Byredo

Byredo is a Swedish luxury fragrance and lifestyle brand founded in Stockholm in 2006 by Ben Gorham. The brand began with a focused fragrance proposition and developed a distinctive identity around scents associated with memories, places, emotions, and personal narratives. Its name is commonly described as a shortened form of “by redolence,” linking the company to the language of scent while retaining an abstract, contemporary character. The first fragrance associated with the brand was Green, a composition built around sage, orange, and musk. Byredo subsequently established a broad fragrance portfolio that includes perfumes such as Gypsy Water, Mojave Ghost, and Bal d’Afrique, alongside candles and body-care products. Its packaging and retail presentation are characterized by restrained typography, monochromatic bottles, and a generally minimalist visual system. This design language helped Byredo appeal not only to traditional fragrance customers but also to consumers interested in fashion, interiors, art, and contemporary culture. The company’s business expanded beyond perfume during the 2010s. In 2013, founder Ben Gorham sold a majority stake to Manzanita Capital, a London-based investment firm associated with beauty and specialty-retail businesses including Diptyque, Malin + Goetz, and Space NK. Byredo continued to develop its international retail presence during this period, including the opening of a second store in New York’s SoHo district in 2015. In 2017, it presented its first handbag and other accessory collections during Paris Fashion Week, marking a more explicit move into fashion and leather goods. Byredo also built visibility through collaborations with creative figures and companies from adjacent cultural fields. Its documented collaborations include work with perfumer Jérôme Epinette, photographers Inez and Vinoodh, designer Virgil Abloh, furniture company IKEA, makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench, and rapper Travis Scott. These projects broadened the brand’s cultural reach and supported its positioning as a multidisciplinary luxury label rather than only a perfume house. In May 2022, Spanish luxury group Puig acquired a majority stake in Byredo. Ben Gorham remained a shareholder and continued as the brand’s chief creative officer, preserving a connection between the founding creative vision and the new corporate ownership. Byredo later added fine jewelry as a permanent category in November 2023. The brand’s known scope now includes fine fragrance, home fragrance, body care, makeup, leather goods, fashion accessories, and jewelry, although fragrance remains its central commercial and identity platform.

Byredo was established in Stockholm in 2006 by Ben Gorham. The company’s name is associated with the phrase “by redolence,” reflecting its original emphasis on fragrance while giving the brand a concise and modern identity. Its first fragrance, Green, used sage, orange, and musk, establishing the company’s early interest in distinctive compositions rather than a conventional mass-market fragrance profile. During its initial development, Byredo built a luxury positioning through a combination of selective distribution, restrained packaging, and scent concepts connected to memory and emotion. The company became recognized for fragrance names and compositions that suggested locations, cultural references, and personal experiences. Products such as Gypsy Water, Mojave Ghost, and Bal d’Afrique became important examples of the brand’s signature approach, while candles and body-care products broadened the ways customers could engage with the brand. A major ownership transition occurred in 2013, when Gorham sold a majority stake to Manzanita Capital, a London-based investment firm with interests in premium beauty and specialty retail. The transaction provided a new ownership structure while allowing Byredo to continue developing its brand identity. Its retail footprint expanded internationally, including a second New York store in SoHo in 2015. Byredo moved into fashion and accessories in the second half of the 2010s. At the 2017 Paris Fashion Week, it presented its first collection of handbags and other accessories. This move supported a broader interpretation of the company as a luxury lifestyle brand. The expansion was also reflected in collaborations with creative partners. Documented projects involved perfumer Jérôme Epinette and photographers Inez and Vinoodh in 2016, designer Virgil Abloh in 2018, IKEA and makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench in 2020, and Travis Scott in 2021. These collaborations connected Byredo with perfumery, photography, fashion, interiors, beauty, and music culture. In May 2022, Puig acquired a majority stake in Byredo. Puig’s ownership placed the Swedish brand within a larger international luxury and beauty group. Gorham continued as a shareholder and chief creative officer, maintaining a formal creative role after the transaction. Byredo then continued its category expansion, making fine jewelry a permanent part of the business in November 2023. Its documented product scope now extends across fragrance, home scent, body care, makeup, leather goods, fashion accessories, and jewelry, with fine fragrance remaining the brand’s defining category.

1. 2023Fine jewelry becomes a permanent category

   Byredo launches fine jewelry as an ongoing category in its product portfolio.

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2. 2022Puig acquires a majority stake

   Puig becomes the majority owner of Byredo, while Ben Gorham remains a shareholder and chief creative officer.

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3. 2017First handbags and accessories collection

   The brand presents its first handbags and other accessories at Paris Fashion Week.

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4. 2015Second New York store opens

   Byredo opens a second store in New York’s SoHo district.

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5. 2013Manzanita Capital takes a majority stake

   Ben Gorham sells a majority stake in Byredo to Manzanita Capital.

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6. 2006Byredo is founded in Stockholm

   Ben Gorham establishes Byredo in Stockholm as a luxury fragrance company.

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7. 2006Green becomes the first released fragrance

   The company’s first fragrance, Green, is described as a composition featuring sage, orange, and musk.

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Luxury

• GreenFine fragrance2006

  Green was Byredo’s first released fragrance. It is described as a composition built around sage, orange, and musk, and represents the company’s early focus on distinctive, concept-led scent construction.

• Gypsy WaterFine fragrance

  Gypsy Water is one of Byredo’s best-known fragrance offerings. It belongs to the brand’s core fine-fragrance portfolio and exemplifies Byredo’s practice of associating perfumes with evocative narratives and a recognizable minimalist presentation.

