According to Fragrantica, the general consensus is that once a fragrance has been around for twenty years it can be considered vintage. What about a brand? Consider Etat Libre d’Orange, the original disruptor brand who’s been breaking rules since 2006. Vintage? No way! Still a rebel, still non-conformist, still recruiting citizens. Founded by Etienne de Swardt in 2006, ELO has become the hallmark of niche and artistic perfumery with unexpected scents meant to disturb, touch, tempt, seduce, and break the rules.

Recently I caught up with Etienne and we reminisced about our first meeting when I was a buyer at Sephora. A mutual acquaintance brought me to the Rue des Archives location while I was on vacation in Paris. I was probably one of the first American buyers to see the brand. Sephora normally didn’t shy away from controversy, and as much as I wanted to launch it, I knew our clients weren’t ready for Putain des Palaces, let alone Sécrétions Magnifiques.

Today the brand is on the cusp of its 20 year anniversary! And like a fine wine, it has matured and mellowed over the years. Etienne and his General Manager, Olivier Mariotti spoke to me about the evolution of ELO.

Etienne, you had a fairly classic background, graduating from the prestigious French business school ESSEC then working at Parfums Givenchy. Tell me about your early days in fragrance.

Etienne de Swardt: I was an intern at Parfums Givenchy and ended up staying for 6 years. I became the Head of Masculine Fragrance and Tartine et Chocolat, a children’s brand. I was overseeing Givenchy Gentlemen, Xeryus, Insensé, then Pi. But at one point I had an idea for Tartine et Chocolat, the brand which was really successful in Asia. Why not create a scent for the dog? Eventually this was discussed as a bigger idea, and maybe as the anti-perfume perfume for LVMH. I spoke with the then General Manager, Alain Lorenzo, and even with Yves Carcelle, the chairman and CEO, but it was perhaps too controversial. That’s when I went out on my own to launch Oh My Dog. I remember in the US, Rosemarie Bravo who was the CEO of Saks, she was very supportive. I think the concept was ahead of its time, especially when now you see how people really spoil their pets! So I moved on to the next thing, which was Etat Libre d’Orange.

What were your original ambitions with the brand?

EDS: The brand began in 2006; at first we were 5 people and now we are 18. I am lucky to have two associates who have really helped me grow the brand: Olivier, who I worked with back in another life, he is in charge of the commercial side and then Eric who oversees finance but also production.

Initially, the idea was to create approachable scents with affordable prices where I gave freedom to the perfumers to do something avant-garde, to be free to create while being gently guided. Since the beginning we have created over 30 fragrances, working with top perfumers including Antoine Maisondieu, Christine Nagel, Quentin Bisch, Antoine Lie, Mathilde Bijaoui, Shyamala Maisondieu, Violaine Collas, Nathalie Feisthauer, Cecile Matton, Ralf Schwieger, Daniela Andrier, Jordi Fernández and Caroline Sabas.

ELO is perhaps the first of the « challenger » or disruptive perfume brands. How has the brand’s philosophy changed since the beginning ?

Olivier Mariotti: At the time when ELO came on the market the fragrance offer was divided between classic, haute parfumerie brands and the big houses. So the idea was to bring on a type of revolution from what existed which was rather stiff. A real break from what was out there.

EDS: When the brand started we were sort of a rebel without a cause. But that stance was precarious. When you were at Sephora we knew about the Bible Belt and the conservatism in the US. That really sounded the death knell for the brand in its original guise. At some point I had to come to terms with finding a harmony between what is avant garde and what pays the bills, what has an economical approach. As my Chinese investor said to me, “You’re a beautiful Haute Couture brand but now you need to do Pret-à-porter”. It’s a beautiful paradox. It was like delivering an electric shock to the business.

What has been the key to growing your brand over the past decade amidst such a competitive market?

OM: The brand wanted to be where no one else was. What has been a key point of difference since the beginning is the distribution strategy. ELO looks for retail partners that truly attract the kind of customer who understands and values the brand. We don’t blindly go in search of big retail partners – in fact, we shy away from that.

