Imaginary Authors
Wildly inventive fragrances framed as fictional books.
Imaginary Authors is a Portland, Oregon house co-founded in 2012 by self-taught perfumer Josh Meyer and creative director Ashod Simonian. Each fragrance is framed as a fictional novel, complete with author, year, and synopsis printed on the box; the conceit gives Meyer license to compose around narrative ideas — a tennis match in mid-summer, a yellowing paperback, an unanswered telegram — rather than conventional fragrance briefs. Meyer learned blending in his basement before opening a studio, and the catalogue retains that hands-on, slightly literary feel: well-made compositions with strong character and a wink toward readers. Memoirs of a Trespasser, Yesterday Haze, and Saint Julep are among the most-cited releases. The house operates independently and ships worldwide from Portland, anchoring a small but devoted American niche scene.
DNA over time
Each column is an era. Each colored band shows that family’s share of accord weight across every perfume the house released in that window. Bigger band = the house leaned harder on that family.
