January 1618 A Japanese Galleon, the Pacific Ocean
Following a diplomatic mission to the West, a galleon carrying a delegation of samurai charges through dark ocean currents. Loaded with a rare and precious cargo, the ship’s hull is redolent of sweet-smelling tropical woods, heady Spanish leather, frankincense, fine black pepper and other exotic ground spices—the intoxicating spirit of a singular, extraordinary voyage of discovery.
A good perfume to visit if your are in a search for perfect true sandalwood, smoky and a touch dirty. Arquiste carefully selected the companions for its sandal in this formula: tea and osmanthus, coffee, myrrh and stryrax and others to give it a dark, sensual depth.
***
GQ US on Nanban:
"This is my signature scent. I wear it all the time. And let me tell you: I’ve never worn something that has gotten so many compliments—no sunglasses, no sneakers, no full-body rubber suit. People actually turn their heads and ask me what I'm wearing. And then they jot down the product name. Arquiste’s masterpiece introduces itself with Malabar black pepper and Persian saffron, gives way to coffee, sandalwood, myrrh, and Spanish leather, and embraces you all day with a blanket of frankincense, balsam, and cade juniper."
***
Financial Times' resident perfume writer Victoria Frolova on Nanban:
"... approach coffee notes creatively. Instead of mimicking nature, a perfumer instead might fashion a blend that hints at coffee’s pleasing bitterness and heady richness. Such is Arquiste’s Nanban (£160 for 100ml EDP). The composition uses a plush backdrop of woods to frame the smoky, spicy notes of myrrh and incense, with an accent of coffee to lend the composition a dark, delicious twist. It teases with its smoky, nutty warmth, but keeps its presence mellow behind layers of sandalwood and leather."
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is a scent for close quarters and low light, when the room is warm enough for incense, leather and woods to bloom without becoming heavy. It suits a composed, quietly magnetic presence—more intimate conversation than public display, with a smoky trail that lingers at shoulder level.
How to wear
Best in cooler weather or air-conditioned spaces, where its pepper, incense and sandalwood can unfold slowly. Apply lightly at first: one to three sprays is enough for a measured, elegant diffusion. On skin it turns warm, woody and slightly sweet; in the air it reads darker, smokier and more resinous.
Who it’s for
For those who like woody, smoky fragrances with real texture: incense, leather, spice and a touch of coffee bitterness. It will appeal to wearers who prefer depth over brightness, and to anyone drawn to sensual, historic, slightly unconventional compositions.
Release year
2015
The nose
Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Yann Vasnier. Flores-Roux is known for lush, textured compositions that balance clarity with sensuality, often drawing out spice, woods and florals with a modern, polished hand. Vasnier brings a similarly refined, architectural style, and together they shape Nanban into a composition that feels historical without becoming dusty: spicy at the opening, smoky in the heart, and deeply wooded in the drydown. Their work here suits Arquiste’s brief for a fragrance that reads like a reconstructed atmosphere rather than a conventional perfume. The result is a composition with strong material presence—pepper, leather, incense, sandalwood and coffee—handled with enough restraint to keep the scent elegant and wearable.
Collaborators
Carlos Huber, Arquiste’s founder and creative director, developed the concept and historical brief, drawing on his research into the 1618 galleon voyage and shaping the fragrance as an olfactory reconstruction of that moment. He worked closely with the perfumers to translate the story into scent, guiding the historical atmosphere and material palette.
Arquiste’s story
Arquiste builds fragrances as reconstructed moments in time, using rigorous historical research as the starting point for scent. The house treats perfumery like preservation: each composition is meant to evoke a place, era or event with precision, depth and a strong narrative frame rather than generic luxury polish.
Nanban’s concept
Nanban is inspired by a 1618 Japanese galleon voyage after a diplomatic mission to the West, with the ship imagined as carrying samurai, spices, leather, incense and precious woods across the Pacific. The fragrance translates that encounter between East and West into a dark, sensual composition, using sandalwood, coffee, myrrh and frankincense to suggest the ship’s cargo and weathered hull.
Extra info
Nanban means “foreign-style” in the historical context referenced by Arquiste, and the fragrance is built as a scent portrait of a 1618 Pacific voyage. Its note structure is unusually rich, pairing black tea, coffee, osmanthus and Spanish leather with frankincense, sandalwood and cade for a dark, layered effect.
