Exclusive Interview — Karl Cyprien, Founder of À LA
unveiling the world of scent, memory, and craftsmanship...
The world of scent and memory can tell a sentimental story, transforming fragrance from a simple accessory into a personal statement. À LA is about creating moments of pause to deeply connect to oneself of one's place.
In this exclusive interview for Tessuti, founder Karl Cyprien shares the inspiration behind the brand’s signature blends, the artistry of sourcing rare ingredients, and the philosophy behind the boutique perfume house that redefines modern luxury through craftsmanship and individuality...
What was your earliest memory of a significant scent?
When I think back to my childhood, three notes come to mind, in order of intensity, powder, rose, and musk.
When did your fascination gravitate towards traditional crafts and artisanal objects?
Our fascination with traditional crafts and artisanal objects developed gradually, long before À LA existed. For nearly fifteen years, we’ve been collecting decorative craft objects, particularly from Japan, living with them in our home, learning their rhythms, and understanding how they age and reveal themselves over time. That daily proximity was important; it allowed craft to become part of our lived environment rather than something admired at a distance.
At the same time, our curiosity deepened through travel and through making. Learning to wheel-throw our own ceramics gave us a firsthand understanding of patience, repetition, and restraint. Making objects ourselves changed how we looked at everything we collected; imperfections became meaningful, and process became as valuable as the finished form.
What ultimately binds this fascination together is the idea of custodial permanence. We don’t see ourselves as owners of these objects, but as temporary custodians. They carry histories before us and will outlast us, eventually finding their way into someone else’s hands.
Can you tell us about your relationship with Japan, and how their traditions in craftsmanship have informed some of your decision making with À LA?
Japan has been profoundly formative for both Meg and I. Collectively, we’ve traveled there more than thirty times over the past decade, and I lived in Japan in 2015. Those experiences were periods of observation, learning, and deep respect for how culture, craft, and daily life are intertwined.
What resonates most with us is Japan’s approach to craftsmanship: the patience, humility, and long view. Craft is not treated as trend or novelty, but as a living lineage, refined over generations through repetition and restraint. That philosophy has directly informed how we think about À LA.
This perspective has shaped many of our decisions. It’s why we prioritise subtlety over excess, longevity over immediacy, and intention over scale. Japan taught us that true refinement often comes from knowing what to leave out.
Why is a low-smoke incense better for your environment?
Low smoke incense offers a considered experience without sacrificing the scent output. This is achieved by using premium natural materials and precise techniques. Our clients tend to travel with their incense as well so it's important they can enjoy their incense discreetly.
There is something deeply primal about the scent of Agarwood, and your description 'a singular animalistic quality analogous to leather' enriches this notion. Can you tell us about your discovery of this scent?
À LA is guided by historical precedent, by moments where material, place, and ritual converge. Our incense and potpourri are made on Awaji Island, widely regarded as the birthplace of Japanese incense making. It was there, centuries ago, that a piece of aromatic agarwood drifted ashore behind Kareki Shrine. When it was discovered and burned by the local inhabitants, its fragrance was so extraordinary that it entered both record and ritual, marking the beginning of agarwood’s reverence in Japan.
Encountering agarwood in this context reframed it for us not simply as a rare material, but as a narrative anchor. It carries something ancient and instinctual: warm, resinous, slightly animalic, with a gravity that feels almost alive. That depth made it essential for À LA. We wanted a fragrance that didn’t sit on the surface, but one that grounded the entire collection, something timeless, introspective, and quietly powerful.
Music seems to be a strong pillar in your brand, and strengthens your devotion to offering complete sensory experiences. Why is sound important to you?
Scent is deeply tied to memory, emotion, and place. Music functions in much the same way. Both have the ability to transport us instantly, bypassing logic and speaking directly to feeling. A single note or melody can evoke a moment, a mood, or a time with the same immediacy as fragrance.
For us, sound completes the atmosphere that scent begins to build. Music sets tempo and space; it encourages stillness, reflection, or presence. When paired thoughtfully, scent and sound don’t compete. Together, they create a more immersive experience, one that lingers long after the moment itself has passed.
An interaction with à la seems to instantly slow down our pace, we are forced to take note of details in design and subtleties in scent. Why do you think it is important for us to have these kinds of objects in our daily lives?
À LA is about creating moments of pause. We move through much of daily life at a pace that leaves little room for reflection, and over time that speed can dull our sensitivity to materials, to atmosphere, to ourselves.
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Experience our collection of À LA, exclusive in New Zealand, in store and online here.
