SUITCASE SERIES: Ruta Degutyte, Founder of Art de Parfum
This week we caught up with Ruta Degutyte the Founder of Art de Parfum , a luxury London-based fragrance brand, to find out what she never travels without, their packing tips, and what their most memorable trip has been so far…
Ruta Degutyte is the founder of Art de Parfum, a London-based fragrance house renowned for its luxury, artisanal approach to perfume creation. Born in Lithuania, Ruta’s early experiences with scent and nature led her to explore the art of perfumery which led her to establish Art de Parfum in 2015, blending traditional techniques with contemporary artistry.
Her brand is distinguished by its commitment to craftsmanship, with each fragrance meticulously composed from the highest-quality ingredients. Ruta emphasizes sustainability and ethical sourcing, ensuring that her creations are both luxurious and environmentally responsible. Known for her creative vision and passion for storytelling through scent, she aims to evoke emotion and memory in every fragrance. Art de Parfum has become a sought-after name among fragrance connoisseurs, with a growing international following for its unique and complex compositions.
In this week’s Suitcase Series, we take a sneak peek into Ruta’s travel psyche…
What’s been your most memorable trip and why?
Perhaps it was my first trip to Japan. Like most westerners visiting Japan for the first time, it is an immediate culture shock, in a good way, as the differences were so striking, just navigating the signs was hilarious enough! The precision of the transport system (fully electronic high speed trains, etc). It didn’t take me long to fall in love with it all. I was welcomed by the mesmerising architecture, a culture that believes in taking account of, and the consideration of others, their personal space, plus an array of wonderful food, flavours and aesthetics along with deep long standing traditions that I had not witnessed before. The astonishingly beautiful temples of Kyoto, with the evocative fragrant woods burning inside, based largely on agarwood and sandalwood, made me instantly realise it was country built on mindfulness, a subject close to my heart and the inspiration behind my Kimono Vert fragrance.
With Kimono Vert I wanted to bring the wearer a sense of Zen. To create that experience I used oils of cedar wood known for their soothing and anti stress effects, as well as bergamot, eucalyptus, and patchouli with balancing effects for overall wellbeing.
What’s your favourite ever hotel?
Hard one! There are so many and yet so few. I am a fan of authenticity whether it’s Le Grand In Paris in a suite overlooking Palais Garnier, or the supremely luxurious Relais & Chateaux in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. Both of them breathe authenticity and class whatever they represent. So I obviously prefer a building with some history attached together with some historic architectural detail. I really don’t feel comfortable in super modern, cold and futuristic looking hotels that seem to be run by AI rather than a human being. Yes, I’m the one who appreciates a good old good banter with a concierge!
Where or what is your escape?
Normally it’s somewhere where we can let our hair down: either quite rural or a beach destination. We do enjoy a Christmas ‘get away’. Christmas is a rare time in the year when work has wound down for both my husband and I, therefore, clear diaries equals escape! Our Christmas escapes have nearly always been chasing nice weather so we can play tennis and enjoy warm water for swimming, so more often than not, they are exotic destinations.
Escapes can also be a long weekend also. I love the freedom of packing the bag in the evening and taking off in the morning with for a 3 day adventure with my beloved people (husband and daughter 3yo). We are very much last minute travellers, I love the idea of anticipating for holidays but it’s just hardly ever the case with our busy lifestyle. However, we both need to be somewhere where our phones and WiFi cannot reach us. For example our recent weekender was at Lily of the Valley, SPA & Wellness Hotel, near St Tropez, France. Good SPA, great food, beautiful views and a lovely beach and trails…
If you could go anywhere tomorrow it would be…
French Polynesia! It’s one on the most idylic settings in whole world and has 121 islands, all with unique attributes, histories and culture. I spent 3 weeks there on my Honeymoon with a week each on 3 different islands, but barely scratched the surface of what this part of the world has to offer. A highlight of one of the many wonderful experiences, was undoubtedly swimming with humpback whales! My fragrance Encore Une Fois, was completely inspired by this trip. I wanted to capture that wonderful feeling of falling in love and being in love, the intimacy of salty sun kissed skin and the organic, earthy smells of the ocean and the earth. In French, it means “one more time” and speaks to the way we are helplessly drawn, over and over again, to the siren call of nature. As John Mark Green’s poem says so beautifully: ’I want to hold you close, skin on skin, and let our heartbeats have a conversation’.
What’s your idea of a luxury wellness holiday?
Definitely a resort on a private island or secluded area that offers tennis, a SPA and babysitting on their service list. Some favourites have been The Bahamas (Nasau or Exuma), I particularly love the Junkanoo Carnival in Nasau, so colourful, exciting, and extremely noisy! The Seychelles is also wonderful, for its beaches, spas and yes, tennis! An extremely important prerequisite in our bookings, is to make sure wherever we stay, there is a tennis court. Tennis is very important for us as a couple, we are extremely competitive and wherever we go, we play 2 person ‘tournaments’ and play for a cup in each destination. I find it very fascinating. I’ve won a lot of them, but the ball is round as we say…(smiles).
My top bucket-list destination is…
I’m so fortunate to be so well travelled, but I’d really like to add South America, central and South Africa (I’d love to go on Safari), Middle East, perhaps Alaska and a trans Siberian train trip.
Kimono Vert, Art de Parfum
Kimono Vert is Art de Parfum’s 8th scent and as a ‘Floral Green’ it is the brand’s most floral fragrance to date – yet it is not overtly feminine; it is designed to appeal as much to men as to women. The number 8 is symbolic of balance and harmony and in Japan it also symbolizes prosperity and growth. The fragrance is inspired by Founder Ruta Degutyte’s desire to focus on positives and to find calming self care rituals and perspective after the intense time of disruption and change during the global pandemic. For her, this new fragrance is the scented equivalent of wrapping oneself in a priceless silk kimono and this luxurious scent bursting with freshness, florals, green tea and calming notes including eucalyptus and patchouli to help you find balance in your daily life.
RRP: $250.00
If you could sit next to anyone – dead or alive – on a long-haul flight, who would it be?
Marlon Brando. He was so prominent and so ahead of his time also, not just in his approach to acting, but used his notoriety and power to call out Hollywood for its racist depiction of minorities, in particular their depiction of the American Indians. Unfortunately, the topics he was concerned about are still very much in the spotlight today. An incredible talent with a great soul and heart. But don’t just take my word for it, his documentary ‘Listen to Me’ is a must watch based on his extensive audio diaries he made towards the end of his life!
What is your jet-lag recovery tip?
To avoid it. No, seriously, you can’t do much about it other than just throw yourself into the new time zone and try to adjust. Going east is the trickiest as you often arrive early morning with the entire day to get though, therefore an afternoon nap of 45 mins (max 1hr 30) is a must. Going west, is easier, usually getting in late afternoon so push through till 11pm, if possible…
What is your suitcase stalwart?
LV Horizon 50 is my all time favourite for weekend escapes. For long haul flights I still don’t have my favourite as they all seem to break at the same rate.
What is your number one packing tip?
Pack occasions, pack number of days and always leave some space for new stuff you may purchase. Basically my golden rule is don’t overpack. We travel relatively light as family of 3.
I never travel without…
A large cashmere scarf which either used by me or my daughter on flights or cars (compact and very light).
In my beauty / toiletry bag I always bring…
…mascara, lipstick, moisturiser, body oil and dry body brush. I’m minimalist when bringing very few beauty products to holidays. My beauty routine on holidays is pretty much basic: UV protection (need to do more of it), hydrate, move and rest as much as I can.
For more information visit https://artdeparfum.com/
