For many of us, fragrance plays a huge, essential role in our lives — as ROEMY, a Melbourne-based fragrance house describes, it allows us to create identity, acts as a means of self-expression, pays influences to moods and elevates moments to inspire a lasting impact. The fragrance house, on top of its ethos to create meaningful products through scent, also focuses on eliminating harmful ingredients, with all products non-toxic, hypoallergenic, vegan and cruelty free. As part of HER BLACK BOOK’s Festival of Her, a shopping event to support female-founded businesses, ROEMY founder Laura Herriott shares some insight into her business journey so far.
“The idea came to me when I was travelling through Japan in 2019, I was so inspired by the Japanese style and the way they add such a unique flair to everyday items. It got me thinking about how I could do the same for something I use daily. I’ve always loved fragrance and its ability to draw on memories and periods in our lives, so I thought about what I could do with scent. I wanted to bring a product to market that is sustainably focused, a product that cares about its consumer while simultaneously caring for our environment. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I was working for a sports travel company, my work hours were reduced, so I thought I would use the time to create something, ROEMY.”
“So the sacrifices I make are just prioritising work sometimes; it definitely takes a lot of time and energy to run a business, but it’s also a sacrifice I’m happy to make as I find it so rewarding, and I love it — cliché but true!”
“We're only at the beginning, but I'm incredibly proud of the whole brand, to be honest, it was a massive project to take on (definitely more extensive than I anticipated!), from perfume development to branding and now figuring out the operations side, but it's been worth it, and I'm proud of what's been achieved so far, and I'm super excited for what's to come."
“I love wearing oversized t-shirts and a nice pair of pants, not jeans though, I need to be comfortable!"
“I think being passionate about what I'm doing to my core, I hope to make a difference through ROEMY, which drives me to succeed everyday.”
“My friend Sophie from Sonnet Studios, whose office I work from sometimes, is a huge inspiration. She’s got a great perspective, always on the pulse, and she helps guide me when I get a little lost.
"I'm forever inspired by Zoe Foster-Blake (who isn’t!) I love Mia Freedman and her unwavering support for females in business. The girls from Shameless Media – love their podcasts and their views; they’re always encouraging and supporting people to do better in so many facets of life, which I love. Melanie Perkins from Canva – Canva is THE best; I use it for everything.”
