Fort & Manlé

Fort & Manlé is an independent niche perfume house based in Australia and founded by the self-taught perfumer Rasei Fort. The house handcrafts fragrances in small runs and describes itself as a luxury niche maison "committed to creating high quality handcrafted perfume" [1]. It remains active, selling directly through its own online store and through an international network of specialist perfume boutiques.

The brand is wholly owned by Fort, who is also its sole perfumer [5]. Most documented sources place the house in Melbourne; one unconfirmed account instead suggests Sydney, and the brand's own website does not state a city, so its exact location remains somewhat uncertain.

Fort & Manlé is the work of Rasei Fort, described across the brand's own copy and retailer biographies as an independent, self-taught perfumer who blends artisanal oils and extracts "to create a nuanced balance" [1]. According to a 2017 interview write-up, Fort was born in Cyprus and has a Turkish and Middle Eastern background, which is linked to the house's affinity for oriental and smoky compositions [9].

The house is, by its own and retailers' accounts, "founded and wholly owned by the perfumer, Rasei Fort" — a single founder [5]. Some early coverage tagged a second name, "Al Manlé," alongside Fort, but the brand consistently presents itself as the work of one perfumer, and no second founder is documented.

The founding date is not stated on the brand's website. A retailer biography describes "what started in 2015" growing into a wider business, which is the basis for a 2015 founding [5]; a separate unconfirmed account suggests 2016. A January 2017 editorial review still referred to Fort & Manlé as a "new venture," consistent with a launch around 2015 [6].

The company positions itself at the luxury end of niche perfumery, framing its work around "modern and 'old world' sensibilities, from the rich pageantry of great empires, to the seductive allure of romantic seduction, and the fresh paradise of exotic isles" [1].

Fort's approach is presented as artisanal and hands-on: the brand describes him as "self-taught, well researched, and meticulous in his methods" [1], and one retailer characterises his creations as "vibrant, opulent and often eccentric," combining precious raw materials [8]. The Australian Perfume Junkies review echoed this, calling the scents "flamboyant" and noting that the house was "choosing to stand apart in a world getting more homogenised daily" [6].

Fort & Manlé's range is built around extrait-style perfumes sold mainly in 50 ml bottles, alongside discovery sets and samples. Named fragrances include Amber Absolutely, All the Queen's Men, V For Vetiver, Cognac Paradis, Harem Rose, Late Harvest, Honiara and the higher-priced Under Which Rivers Flow. Amber Absolutely, reviewed in 2017, was described as a "honeyed, caramel amber" with "crunchy, chewy" character and "fizzy sherbet" notes [6]. The fragrances are made in Australia [7].

The house sells directly to customers through its own website and is carried by niche-perfume retailers across a wide geographic spread. Its published stockist list spans the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, the United States, several European countries, Russia and Australia [4]. This international boutique network, together with an operational direct-to-consumer site, is the basis for describing the brand as globally distributed.

Fort & Manlé is active. As of 2026 it operates a working e-commerce site offering its current fragrance range and maintains an extensive, up-to-date list of international stockists [4]. It remains an independent, founder-owned indie house rather than part of a larger group; no parent company is recorded.