STORA SKUGGAN

Stora Skuggan, Swedish for ‘big shadow’, is a Stockholm based fragrance house known for its artistic and conceptual approach to scent. It was founded in 2015 by a collective of creatives – Anna Barkne, Olle Hemmendorff, Jakob Hempel, Jonas Nordin and Martin Nicolausson. The team developed a joint design process describing themselves as ‘a nose in unison’, crafting unisex highly-conceptual fragrances with mythical stories. Each Stora Skuggan perfume circuits around a myth or a phenomenon which becomes like a universe and world in which the scents grown in.

Stora Skuggan places a great emphasis on its ingredients and meticulous blending techniques. They use both essential oils and synthetic materials of the highest quality, never cutting corners by using cheaper substitutes as their focus is on quality over quantity. Each fragrance is crafted in small batches after years of  dedication towards perfecting its composition - with fragrances like Mistpouffer that underwent four years of development. With perfumes like The Fantôme de Maules contains a mixture of bergamot, oakmoss, vetiver and tonka bean reflecting their commitment towards innovative formulas and creating multiple olfactory dimension.

Stora Skuggan’s takes a research-based approach to sustainability which is rather pragmatic. They challenge the romanticism of ‘all-natural’ perfumery, by embracing high-quality synthetic ingredients as they have environmental and ethical advantages - with natural elements such as rose oil requiring vast agricultural resources and no benefits. Aside from Thumbsucker, which contains beeswax all their perfumes are vegan and they actively research materials to avoid non-biodegradable molecules and compounds which can harm the environment.

Each complex composition deserves a body which portrays its depth and concept, therefore the Stora Skuggan’s mythical identity can be seen through its distinct packaging. The fragrances come in sleek, minimalist glass bottle finished with a handmade suspended glass cap – a design element which has become their signature. Stora Skuggan is a visual representation of their Scandinavian minimalist roots but with a twist - designed to evoke worlds, each fragrance blurring the line between reality and fiction.