The story behind Obsidian Leather

 How memory becomes fragrance

Some scents begin long before fragrance oils are ever blended.
They begin in memory,

This spur belonged to my dad.  After he passed, we found exactly three spurs in his barn–one for each of his daughters. Looking back, there was something quietly profound about that moment: an everyday object, carrying more meaning than its form could ever explain. The leather was softened with age. The metal carried its own patina–marked and weathered by years of use. 

I've always been drawn to objects like that. Pieces that hold history in their texture.
Objects made to serve a purpose, yet somehow become more beautiful because they were lived with. Maybe that's why I've always been drawn to treasure hunting–finding the beauty in old objects that carry a story.

As the Forte collection began to take shape, I knew it needed a leather fragrance–something that was grounded and lasting to balance out the brighter and softer notes in the line up. Leather brings that rugged depth to a collection. It creates contrast and anchors the spectrum. It's distinct.

This old spur, worn by time, became the emotional starting point for Obsidian Leather. A small reminder of where we came from, and how we carry that forward to shape what we create.



When I began composing the fragrance, I wanted it to carry the same feeling that spur feels in my hand-grounded, steady like raw hide, but never heavy or overpowering.

The Notes:
• Leather became the foundation naturally. Not polished, but something deeper–worn hide, softened edges, familiar warmth. 
• Bergamot brings lift to the opening, a brightness that keeps the scent from becoming too dense. 
• Violet adds quiet elegance, softening the structure without taking away its strength. – Another memory unlocked here (but I'll save that story for another day) 
• The embers remain beneath it all, lingering like something remembered.

This is what I love most about fragrance: it's ability to preserve a feeling without explanation, a scent can hold memory the way an object does and carry emotion in a room without ever speaking.

This is the heart of Forte for me. Not just creating candles that smell beautiful, but composing atmosphere from stories, textures and moments that leave their mark on us. Obsidian leather is a personal example of that. Because sometimes inspiration isn't found in grand places. Sometimes it's waits quietly in what has been left behind–in the objects we keep, and in the memories that continue shaping what we create.