Floris

History: Floris is an English company founded in 1730 by Juan Famenias Floris, an immigrant from Menorca (Spain). Initially, a London-based barber and maker of combs Floris would eventually turn his talents towards the creation of unique fragrances. Building on his experiences in the perfume centers of France Floris began to create exclusive custom scents for his customers. Recording the ingredients of the various scents so they could be recreated Floris soon built up a clientele that numbered both English luminaries and European aristocracy. Still owned and operated by the descendants of Juan Floris the company has become something of an icon of English fashion, known for their service, quality, and exclusivity and steeped in over two centuries of tradition.

No. 89 Jermyn Street: The long-time home of Floris is their flagship store in the middle of London's "Gentlemen's Clubland." Purchased by Juan Floris in the 18th century the store remained the center of all operations, including product production until the 1960's. In addition to its prestigious location, No. 89 is notable for its Spanish mahogany staircases (acquired from the 1851 London Exposition) and a large collection of historic Floris products from throughout the companies impressive history.

Royal Warrants: Long a staple of European aristocracy Floris has a prestigious history of Royal Warrants from the English Crown. Beginning with a Warrant issued by George IV in 1820, Floris has held 16 Royal Warrants. Currently, the company holds Warrants as Perfumers to HM The Queen Elizabeth II and as the considerably less regal sounding Manufacturers of Toilet Preparations to HRH The Prince of Wales.

• Fragrances: The signature fragrance from Floris is No. 89, recently reintroduced after a short absence. Famous as the fragrance used by James Bond in the Ian Fleming novellas, No. 89 is a classically English blend of orange and bergamot blended with lavender and nutmeg over a base of sandalwood, cedarwood, and vetiver. Other popular Men's fragrances include Elite, Santal and the eponymous JF. Unisex fragrances include Limes, a light scent of linden blooms, Cefiro, a citrus and woods fragrance, and No. 127, an orange extravaganza first created for a turn of the 20th century Romanov Grand Duke. Discontinued Men's fragrances include Santal Extreme, Vetiver and the greatly lamented Sandalwood.

• Aftershaves and Balms: All of the Men's fragrance lines include an after-shave splash and an after-shave balm. Both products come in the uniquely shaped Floris 100 ml bottles, with the after-shave being a splash bottle and the balm being a pump bottle.

• Shave Creams: The No. 89, Elite, JF, and Santal fragrance lines all include a skin-conditioning shave cream for use with a brush. Unlike many English firms, who routinely put their larger sizes of creams in tubs, Floris shaving creams come in large plastic tubes with hinged caps. While considered fairly expensive, these tubes (125 ml, 4.2 oz) are considerably larger than the smaller tubes used by other firms (typically 75 ml/ 2.5 ml).

• Shave Soaps: The No. 89, Elite,and JF fragrance lines all include a shaving soap for use with a brush. These soaps, which weigh 3.5 oz., are available in a covered wooden bowl or as individual refills.

• Shaving Tools: At present Floris offers a small collection of branded shaving tools. These include 4 badger shaving brushes, one of which is a travel-size brush with tube, a mock-ivory razor handle for the Mach 3 cartridge, and a shaving set with a stand, brush, and razor.

• Other grooming products In addition to the colognes and shaving requisites the Men's lines from Floris also include bath soaps and bath and shower gels.

The Mother Ship:

Floris
89 Jermyn Street,
London SW1Y 6JH

[email protected]

+44 (0) 845 702 3239

Notable U.K. Stockists:
John Lewis, Oxford Street
Fortnum and Mason, Jermyn Street
Peter Jones, Sloane Square
Harrods, Knightsbridge
John Lewis, Brent Cross
Selfridges, Oxford Street

U.S. Stockists:

Londons Bathecary
206 East Water Street
Charlottesville, Virginia, 22902
434-220-0540

British Isles Online
2366 Rice Blvd
Houston, Texas 77005
713-522-6868
[email protected]

• Floris - Company website
• London's Bathecary - U.S. Stockist