Meet Wit & West

We have to ask, do you have a story behind your company name?
Wit & West Perfumes is named for myself and my husband (i.e., the owners of the brand), Whitney (aka Wit) and my husband's last name (aka West).

Your names really go so well together. Tell us more on how you got started?

From as early as I can remember I have had a passion for scent and the world of perfume. Beyond my own passion for perfume, my husband (West) and I have always been captivated by music and the visual and gastronomic arts and constantly drawn toward travel and unique cultural experiences. How could we join these pursuits together in an interesting and genuine fashion? Perfume.

After spending time studying and experimenting with perfume making on my own, I longed to explore the world outside the bounds of commercialized synthetic scents and move into the world of handcrafted natural perfumery. Encouraged by West to channel my desire to create a unique and expansive natural perfume line as well as nurture my delight in constructing custom bespoke perfumes, I set out to learn from the masters by studying perfumery with world-renowned natural perfumers such as Anya McCoy of the Natural Perfumery Institute, Mandy Aftel, owner of Aftelier Perfumes and Charna Ethier of Providence Perfume Co.

Embracing the process and art of perfumery, thrilled by West’s willingness to join me on this journey, and inspired by the idea of building an uncompromising perfumery that could connect life’s many passions and share them with others, Wit & West was founded.

That’s very inspiring. What inspires you to create?

My inspiration to create a perfume is driven by experiences (the connection of the sense of smell to memories). As an example, Gavitella is the Wit & West perfume that was inspired by our time in Praiano, Italy and the beach named Gavitella. Stunning and beautiful, the lesser-known hidden gem along the Amalfi Coast, Gavitella is just a mere 350 steps down rocky cliffs shaded by citrus and olive trees.

What is your favorite part of the process?

Perfumery is a methodical, iterative process that requires stringent record keeping and constant experimentation to finalize a formula. However, that is not all perfumery is. Truly, perfumery is an olfactory artform (our olfactory system is the sensory system used to smell or what is known as olfaction). For me as a maker, the art of perfume making is a powerful creative process that requires not only formulating a perfume that smells beautifully, but also one that taps into the connection of our sense of smell and its effect on our memory recall and our emotions.

Do you have a favorite scent you have created?

My favorite perfume I've created would have to be either Gavitella (mentioned above) or one of our most popular perfumes Brumaire Woods and/or Summit Rose (the latter being Colorado themed of course!).

Take us through a typical day in the studio for you?

It depends on the day of the week! I am not only a small business owner and maker, but I also work full-time for a national hotel chain as the head of marketing. This means most of my work starts after 5pm on weekdays and 8am on weekends for Wit & West.

A typical day is focused on everything from order fulfillment for B2C orders that come in through witandwest.com to inventory management and perfume making (restocking our perfumes as needed via our small-batch perfume process which includes the aging of each perfume for up to 8 weeks depending on the perfume) as well as other standard day-to-day business activities like social/digital marketing, website optimization, etc.

Beyond the standard day-to-day operations of Wit & West, I am focused on new products such as the launch of our new Cologne Collection (pre-launched through wholesale and at pop-ups in July with official launch on our website in late August), formulating a new perfume for our Reserve Collection, Bespoke clients I'm currently creating custom perfumes for as well as outreach to potential wholesale partners at local brick-and-mortar boutiques and shops around the state of Colorado.

In prepping for Jackalope, what will you be bringing to show in Olde Town Arvada?

We will be bringing our Signature (includes 10 eau de parfums) and Reserve Collections (2 limited release eau de parfums) as well as our new Cologne Collection (3 eau de colognes). For the event itself we will have 15ml bottles only but both samples and 50ml bottles are available on our website at witandwest.com(shipping is free for every order in the state of Colorado).

So fun, we can’t wait to come over and smell all of your creations! Final question: what do you love most about Colorado?

I am a Colorado native so Colorado obviously holds a special place in my heart. For me, my favorite thing about Colorado is the weather and the varied seasons that come with it. My favorite season is fall because it is time to slow down and reset.

Fall really is a gorgeous time in Colorado. We can’t wait to see you in person this September 18th & 19th when Jackalope takes over Olde Town Arvada. See you soon!

Where to see more of Wit & West:

Website | witandwest.com

Instagram | @witandwest