Our story
The Ormonde Jayne story is a journey of discovery for Founder & Creator, Linda Pilkington. From a young age, her sense of aesthetics, boundless energy and a curious mind, remain the driving force behind Ormonde Jayne.
Origins
Growing up in a quiet village led Linda to entertain herself with Arts and Crafts, a hobby she embraced with enthusiasm. Nurturing her natural desire to experiment with design, craftmanship and flavours allowed Linda’s artistic freedom to expand into creating hand-made rolled beeswax candles which she dyed black, room sprays poured into antique bottles and extraordinary recipes for home-made chocolates and ice creams, all formulations kept in hand-made envelopes, closed with shiny black wax seal.
Her interest in antique perfume bottles led her to becoming a collector to satisfy her fondness of sensuous luxury and revealed a fledgling sybarite on a quest for perfection. As the number of perfume flacons grew, she was in turn given a full bottle of Madame Rochas; it was like receiving a piece of treasure, the visual impact of this cognac coloured perfume in a sculptured bottle and a heavy gold cap was a defining moment for Linda, as a sense of jubilation ignited the thought of an exciting new world of fine fragrance, beginning a lifelong fascination into the world of perfumery.
As a young woman, Linda travelled far, visiting the Middle East and Asia, collecting spices, oils and textiles, eventually settling in South America and establishing her first business venture, a high-end ice cream parlour. Offering innovative combinations of fragrance and flavours, each aromatic creation incorporated the inspirations from her travels. Presentation was always key and Linda’s ice creams were served in ornate glass dishes for two. It was a successful experience which led to a life-long obsession with combining unusual ingredients in desirable fragrant formulations and bigger dreams to come.
Happenstance
Returning home, Linda settled in London. A chance meeting in Old Bond Street resulted in her first client, Chanel Fine Jewellery. The brief was to create an exceptional scented candle, to match the decor in Coco Chanel's apartment in The Ritz, Paris. Linda could not resist the challenge; this was an opportunity to showcase the best of her skills.
After months of working from her kitchen, experimenting with the fragrance and the right colour, an order for 50 scented candles was placed. Not owning a company to present an invoice, Linda registered Ormonde Jayne combining her middle name and the name of the road where she had established her first petit atelier. Word of mouth, quickly spread amongst London’s cognoscenti, it wasn’t long before her inspirational vision and high exacting standards brought some of the world’s leading luxury houses to her door.
A house is Born Head Heart & Soul
Having outgrown the home atelier, Linda showed her ambition, with a head for business and a confident mind, she took on her first studio and began manufacturing for other companies but in her heart the desire to create her own “House” was always there. Putting pen to paper, Linda’s vision for Ormonde Jayne gradually took shape. In her mind the ‘House’ should have a logic, a soul, bringing together all aspects of her interests - numerology, the number eight, representative of infinity and a vibrant bold colour to showcase positivity and optimism. Rare ingredients not widely used in perfumery, tying together her love for so many aspects of a sybarite’s desires.
Her vision was a desire to create cutting edge perfumes. The ingredients should unfold like fine cuisine, the flacon should sparkle under lights like crystal and of course, a proper heavy over-cap. The unmistakable style and colour of Ormonde Jayne - intelligent design, clean lines, solid and functional yet oozing sensuality and a modern edge, with signature contrasting colours of vibrant mandarin and textured linens. It’s timeless, innovative, masculine yet feminine and eye catching.
La Boutique
In October 2001, when a bijou space became available on London’s Old Bond Street, Linda’s trademark vitality and commitment, convinced the landlord that Ormonde Jayne would be a success and fit well amongst the surrounding prestigious stores. Ormonde Jayne’s boutique had not only opened its own doors but also those to a new era for British luxury perfume. Today, the Ormonde Jayne boutique remains in the prestigious Royal Arcade and is a haven for Linda’s take on modern British perfumery.
The Lab
Upholding the values of a perfectionist and a commitment to British manufacturing,
all products continue to be made in the Ormonde Jayne studio, which is now located
in Kent “The Garden of England”.
As manufacturers, the company is independently audited and is certified GMP (Good
Manufacturing Practices).
Oils are infused for months in our maturation room, before filtration and bottling.
Perfumes are poured to the maximum strength permitted and our in-house trained
staff inspect every stage of production for quality control.
Quality English Craftsmanship
Today, Ormonde Jayne remains an independent luxury perfume house of uncompromising perfection with every aspect benefiting from the personal attention of the creator & founder
