Discothèque

Discothèque is a niche fragrance house that turns nightlife and club culture into scent. Founded by the friends Jessie Willner, Hanover Booth and Whitney Moulton, the company operates between Los Angeles and London and produces its fragrances in the United Kingdom [2]. It began as a home-fragrance brand making candles during the pandemic lockdown and later expanded into eau de parfum, with each release built around a specific city, era or legendary club night.

The brand frames the dancefloor as a meeting point for "misfits and elites, icons and wallflowers," describing its outlook as "inclusive exclusivity, the dancefloor the great equalizer." Its tagline is "THIS NIGHT DOESN'T HAVE TO END" [1].

⚑ Thinner sourcing. The article relies largely on the brand's own statements (T2–T3). Glowpedia is seeking independent sources.

Discothèque was started by Jessie Willner and Hanover Booth, best friends who, by their own account, worked together for years and travelled the world discovering each city through its DJs and dancefloors. The company's about page also names Whitney Moulton as a co-founder. The founders have said clubs mattered to them because they were "where so much culture was incepted or changed" [7].

The exact founding year is not published, and sources differ. TheIndustry.beauty dates the launch of the candle line to 2022 [6], while Fragrantica's coverage places the brand's start in 2023 [9]; trade reporting also describes it simply as launching "during lockdown." The company began as a home-fragrance maker before moving into personal scent.

Operations are split between two cities: design, formulation and crafting are described as taking place between Los Angeles and London. According to the company's FAQ, the fragrances are "formulated and produced in small batches in the UK, between London and the southwestern coast" [3].

The candle range was the brand's debut as a home-fragrance line. Discothèque later entered personal fragrance, introducing its eau de parfum collection at Selfridges in October 2024 [6]. The house has continued to release new scents since, among them Eye Contact, themed around London in 1985, and Body Heat, set in Monte Carlo in 1974.

The brand's organising idea is to translate the energy of discos, nightclubs and raves into narrative-driven fragrances. Each scent is tied to a particular place and moment, and the catalogue is arranged by decade — the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s — with individual fragrances named after specific clubs and nights. Co-founder Hanover Booth has summarised the approach by saying that "everything is designed to feel considered and collectible" [6].

Who What Wear, reviewing the line, characterised it as "the fragrance equivalent of a NYC party girl" [8]. The scent copy leans heavily on storytelling rather than ingredient lists; the company positions the range as clean and made with what it calls luxury-grade ingredients.

Discothèque sells eau de parfum in 50 ml bottles alongside 220 g candles, plus travel sizes, miniatures and handbag scents. Among the fragrances, Crisco Disco is described as the bestseller and Hacienda as one of the better-known releases [7]; other titles include Lola at Coat Check, Next to Me or Nothing, Body Heat and Eye Contact. The candles carry an approximate 45-hour burn time and use gradient glass intended to echo dancefloor lighting [7].

On formulation, the company states that its fragrances are made with "clean, safe ingredients without any parabens, phthalates, or EDTA" and are "100% vegan, with no animal byproducts or testing involved" [3]. It also says it uses upcycled ingredients where possible to reduce waste, and that its candles are made from a blend of soy and rapeseed wax.

As a young house, Discothèque's profile rests largely on editorial coverage rather than awards. It has been the subject of a founder interview in TheIndustry.beauty, a brand guide on Cult Beauty, a review in Who What Wear, and a launch feature in The Impression, and was introduced to fragrance readers through a Fragrantica news piece.

The brand sells directly through its own website and through a multi-region network of retailers. Stated stockists include Selfridges and Sephora in the UK, Cult Beauty, and Violet Grey and FWRD in the United States [6], alongside specialty perfumeries in markets such as France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Monaco, Iceland and Lithuania.

Discothèque is active. Its most recent documented milestone is the October 2024 eau de parfum launch at Selfridges, with further fragrance releases following. The brand remains a young, independently run niche house with no publicly recorded parent company.