Nolita Makes Scents

As a traveller, you know that moment. You open your suitcase for the first time back at home and catch a fleeting scent of your trip left clinging to clothes and souvenirs; it instantly takes you right back.

I had such a moment a few weeks ago, and was instantly transported back to Nolita. Just north of Little Italy, Nolita is a tree-filled Manhattan neighborhood dripping with approachable coolness. Its cobblestone streets lined with cute cafes, eclectic fashion boutiques and independent book stores seduce the eyes and palate, but if you follow your nose you’ll catch a whiff of the area’s most fragrant feature: its perfumeries. Amongst the numerous shopfronts emitting a symphony of smells, two in particular strike a top note.

Le Labo is a revolutionary perfumery rallying against mass-produced scents and cologne conformity by offering customized batches of handmade perfumes from their Nolita laboratory. Amongst their eclectic line of perfumes lies Le Labo’s most fascinating experiment, especially for travellers: a scented journal infused with a different fragrance every ten pages. Now you can open your journal instead of your suitcase, and in a whiff be whisked back to Berlin or Bali, even before reading one word.

In contrast, Atelier Cologne takes a classic approach to perfumes. Their claim to fame is their re-creation of the first ever eau de cologne, a refreshing blend of citrus oils created by an Italian perfumer in Cologne, Germany roughly 300 years ago. Their collection of six unisex colognes representing six characters or moments promises to “capture treasured emotions and powerful memories.”

Burrowing my nose into a black pashmina on a cold fall day back in Toronto, Atelier’s Oolang Infini flooded my senses in that magical way that only a particular scent can. I was transported straight back to the pier from my trip, watching Manhattan glow in an unforgettable crimson and Chinese blue tea sunset. I recommend always returning from an adventure with a special new friend: a scent absolutely worthy of all your memories.

Mara Munro is a travel writer and yoga teacher keeping her nose to the ground for fragrant adventures. Contact her to share your scent memories from far-off lands, or if you agree that a scented journal may just be a travel writer’s new best friend.