Meet The Makers x Chandrika Thomas

Meet Chandrika Thomas, Founder and Creative Director of Chandrika Thomas London, an independent British luxury fragrance house now evolving into a wider lifestyle brand. With more than two decades in couture and design, Chandrika brings her eye for craftsmanship, detail and storytelling to fine fragrance, home fragrance, body care and beyond.

After a successful career as a couture wedding dress designer, what inspired you to pivot into fine perfumery, and how does your background in luxury design influence the way you craft your botanical fragrances?

I have always been very sensory driven, even from childhood. Scent, colour, texture and the feeling something creates have always stayed with me. That instinct naturally found its way into my work, and for more than two successful decades I expressed it through designing couture wedding dresses. A wedding dress is created for one extraordinary day, and I began to ask myself, how could I bring that same feeling of luxury and of something truly special into everyday life? Fragrance became the answer. It has the ability to make an ordinary day feel special; it becomes part of how you dress, how you feel and how you remember a moment. Over time, it becomes part of your story. Moving into perfumery therefore felt less like leaving one creative world for another and more like discovering a new medium for expressing that same instinct. For me, creating a fragrance is very similar to creating a couture wedding dress. Both require artistry, craftsmanship and an incredible attention to detail. With couture, you bring together fabric, structure, texture and proportion; with fragrance, you work with different notes, layers and contrasts. In both, every element has to work in harmony to create something with its own identity. The artistry is in bringing all those individual elements together and turning them into something that feels entirely your own.

As we transition into autumn routines, which Chandrika Thomas scent or home diffuser is your go-to for creating an inviting seasonal feeling?

Marrakesh is particularly beautiful in autumn because it has so many layers, and the cooler weather seems to bring those layers to life. It opens with brightness, but very quickly you begin to discover this wonderful abundance of florals: orange blossom, tuberose, jasmine, rose and ylang ylang, with clove running through the heart and giving it warmth and character. As it settles, musk, cedarwood, patchouli, tonka bean and amber give it a deeper, more enveloping quality. What I love about Marrakesh is the contrast. It is rich without being heavy, floral without being simply pretty, and warm without becoming overly sweet. There is a sense of opulence to it, but also something comforting and familiar. It continues to reveal different facets as you experience it, which is why it has such a presence and why it works so beautifully at this time of year. As a diffuser, that same complexity changes the atmosphere of a room. It fills the space beautifully and gives it warmth, depth and character. I often think of fragrance as another way of dressing an interior: just as fabrics, lighting and texture can completely change the feeling of a room, scent can do the same. In autumn, Marrakesh gives the home that final layer, making it feel richer, warmer and more inviting.

Fragrance is such an intimate, thoughtful gift. What makes a Chandrika Thomas perfume the ultimate treat to unwrap on Christmas morning?

There is something very special about giving fragrance at Christmas. It is such a personal choice and, when you find the right one, it feels as though it has been chosen especially for that person. At Chandrika Thomas, the perfume itself is at the heart of the gift. We create exquisite fragrances that are beautiful to wear and feel very special on the skin. We then carry that sense of luxury through to the presentation, with our beautifully handmade packaging and the experience of opening the box and discovering the perfume inside. We often receive lovely messages from customers who have given one of our fragrances as a present, telling us how delighted the recipient was. That is always wonderful to hear. We also have sets of 15ml fragrances, which are rather lovely for Christmas stockings, or for giving someone a selection of scents to discover. And long after Christmas Day, the fragrance remains. It is worn and enjoyed, and can become associated with the person who gave it and the memories of that Christmas. For me, that is what makes perfume such a beautiful gift.

Be sure to check out Chandrika Thomas this year at our 25th year anniversary Spirit of Christmas Fair! They'll be located stand: O125 at the Grand Hall!

Book your tickets here!