About Our Founder

Susan Barbour is an artist and poet-scholar of the senses. She first fell in love with smell and the words used to describe it while touring the vineyards of France and Italy. Her passion for language led her to publish poetry while also obtaining a DPhil in English Literature at Oxford. During this period, she led wine tastings for ex-pats and tourists in Paris and gained the Level 4 Diploma in Wine and Spirits. She found that training her nose for these difficult exams was a challenging and fascinating experience. It inspired her to teach herself the art of perfumery so she could become the creator—and not just the connoisseur—of complex, multi-layered, aromatic bouquets. You can learn more about her journey in scent by watching her TEDxRoma talk “I Smell Human.”

About the Brand

Each AMIATA fragrance begins with a poetic origin story: a landscape, memory, ritual, atmosphere, or moment of sensory revelation. Drawing inspiration from architecture, sculpture, music, wine, literature, and biodiverse ecosystems, these fragrances are composed as layered aromatic works designed to unfold slowly through space and time.

Inspired by the evolving bouquets of old-world wines and the emotional resonance of place, AMIATA perfumes invite moments of heightened attention, wonder, and connection. Rooted in the belief that scent can deepen our awareness of ourselves and our surroundings, the brand approaches perfumery as both an artistic practice and a way of more fully inhabiting the living world.