GLYPHS—The Alphabetic Perfume Collection

We would like to introduce you to Autobahn’s and Mark Buxton’s launch of GLYPHS—The Alphabetic Perfume Collection on Kickstarter from May 1st, 2021. Support the project now.

We can see, hear, and even feel letters, but how would it smell if our alphabet were available in scent? Rob Stolte of design agency Autobahn and master perfumer Mark Buxton have investigated this. It resulted in the first three unique and wearable to share perfumes that represent the historical origin of the letters A, B, and C. Autobahn and Buxton call it GLYPHS – The Alphabetic Perfume Collection and it is available on Kickstarter from May 1st, 2021. “Everyone who can write must know the origin of our alphabet,” says designer Rob Stolte from Autobahn, an internationally-awarded design studio specialized in typographic designs. When Stolte grew up, he had difficulty reading and writing. He would rather draw something than write it down. It frustrated him and he started to wonder where the shape of letters comes from. When Stolte discovered that letters are abstract images, this all changed. Take the historical origin of our letter A: it is actually the head of an ox. Turn the letter A upside down and you can still see the horns and head. “It offered me the opportunity to turn my weakness into a strength: express myself through typographic images and letters,” says Stolte. “Now we know where our letters come from, we also know how they smell.”

Capturing the scent of letters is no easy job. Autobahn and Buxton decided to go back to the origins of our alphabet, about which Autobahn made the acclaimed book A is van Os. It explains the history of our letters, which originated almost 4,000 years ago in the Sinai desert and come from images cut in stone: the A was an image of an Ox, the letter B stood for House, and the C for Boomerang. Perfumer Buxton has 25 years of experience and has designed perfumes for the largest luxury brands, including: Cartier, Comme des Garçons, and even a perfume for the film The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson. “Every perfumer in the niche perfume industry is looking for a project like GLYPHS. It is bigger than just a perfume, you tell a story with it. History is in the making.”

GLYPHS is a series of works of art captured in perfume. Each perfume is presented in a unique, handmade stone holder and a roller ball, to write directly onto your skin. The makers of GLYPHS looking for backers. On Kickstarter you can contribute to the realization of the project in different ways.

GLYPHS—The Alphabetic Perfume Collection

Concept & Design: Rob Stolte/Autobahn & Mark Buxton
Price set of three perfumes (A,B & C): € 225.–
Price single 15 ml: € 75.–

Support the project now on Kickstarter and find more information on their website