the story behind our name, and the word that means "to dance".
where we started
- the research: before naming ours, we studied the great perfume and fashion houses
- three patterns: most were named after a founder, a greek or roman god, or an ancient word
- the gods were taken: the best names from mythology were claimed generations ago
- the mismatch: a roman god never felt right for a brand born in melbourne
leaning into where we're from
- our heritage: australia's story begins with its first peoples, so that's where we looked
- the first spark: we came across "kiri" and loved the sound
- the catch: on the page, it didn't quite look right
two small changes
- an extra r: kiri became kirri, softer to say and easier to read
- a taller dot: we lifted the dot on the final i, so the name rises at the end
- it flowed: for the first time, the name looked the way it sounded
a happy discovery
- the meaning: we later learnt "kirri-y" means "to dance" in muruwari
- the language: muruwari comes from the culgoa river country of north-western nsw
- the fit: a name for scent that moves through a room, like a slow dance
the rules it had to pass
- two syllables: our co-founder andrew learnt this rule for great names in his uni marketing lectures
- everyday letters: nothing unusual to spell, type or pronounce
- room to travel: a name that works as we take kirri beyond australia
what kiri means around the world
- māori: skin, bark or rind
- japanese: mist (霧), or the paulownia tree (桐), a light timber used for traditional storage chests
- finnish: a final burst of speed at the end of a race
- indonesian and malay: left, as in the direction
find your scent
- the iconic range: ten scents made in australia with oils from french perfumery. shop the iconic scents
