I’ve decided to do another “top 5” article. And just like the last one, it’s deliberately lacking in objectivity.

What are the parameters or criteria? Well, basically, there aren’t any. I just wanted a space to capture brands that are either new, newish, or at least new to me, and that have really grabbed my attention during the course of my travels so far this year.

I also really like lists.

Anyway, these brands, unencumbered by the complex and often quite boring constraints that big retailers are drowning in, are all bringing fresh ideas and strategies to the industry – and that feels more important than ever.

So here they are, and they really are in no particular order.

1. Ffern, UK

Ffern, a fragrance brand, aren’t that new but I would think they will be new to many.

That’s because they have one store, low-key marketing and a subscription-based business model that means they release four seasonal perfumes a year to members, all made in Cornwall. In a loud and brash beauty world, Ffern are a wonderfully refreshing antidote.

And at the heart of their brilliance is that low-key marketing. The videos that accompany each new fragrance are masterful works of art. The most recent, starring British national treasure Bill Nighy, is genuinely better than 90% of what I’ve seen on Netflix this year.

Their store in Soho, meanwhile, is the most perfect brand home. Ingeniously, it also features an archive-like space that showcases former fragrances.

The fragrance world is really lacking new and exciting brand identities – but Ffern are showing the way forward. And it works – there are currently half a million people on the waiting list for a Ffern subscription, and 20,000 people are adding their name each week.

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