Storii Launches at Fablas, Barry Island: A Fragrance Wardrobe Inspired by Ice Cream

On the evening of Thursday 18th June, an ice cream parlour on Barry Island beach became the backdrop for one of Wales Perfumery’s most joyful evenings yet. Guests gathered at Fablas Ice Cream for the official launch of Storii, Wales Perfumery’s new fragrance wardrobe collection from founder and perfumer Louise Smith. It was warm, it was busy, and it smelled extraordinary.

Why Fablas Was the Perfect Setting for a Fragrance Wardrobe Launch

The venue was no coincidence. Storii’s three Chapters draw their inspiration from moments of sensory happiness: French macarons, vintage sweet shops, beautiful gardens, scented memories from the earliest parts of life. As Louise explained to guests on the evening:

“Scent is absolutely everywhere. It doesn’t matter where I walk, whether I’m sat on a beach, walking through a park, in my own garden, visiting friends. I constantly think of scent. You probably all look at things or hear things. I use my nose wherever I go.”

An ice cream parlour overlooking the sea, then, made complete sense. Lauren Evans of Fablas created a menu designed to mirror all three Chapters: a light vanilla sponge topped with rose buttercream and edible rose petals, fig and cream cheese tartlets, and a triple-scoop cone of vanilla, Turkish delight and mascarpone fig ice cream.

For anyone who has ever wondered what a fragrance wardrobe might taste like, this was a very good answer.

The Story Behind the Storii Collection

Storii is derived from the Welsh word for story, and the concept has been taking shape in Louise’s Monmouthshire studio for the past two years. Where Wales Perfumery’s other collections, Natur and The Celts, are rooted in the landscapes, history and natural world of Wales and the wider Celtic nations, Storii is something entirely different.

“My other collections are really deeply rooted in the themes and narratives of nature, history, the past. Storii is very different. Each fragrance is a chapter, and each chapter you can either wear alone or together. It’s the beginning of a collection that’s going to keep growing.”

The name itself was born in March 2025, when a cohort of MSc students from Cardiff Business School worked with Louise as part of their course. It was that group who gave the collection its identity. Jo Shaddick, who now coordinates marketing for Wales Perfumery, was part of that cohort. Louise thanked her warmly on the night, with characteristic honesty about the creative process:

“I said to her, this is the brief. I want to be able to create anything, but I don’t like colour. I only like white, cream, black and gold. Please don’t use any colour at all. So she inched in a few colours. And I started going, ooo, I actually like this colour. Now I’m like, what about pastel orange. I’ve gone through every colour of the rainbow. I’ve even got new coloured cushions in my house.”

Louise also thanked her son Henry and husband Kenton, who handled all the bottling ahead of the launch, and her sister Jayne, who has become something of a legend in Wales Perfumery circles. As Louise put it on the night, Jayne receives a small amber bottle in the post with “try this” and two kisses on the label whenever a new formulation is ready. The crowd loved it, and Jayne, it was confirmed, has not yet had an allergic reaction.

In all seriousness, all Wales Perfumery fragrances are vegan, never tested on animals, and fully compliant with UK cosmetic safety regulations. Jayne is simply very lucky.

Build Your Own Fragrance Wardrobe: The Three Storii Chapters

The idea at the heart of Storii is building a fragrance wardrobe that shifts with mood, season and occasion, rather than committing to a single signature scent. With three Chapters and the ability to layer them in any combination, Storii already offers up to seven different ways to wear the collection. As more Chapters are added, that number will grow.

Chapter One: Vanilla, Tonka, Mallow

Chapter One has a history that predates Storii by several years. For the past seven years, Louise has used the Wales Perfumery base in her perfume making workshops at the studio. Students kept asking if they could buy it. Now they can. Soft, musky and easy to wear, it works beautifully alone and as a base layer beneath either of the other Chapters. “The vanilla is soft, it’s musky, it’s a skin scent. You can wear it alone or with any of the other chapters. You can wear it with any of the other fragrances you have at home. It’s a really, really lovely scent to have.”

Chapter Two: Rose, Peony, Pink Pepper

This is not a traditional rose. As Louise put it on the night: “imagine not your old fashioned sort of flowery rose, but a rose that has had its petals dipped in icing sugar.” Sweet but with an edge, Chapter Two was Wales Perfumery’s best seller at Barnes Fragrance Fair in May, before the collection had even been officially launched.

Chapter Three: Fig, Coconut, Cedar

Rich, green and creamy in equal measure, Chapter Three brings together fig leaf, fig fruit, coconut and golden cedar. Louise described it as the shade of a fig tree in the sunshine. Fragrance writer Samantha Scriven of iscentyouaday called it “as fresh as an open window, and as green as grass.”

An Evening to Remember on Barry Island

The room at Fablas was full. Guests mingled amongst the Storii display while Louise passed the fragrances around, talking through the story behind each one. Cardiff Life Wales, who attended on the night, described it as “an inspiring evening celebrating fragrance, creativity and Welsh craftsmanship.”

In the corner of the room, cards were set out asking guests to write down their dream fragrance, a nod to the Chapters still to come. Louise already has a few family suggestions in the running.

“I know that Jayne’s suggestion is Salty Mandarin, Henry’s is Croissant, and Kenton’s is Maple Syrup. So what would yours be?”

After the fragrances had been passed around, the tartlets and sponge thoroughly tested, and the ice cream finished, Louise rounded off the evening with a paddle in the sea. Which, on a June evening at Barry Island with a collection well and truly launched, feels entirely right.

Discover the Storii Collection

Samantha Scriven of iscentyouaday attended the launch and has published a full review of all three Chapters. Samantha is a three-time Fragrance Foundation UK Jasmine Award finalist and co-author of The Perfume Companion, so her verdict is well worth a read.

Read Samantha’s review of Storii here

See what our friends at Cardiff Life Magazine had to say about the evening here

The Storii collection is available to buy now. If you are new to the collection, the Discovery Set is the ideal starting point: three 2ml vials of all three Chapters so you can explore before committing to a full bottle.

Shop the Storii Fragrance Layering Wardrobe now

And if this write up has given you a craving for something sweet, Fablas Ice Cream Parlour is on the beach at Barry Island. Their custard slices are, by all accounts, the stuff of legend.

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