Meet Dimitri Weber, The Man Behind Australia’s First Luxury Fragrance House
Australia, bottled
Australia might be known for its beaches, botanicals, and impossibly blue horizons, but it wasn’t until French-Belgian perfumer Dimitri Weber arrived that its natural beauty found a new expression: fine fragrance. As the founder of Goldfield & Banks – Australia’s first luxury fragrance house – Dimitri has spent three decades weaving emotion, artistry, and rigorous French technique into scents that bottle the country’s most striking landscapes.
From a childhood spent analysing his mother’s perfumes to a globe-spanning career with some of the world’s most prestigious maisons, his journey is equal parts serendipity and expertise. Today, he continues to champion the rare, the native, and the distinctly Australian through meticulously crafted perfumes made in Grasse using botanicals sourced from our own backyard.
We sat down with Dimitri to talk early obsessions, the marriage of French savoir-faire with Australian wildness, and the ever-evolving art of scenting a nation.
What drew you to the world of fragrance, and what was it that captivated you about this industry?
I was drawn to it from childhood, commenting on my mother’s perfumes and suggesting perfumes for my teachers in school. I love the creativity, emotion, and storytelling aspect of fragrance. Unlike fashion or jewellery, a scent creates an invisible signature and is a powerful form of self-expression and memory.
Can you give us a quick elevator pitch of your career journey so far?
I have over 30 years in the exclusive luxury fragrance industry, starting in department stores and moving to brand management for major European houses. I worked across marketing, education, PR, and product development for brands like YSL, Cartier, Tom Ford, and Shiseido in cities like Antwerp and Paris before moving to Australia and founding my own brand, Goldfield & Banks.
Your journey began far from Australia. How did your European background influence and inspire the brand?
My background is French-Belgian, deeply steeped in the French methodology and artistry of perfume-making. That knowledge is crucial. I apply this rigorous, timeless French technique to showcase the unique, unknown, and high-quality raw materials of Australia. It’s the marriage of French savoir-faire with Australian exoticism.
What first pulled you to Australia, and why did you decide to make it your home?
I first came to work with Cartier to launch their fragrance collection and fell in love with the country on that trip. I decided to stay because I saw a unique opportunity: a country so rich in natural ingredients that it had no luxury fragrance house. I was pushed to create a brand that could honour this natural wealth.
Goldfield & Banks is described as Australia’s first luxury fragrance house – what significance does that have on the industry and your brand?
It signifies that we are on a mission to honour and celebrate Australia’s natural wealth and botanicals on a global luxury platform. It put Australia on the map for fine fragrance and shifted the global perception of Australian materials from simple exports to the heart of fine art perfumery.
What have you brought to the Australian fragrance scene that wasn’t there before?
A focus on uncommon Australian native botanicals, like Boronia, Buddhawood, Blue Cypress, and Finger Lime, that were previously unused or unknown in the fine fragrance world. I brought the artistry of French perfumery to tell a purely Australian story – a high-quality, globally recognised, niche concept that was missing.
The fragrances are made in France using Australian botanicals – can you walk us through this process and explain why it’s important?
We begin in Australia, where we sustainably source unique native botanicals. These are processed into high-purity oils. These Australian essences are then sent to Grasse, France, where our master perfumers blend them with other global ingredients and organic alcohol, and the finished product is bottled. This is important to ensure the highest quality standards and to leverage the French expertise needed for complex, fine fragrance blending.
Do you have a signature scent from the range?
My true signature scent is Ingenious Ginger – it is the one I feel truly created for myself. I also have a great connection to Desert Rosewood for its rugged, powerful character, and the use of Australian Agarwood in Silky Woods is a constant source of pride.
If you could bottle one moment, one feeling, or one place in Australia that no one has experienced yet, what would it be?
I would bottle the vibrant, powerful colours and scents of the tropical rainforests of Far North Queensland, like the Daintree Rainforest. It is an area of intense beauty, where the air is thick with the smell of moisture, unique flora, and unseen life – a truly exotic and deeply Australian experience.
You can shop the full Goldfield & Banks collection here.
Imagery: @goldfield_and_banks_australia, @dimitriweber
