Gallivant

Gallivant is an independent perfume house based in London, founded by Nick Steward and launched on International Women's Day, 8 March 2017 [5]. Its name comes from the informal verb meaning to wander from place to place in search of pleasure, and the brand builds its identity around travel: each fragrance is tied to a city or place, and the company describes its work as "perfumes for curious explorers." It remains an actively trading business, selling through its own international online store, a studio shop in Dalston, east London, and a network of stockists.

The house positions itself as small, slow and deliberate. Steward has said he wanted to make "something considered, clever, playful and interesting, avoiding all the froth and hype," summarising the approach as "quality over quantity" [1]. The fragrances are unisex and, according to the company, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free [2].

Gallivant was created by Nick Steward, who came to the project after a career inside the perfume and beauty industry. According to editorial accounts, he spent around eight years as creative director of the French niche house L'Artisan Parfumeur, where he worked alongside perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour, and held earlier roles at Puig, Molton Brown and L'Oréal's olfactive division [6][5]. (A separate description has him as formerly of Le Labo, but the independent editorial sources consulted name L'Artisan Parfumeur rather than Le Labo.)

Steward has described founding Gallivant as a move toward creative independence. After years working for other companies, both large global brands and smaller niche ones, he wanted "the freedom to do his own style of perfumery and be his own boss," and built the house without outside investors [6]. The brand presents that independence as central to its character, framing travel as, in Steward's words, "a framework to create beautiful perfumes" that celebrate different cultures and everyday beauty.

The line is organised around place. Gallivant launched with an initial collection of eight unisex eau de parfums named for cities, among them London, Brooklyn, Berlin and Tokyo, with the range expanding over time to other destinations [6]. Beyond the core eau de parfum bottles, the house offers extrait de parfum, travel sprays, roll-on perfume oils, and candles and diffusers for the home. More recent releases include a limited edition called NIDA and Ta'if, sold as a Fortnum & Mason exclusive.

The fragrances are developed with independent perfumers, including Karine Chevallier, Giorgia Navarra and Ralf Schwieger [5]. Steward has described his role as setting the brief and the mood, leaving the perfumer to translate that feeling into materials. The company frames its products as a form of "perfumed escapism," and positions the work as slow-paced and mindful rather than trend-driven.

Gallivant describes sustainability and ethics as central to how it operates, attributing this in part to its scale as a small artisan business. The company says it makes all its fragrances in small batches to avoid waste and over-production, and that it favours natural materials while using "safe, nature-substitute synthetics" where these are more environmentally friendly and gentler on skin [2].

Production is split across countries: the fragrance oils are handcrafted in France, while maturation, maceration and bottling take place in the Cotswolds in England, with the brand's studio based in Dalston, east London [1]. Gallivant states that its formulas comply with UK, European and US cosmetics and perfumery regulations and with IFRA guidelines, the fragrance industry's safety standards. The brand makes no claim to formal third-party certifications; its vegan-friendly and cruelty-free descriptions are self-stated [2].

Gallivant is an active, independent business. As of 2026 it operates a live e-commerce store shipping from the UK, EU and US, maintains its Dalston studio shop, and has continued to release new fragrances and run active social channels.