impact
Modak presents a floral-fruity composition built around cherry, blackcurrant, rose, Rose de Mai, and Lily of the Valley, with pine tar, civet, amber, sandalwood, and moss in the later note structure. Its cultural significance can be considered through the combination of familiar fruit and floral materials with tar, animalic, woody, and earthy notes. The varied note list invites exploration without assigning the fragrance a specific market position or audience.
The House
UNDER THE PERGOLAUNDER THE PERGOLA is a new fragrance house with a compact, intriguing catalogue emerging between 2023 and 2026. Led by perfumer Sian, the brand pairs the intimacy of a shaded garden with compositions made for close, personal wearing. Its name suggests a place to pause, where scent becomes part of the atmosphere rather than a distant performance.
The Creator
Sian LeeThere is not enough verified information to define Sian Lee’s technique or preferred ingredients. The available notes name no materials, extraction methods, composition styles, or performance priorities that can be confidently linked to this perfumer.