January 1618 A Japanese Galleon, the Pacific Ocean
Following a diplomatic mission to the West, a galleon carrying a delegation of samurai charges through dark ocean currents. Loaded with a rare and precious cargo, the ship’s hull is redolent of sweet-smelling tropical woods, heady Spanish leather, frankincense, fine black pepper and other exotic ground spices—the intoxicating spirit of a singular, extraordinary voyage of discovery.
A good perfume to visit if your are in a search for perfect true sandalwood, smoky and a touch dirty. Arquiste carefully selected the companions for its sandal in this formula: tea and osmanthus, coffee, myrrh and stryrax and others to give it a dark, sensual depth.
***
GQ US on Nanban:
"This is my signature scent. I wear it all the time. And let me tell you: I’ve never worn something that has gotten so many compliments—no sunglasses, no sneakers, no full-body rubber suit. People actually turn their heads and ask me what I'm wearing. And then they jot down the product name. Arquiste’s masterpiece introduces itself with Malabar black pepper and Persian saffron, gives way to coffee, sandalwood, myrrh, and Spanish leather, and embraces you all day with a blanket of frankincense, balsam, and cade juniper."
***
Financial Times' resident perfume writer Victoria Frolova on Nanban:
"... approach coffee notes creatively. Instead of mimicking nature, a perfumer instead might fashion a blend that hints at coffee’s pleasing bitterness and heady richness. Such is Arquiste’s Nanban (£160 for 100ml EDP). The composition uses a plush backdrop of woods to frame the smoky, spicy notes of myrrh and incense, with an accent of coffee to lend the composition a dark, delicious twist. It teases with its smoky, nutty warmth, but keeps its presence mellow behind layers of sandalwood and leather."
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is a scent for close quarters and low light, when the room is warm enough for incense, leather and woods to bloom without becoming heavy. It suits a composed, quietly magnetic presence—more intimate conversation than public display, with a smoky trail that lingers at shoulder level.
How to wear
Best in cooler weather or air-conditioned spaces, where its pepper, incense and sandalwood can unfold slowly. Apply lightly at first: one to three sprays is enough for a measured, elegant diffusion. On skin it turns warm, woody and slightly sweet; in the air it reads darker, smokier and more resinous.
Who it’s for
For those who like woody, smoky fragrances with real texture: incense, leather, spice and a touch of coffee bitterness. It will appeal to wearers who prefer depth over brightness, and to anyone drawn to sensual, historic, slightly unconventional compositions.
Release year
2015
The nose
Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Yann Vasnier. Flores-Roux is known for lush, textured compositions that balance clarity with sensuality, often drawing out spice, woods and florals with a modern, polished hand. Vasnier brings a similarly refined, architectural style, and together they shape Nanban into a composition that feels historical without becoming dusty: spicy at the opening, smoky in the heart, and deeply wooded in the drydown. Their work here suits Arquiste’s brief for a fragrance that reads like a reconstructed atmosphere rather than a conventional perfume. The result is a composition with strong material presence—pepper, leather, incense, sandalwood and coffee—handled with enough restraint to keep the scent elegant and wearable.
Collaborators
Carlos Huber, Arquiste’s founder and creative director, developed the concept and historical brief, drawing on his research into the 1618 galleon voyage and shaping the fragrance as an olfactory reconstruction of that moment. He worked closely with the perfumers to translate the story into scent, guiding the historical atmosphere and material palette.
Arquiste’s story
Arquiste builds fragrances as reconstructed moments in time, using rigorous historical research as the starting point for scent. The house treats perfumery like preservation: each composition is meant to evoke a place, era or event with precision, depth and a strong narrative frame rather than generic luxury polish.
Nanban’s concept
Nanban is inspired by a 1618 Japanese galleon voyage after a diplomatic mission to the West, with the ship imagined as carrying samurai, spices, leather, incense and precious woods across the Pacific. The fragrance translates that encounter between East and West into a dark, sensual composition, using sandalwood, coffee, myrrh and frankincense to suggest the ship’s cargo and weathered hull.
Extra info
Nanban means “foreign-style” in the historical context referenced by Arquiste, and the fragrance is built as a scent portrait of a 1618 Pacific voyage. Its note structure is unusually rich, pairing black tea, coffee, osmanthus and Spanish leather with frankincense, sandalwood and cade for a dark, layered effect.