Miller Harris

Miller Harris is a British luxury fragrance house founded in 2000 with the aim of creating bespoke fragrances. The brand is committed to using beautiful natural materials while pushing creative boundaries. So who is behind this much-admired, distinctive brand? Here's everything you need to know. Miller Harris was founded by the pioneering perfumer Lian Harris, who grew up in Yorkshire and Scotland. She trained in perfumery with Monique Schlienger in Paris, then worked with Robert Bégar. In 2000, Harris created the Miller Harris fragrance and candle line with her partner, Christophe Michel. The line became known for fragrances such as L'Air de Rien, which Harris originally created as a bespoke scent for Jane Birkin. In 2012, London-based private equity firm Neo Capital acquired a stake in the company, and did so again in 2014. Harris, who remained a consultant and shareholder at Miller Harris, then turned her attention to a new venture. The aesthetic of Miller Harris fragrances was inspired by stories, memories and the finest natural ingredients. She says she has been fascinated by scents since she was very young. During school holidays, she worked in a perfume shop in her hometown. Back then, perfumery was reserved for the elite, and the shop was very luxurious, which left a lasting impression on her. Other memories take her back to the days she spent her summer holidays with her grandparents in Scotland. She would wake up to the smell of freshly baked bread. There were other intriguing scents around then, too, such as open fires and homemade jams. Her grandmother tended the flower garden around their walled home, where many varieties of roses, geraniums and sweet peas grew. So it's no wonder that even today, her senses are constantly stimulated by the scents around her. Perhaps it was almost fate that she later decided to travel to Paris to train in perfumery. Lian Harris says she leads a very ordinary life. "My day starts at 6:30 a.m. I get up to make breakfast, then take my son Henry to school. Then I go to my office or my lab in beautiful Notting Hill. The lab is below one of the Miller Harris shops, so it's great to see and talk to all the regular customers while I'm working there." And when it comes to her style of dress: "I like simple clothes with a good fit, and I also invest in a few classic pieces. Jeans! I love jeans. I love APC, Martin Margiela, Celine and New Balance. One of my favorite places in the whole world is an army surplus store in Batz-sur-Mer in Brittany called Top Cat. I've been going there for 25 years and buy all my coats from them. The last time I went, I actually found and bought some amazing cabinets that I have in my front room." Which Miller Harris fragrances does she prefer? "It's very hard to choose a favorite Miller Harris fragrance because I love them all," Lian says. "I can't really wear them during the week when I'm working in the lab because it interferes with creating new things," she explains. In this case, the cobbler's children go barefoot, but in the end she admits: "Right now, I love La Pluie, because the scent resonates with so many different moments in my life." So where does she get inspiration for her creations? "All the fragrances I create evoke a memory. Life is where I draw my inspiration from," she adds.