• Mojave GhostFine fragrance

  Mojave Ghost is a prominent Byredo fragrance associated with the brand’s modern luxury positioning. It is part of the core perfume range and is presented through Byredo’s characteristic understated packaging and emotionally suggestive naming.

• Bal d'AfriqueFine fragrance

  Bal d’Afrique is a signature Byredo perfume and one of the brand’s recognized flagship offerings. It reflects the company’s use of cultural and place-based references to create fragrance concepts that extend beyond purely functional descriptions.

• Candles and home fragranceHome fragrance

  Byredo’s candles and home-fragrance products extend its scent vocabulary into interior spaces. These products use the same restrained visual identity and premium positioning as the perfume range, allowing the brand to participate in both personal fragrance and home ambience.

• Body careBody care

  Body-care products form a complementary part of Byredo’s beauty offering. They provide additional formats through which the brand’s fragrance concepts and design language can be used in everyday personal-care routines.

• Handbags and accessoriesLeather goods and accessories2017

  Byredo introduced handbags and other accessories in 2017, broadening the company from a fragrance-led business into luxury fashion and lifestyle goods. The category supports the brand’s broader design identity and its positioning at the intersection of beauty, fashion, and culture.

• Fine jewelryJewelry2023

  Fine jewelry became a permanent Byredo category in 2023. Its addition further expanded the company’s luxury-goods scope beyond scent, body products, and accessories.

• 2021Collaboration with Travis Scott

  International

  Byredo released products in collaboration with US rapper Travis Scott, connecting the brand with music and contemporary popular culture.

  Outcome. Expanded cultural reach through a high-profile music collaboration.

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• 2020Byredo and IKEA collaboration

  International

  Byredo released products in collaboration with IKEA, bringing its scent and design perspective into a broader home and interiors context.

  Outcome. Connected the brand with furniture, interiors, and accessible design culture.

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• 2020Collaboration with Isamaya Ffrench

  International

  Byredo collaborated with makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench, contributing to the brand’s expansion and visibility in color cosmetics and creative beauty.

  Outcome. Broadened Byredo’s beauty credentials beyond fragrance.

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• 2018Collaboration with Virgil Abloh

  International

  Byredo collaborated with designer Virgil Abloh, linking the brand with contemporary fashion design and Abloh’s wider creative practice.

  Outcome. Strengthened Byredo’s position within fashion-oriented luxury culture.

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• 2016Collaboration with Jérôme Epinette

  International

  Byredo collaborated with perfumer Jérôme Epinette on fragrance development, supporting the brand’s emphasis on distinctive and concept-driven scent compositions.

  Outcome. Expanded the brand’s fragrance collaboration network.

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• 2016Collaboration with Inez and Vinoodh

  International

  Byredo worked with photographers Inez and Vinoodh in a collaboration connecting the fragrance brand with contemporary fashion and image-making.

  Outcome. Extended Byredo’s cultural and visual profile.

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• 2023Make fine jewelry a permanent categoryProduct launch

  Byredo had already expanded beyond fragrance into body care, makeup, leather goods, and accessories.

  What changed. The brand launched fine jewelry as a permanent product category.

  Aftermath. The decision extended Byredo’s scope further into luxury goods and reinforced its multidisciplinary positioning.

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• 2022Join Puig’s luxury portfolioM&A

  Byredo had expanded from fragrance into beauty, accessories, and other lifestyle categories, while Puig was building its high-end luxury portfolio.

  What changed. Puig acquired a majority stake in Byredo, with Ben Gorham retaining a shareholding and serving as chief creative officer.

  Aftermath. Byredo became part of Puig’s international luxury group while retaining continuity in its founder-led creative direction.

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• 2017Enter handbags and accessoriesProduct launch

  Byredo had established a recognized luxury fragrance and home-scent business and was extending its design-led identity.

  What changed. The company presented its first collection of handbags and other accessories at Paris Fashion Week.

  Aftermath. The move positioned Byredo more clearly as a broader luxury lifestyle and fashion brand.

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• 2013Sell a majority stake to Manzanita CapitalM&A

  Byredo was founded as an independent Stockholm fragrance company and sought to develop its premium brand and retail presence.

  What changed. Founder Ben Gorham sold a majority stake to London-based investment firm Manzanita Capital.

  Aftermath. Byredo continued its international expansion and later broadened into accessories and other luxury categories.

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• 2023Byredo makes fine jewelry a permanent category

  The brand introduced fine jewelry as a permanent product category, adding another luxury-goods segment to its fragrance, beauty, and accessories portfolio.

  Product launch
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• 2022Puig acquires a majority stake in Byredo

  Spanish conglomerate Puig acquired a majority stake in Byredo. Ben Gorham remained a shareholder and continued as chief creative officer.

  M&ALeadership change
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• 2017Byredo presents handbags and accessories at Paris Fashion Week

  Byredo introduced its first collection of handbags and other accessories, extending the brand beyond fragrance and body products into fashion-related goods.

  Product launch
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• 2015Byredo opens a second store in New York's SoHo district

  The brand expanded its directly operated retail presence with a second store in New York’s SoHo neighborhood.

  Other
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• 2013Byredo sells majority stake to Manzanita Capital

  Founder Ben Gorham sold a majority stake in Byredo to London-based investment firm Manzanita Capital, which had investments and ownership interests in several beauty and specialty-retail businesses.

  M&A
  Source

1. Byredo
2. Byredo official website