In 2011, after 5 years, we decided to attack the market but with a distribution strategy that was completely different from other brands. While most pursued Eastern Europe and the Middle East, ELO went after Asia and North America. Consequently, we had already opened China by 2016, far in advance of many fragrance brands.

Today we’re about 30 times greater in size than when we started with roughly 1100 points of sale across the globe. We prioritize independent shops. I’m a consumer, I go out and I ask myself, is our customer shopping here? Of course we are in some iconic shops like Harrods in London and Isetan in Japan, and only recently we opened Bloomingdales in the US, but only when the fit is right, when we can bring the proper level of service to that environment.

What about your digital presence?

EDS: Before COVID, and like so many brands, our digital presence was very simple. Being urban, modern, and non-conformist, building the eCommerce site allowed us to gain reach, to communicate with our consumers and to recruit even more citizens of ELO. We invested money and resources into digital – and it has paid off in spades: 40% of the sales are done on line now.

OM: That number grows to 70% in North America and a whopping 90% in China. 30% of our marketing team is exclusive to digital.

We must also recognize that the growth and interest in niche brands certainly helped, as did the pandemic. Online discovery is strongly supported by sampling and our discovery kit. Some brands may not want to produce these references as the margins aren’t great, but this is essential as a service and to elevate the consumer experience, which we prioritize.

You just mentioned the term niche – what does it mean?

OM: What does niche mean? Everything and nothing! We dare…we put money into our formulas, we open distribution where our customer goes, not where it is trendy to go. Our client wants innovative concepts, offers that are faithful to who we are, we continue the revolution!

EDS: In the old days when you said you were a niche fragrance brand it meant you were a brand that didn’t sell. But you have to protect yourself from what you want, you cannot self-sabotage. The ability to last has to be there. So, in a sense, this is my second wind. I see ELO now as a house of Poetry, as we transform themes from poetry into fragrance.

Give me an example!

EDS: The fragrance I am now most proud of, and which really exemplifies this direction is Hermann a mes cotés me paraissait un ombre. Indeed, this fragrance takes its name from a poem by the 19th century French author, Victor Hugo, “What Two Horsemen Were Thinking in the Forest”. One of the lines reads, “Hermann, at my side, seemed to me like a shadow”. Beyond being a shadow, it could be an invisible friend, an alter ego, or it could even be your perfume. It’s always a part of you. It may start off being fresh, but then its darker, almost gothic side comes out, a darkly romantic side which I liken to the song “Riders on the Storm”.

Look also at a fragrance like Nostos. It comes from a Greek word that refers to a memory from the past but it doesn’t differentiate between time and place. We get the word “nostalgia” from this word, and how perfect is that for fragrance which transports us to times and places.

What’s next in terms of product development?

OM: In the near future we will diversify into the home category with candles, diffusers and home scent. We will continue to develop our ranges: the Classic and the Orange Extraordinaire, and in fact we have two strategic launches coming out this year to celebrate our 20 years: one in April and one in October.

As you mark your 20 year anniversary, what do you consider to be the greatest accomplishments for the brand?

OM: We are very proud of our 20 year anniversary. Proud as an entrepreneur, that we have a strong business that is growing and is profitable. Proud from a human standpoint that we are growing our team and people are happy to come to work every day. Proud when we think back to the beginning when we were making samples in the basement of our Rue des Archives shop. We’ve remained faithful to who we are, we want to be different, surprising, with a freedom of voice. We don’t follow anyone or any trends: it’s not copy-paste with us.

That’s how Etienne described himself several years ago when he launched Exit the King. He is a man who has always been ahead of his time – from Oh My Dog to I Am Trash, a pioneer in upcycled ingredients and functional fragrance.

Where will his creativity take us in the next twenty years? Let us become citizens of Etat Libre d’Orange and trust in Etienne to lead the way.

For more information visit:

Etat Libre d'Orange | Maison de parfums