Those who experienced Florstalgia: it was more than a fragrance exhibit—it was a celebration of scent and memory right here in New York
In partnership with Givaudan, the legendary house with 250 years of fragrance mastery, and the incomparable Rodrigo Flores-Roux, we opened the vaults to a world of floral perfumery.
Rodrigo Flores-Roux re-imagined 7 iconic floral notes into fresh fragrances for today. 📷 ARIN SANG-URAI/photojuice
Our ambition for Florstalgia was simple: to celebrate the artistry of florals in fragrance & honor the work of Rodrigo Flores-Roux.
Flores has shaped some of the world’s most beloved scents—including Arquiste, which we’re proud to carry at Stéle. To our surprise (and, well shock!) Rodrigo didn't end up opening the vaults - he created seven new & exclusive fragrances to exhibit at Stéle—rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, iris, violet, tuberose, and carnation—each inspired by classic blooms and reimagined for the future.
These scents were never for sale, only experienced for a fleeting moment.
A fragrance exhibit for the record books.
“This is the very first time we have partnered with retail to bring our perfumes to life, and who better than Stéle to showcase these niche scents?!”
Each fragrance was housed in custom designed bottles with their inspiration embossed on the label. 📸 ARIN SANG-URAI/photojuice
Givaudan crafted a detailed exploration of floral fragrances and the perfumer's inspiration.
The week Florstalgia opened, New York was drenched.
They say showers bring flowers, but this year, we clearly needed a few more inches. Every day, umbrellas dotted the streets of Nolita, and guests arrived with raincoats and anticipation, ready to step into a world of scent and story.
Inside, vintage string music reminiscent of classic Italian films and shimmering piano ballads filled the air, perfectly complementing the blend of floral notes and raw materials drifting through the space.
Eight foot cherry blossoms towered to the ceiling, slowly opening their flowers through the week. Nadia Kadri of PerfumeVerse echoed our sentiment "...cant tell you how magical these florals look. We are privileged with the beauty that is a FLOWER! May we never lose them."
Some guests, traveled far to join us at the fragrance exhibit, and other's watched from afar with "a major case of city envy.”
One shared the tuberose “transported me back to my grandmother’s garden,” while Christina Loff of the Dry Down Diaries reminisced...“the violet reminded me of my first prom corsage. I sprayed a bit of ylang ylang on my hand and found myself returning to it all night."
The rain that had been our constant companion finally parted, and for the first time, sunlight poured through our windows. It felt like a sign—like the city itself was celebrating with us. The rest of the weekend was drenched in golden light, and the scents seemed to bloom even brighter.
Guests arriving for the Smell & Tell Event, the cornerstone moment of the week. 📷 ARIN SANG-URAI/photojuice
Thursday evening, the space filled for the inaugural Smell + Tell at Stéle —an evening of conversation & discovery, hosted by Emma Vernon.
Ever since we met Emma and had a wonderful chat on Perfume Room we've wanted to do something special again together - all night long we kept thinking "this just feels right."
Emma leads a panel with Rodrigo and Stéle founders, recorded live for a future episode of the Perfume Room 📷 ARIN SANG-URAI/photojuice
“At Smell + Tell and the Florstalgia fragrance exhibit you’ll get an intimate, immersive, and of course, entertaining behind-the-scenes look at the role of florals in perfumery, from the perfumer’s desk all the way to store display (and of course, we’ll be smelling notes, accords, and perfumes along the way!)” Emma shared.
The panel—Rodrigo, Emma, and Stéle’s founders—opened the floor to guests. “What makes a floral perfume ‘beginner’ versus ‘advanced’ from both a creator’s and a retailer’s point of view?” “Which floral notes are blooming right now, and how can we trace them back to the vintage florals who paved the way?”
The questions flowed as freely as the champagne, and the room buzzed with laughter and insight. The fragrance exhibit was lit up with friends, collaborators, fragrance enthusiasts and many new faces. We were pleased to have longtime Stéle originals like Maison d'Etto's Brianna Lipovsky, Arquiste's Carlos Huber, Amphora Parfum's Noah Virgile - all by our side.
An intimate morning masterclass concluded the week.
Over champagne and light bites, we celebrated the end of Florstalgia as Rodrigo shared the stories behind each creation—how iris can evoke both powdery nostalgia and futuristic cool, or how carnation’s spicy warmth can feel vintage and new.
Blotters for each fragrance and it's companion note. 📷 ARIN SANG-URAI/photojuice
Rodrigo opened his heart to the crowd, sharing his own memories: “For me, carnation is the scent of my grandmother’s dressing table. I remember watching her get ready, the air filled with that spicy, powdery note. Creating this fragrance was like bottling a piece of my childhood.” He continued, “Tuberose was the first flower I ever fell in love with. I would sneak into the garden at night just to smell it in the dark. There’s something almost forbidden and provocative about its beauty.”
Attendees responded in kind, sharing their own stories: “Hearing Rodrigo talk about his grandmother's carnation perfume made me think of my own mom’s rose water. Scent really is a time machine.”
As one guest wrote, “The attendees were mesmerized by the masterful storytelling by Rodrigo as he walked through the seven fragrances and we all got a sniff.”
The fragrance exhibit sparked lively debate: “A bit of inside information, the top spot of new fragrances are Carnation and Tuberose on top, Iris taking a strong second, Jasmine and Rose sitting at third and Violet creating the strongest reaction.”
Guests at Florstalgia. 📷 ARIN SANG-URAI/photojuice
Florstalgia was a fleeting moment, but its spirit will linger—on our skin, in our memories, and in the heart of Stéle.
Florstalgia has welcomed over 3,000 visitors and counting —each one part of our ever-growing circle of scent lovers. The exhibit continues through the month, with a holographic Rodrigo (enabled via quick scan of a QR code) guiding new guests through each fragrance, ensuring the magic lingers a little longer.
But as with everything at Stéle, it’s never just about the product. Although we are a retail store with bills to pay...these fragrances will never be for sale.
It’s about the shared experiences, the conversation, and the community we build together.
We’re grateful for your support. Every purchase helps keep our doors open and enables us to continue creating a space for discovery and connection. As one put it : “So inspiring to see Givaudan bringing niche fragrance to life outside the lab — this is what the future of scent looks like.”
Our deepest gratitude to Givaudan for creating an experience to remember.
Thank you for being part of our story. 🌷
Keep a lookout on the Perfume Room and it's Substack for more from Florstagia.
📷 ARIN SANG-URAI/photojuice