The Making of Number One

Number One started with a conversation.

When I was looking for retail units in Stockbridge, I met the owner of local fragrance house Jorum. He liked what I was trying to build with PARA-DAIZA One conversation led to another, and before long we were talking about creating a scent together.

From the start, I knew what I didn’t want. Nothing loud. Nothing trying too hard. No Tom Ford-style bold statements and definitely not anything that smells like every bloke in the pub wearing the same predictable high-end fragrance. We wanted something understated, familiar, and confident. Something that felt like us.

The Process

Making a fragrance takes time. There’s no shortcut.

It was a lot of back and forth turning the dial up, then down. Tweaking small details most people would never notice individually, but matter when they come together.

We landed on citrus top notes for freshness, then built deeper, warmer layers underneath to give it depth and longevity. Clean, but not sharp. Soft, but not sweet. A scent that settles in rather than shouts.

What they Say

The reaction in-store and online has been brilliant.

Some customers use it as their everyday scent, others keep it for evenings or something a bit more considered. A lot of women walk into the shop, smell it, buy it “for him”… then come back and tell me they’ve been using it themselves.

Most days someone will have a quick spray at the front of the shop. I’ll usually say, “If you like it now, wait ten minutes — it gets better.” Once the citrus settles, the warmer notes come through, like a familiar old leather jacket -woody. Comforting.

One customer told me a nurse in A&E stopped him to ask what scent he was wearing.

Another customer emailed from the US after trying it in-store, saying the smell was still with her days later and she had to have a bottle (sadly, fragrance shipping rules mean we can’t send it stateside).

What we hear most is that it’s not overpowering. It lingers just enough. Intriguing, without demanding attention.

Why We Made It

Number One isn’t about chasing the fragrance market or following trends.

It’s about smelling good without smelling like everyone else. About wearing something that feels natural, personal, and a bit different from the predictable options.

It follows the same thinking as our clothing: considered design, small-batch production, working with people we trust, and taking the time to get it right.

Quietly confident. Memorable.

If you’re in Edinburgh, pop into the Stockbridge store and try Number One for yourself. We’ll talk you through it properly.

And if you’re discovering PARA-DAIZA online, it’s a good place to start. It gives a clear sense of how we think, how we work, and why we take our time.

"just some common people doing the uncommon"

See you soon :-)

Paul

SHOP NUMBER ONE NOW