
Van Gils
Release your real you.
Van Gils is a Dutch men's fashion and fragrance brand founded in 1948 by Hermiel (Miel) van Gils in Breda, who built an enterprise from borrowed sewing machines into a respected European label known for quality tailoring and a philosophy of authentic self-confidence over trend-chasing. The clothing business was well established by the time the brand turned to perfumery in the 1980s, launching the fragrance Strictly for Men in 1988 and establishing a line of clean, woody, aromatic compositions that complemented the masculine aesthetic of the fashion range. Van Gils fragrances are manufactured in the Netherlands and distributed internationally through perfumeries and drugstores, maintaining the accessible positioning of the parent brand. Since Miel van Gils handed control to his children in 1980, the house has remained committed to the founding spirit: rejecting fleeting fashion, manufacturing with care, and speaking to men who know who they are. The house is now owned by Vilenzo.
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.







