To mark ten years of Goldfield & Banks, founder and Creative Director Dimitri Weber sat down with Andrew Mueller for Monocle and its radio programme The Entrepreneurs. The conversation covers how a Franco-Belgian perfumer came to build Australia’s luxury perfume house, and why the continent’s flora remains one of the least explored sources in fine fragrance.
Key takeaways
- Goldfield & Banks was launched in 2016 by Dimitri Weber after a career with houses including Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Cartier.
- Weber estimates that around 90 per cent of the sandalwood used in department store fragrances today comes from Australia.
- The house was founded with €20,000 and, ten years on, has never borrowed from a bank.
- International retailers such as Harrods and Barneys backed the brand early, while local buyers took longer to convince.
- “Goldfield” refers to sandalwood; “Banks” honours the botanist Joseph Banks.
An untapped botanical culture
Monocle opens with a simple observation: Australia’s trees, flowers and animals are unlike anything elsewhere, so its scents should be just as distinctive. Weber’s view is that Australian flora has been explored in skincare but rarely in perfumery. He points to sandalwood, lavender and Tasmanian boronia, a tiny flower first used in a Dior fragrance in 1964, as proof that the raw materials have long been there. Read more on that flower in why boronia matters in Australian perfumery.
Monocle cites Southern Bloom as an example of the house approach: a fragrance drawn from Bruny Island, almost as far south as Australia goes, built around boronia, ylang ylang and coconut on a base of Australian sandalwood.
French savoir-faire, Australian ingredients
Weber tells Monocle that the house manufactures in France because luxury fragrance demands it, while the story and the botanicals remain Australian. His ambition, in his words, was to “show the world that perfume doesn’t necessarily have to be French.” This is the same balance explored in how Australian landscapes shape fine fragrance.
The meaning behind the name
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Goldfield | Sandalwood, a tree Weber describes as growing on fields of gold. An earthy reference to the Australian land. |
| Banks | Joseph Banks, the botanist who brought tens of thousands of plant specimens from the Pacific back to Europe. |
Weber describes himself as a new version of Banks, sharing Australian botanicals with the world through perfume oils rather than plant cuttings.
Selling a place as well as a scent
Because few people will ever travel to Australia, Weber says the house invests in campaigns and films that give its audience a sense of the country. The compliment he values most, he tells Monocle, is customers saying the fragrances let them imagine a place they may never visit. To begin that journey, explore Silky Woods, Pacific Rock Moss or a discovery set.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Goldfield & Banks?
Goldfield & Banks was founded in 2016 by Dimitri Weber, a Franco-Belgian perfumer who previously worked with Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Cartier.
Where are Goldfield & Banks perfumes made?
The fragrances are manufactured in France using native Australian botanicals, combining French perfumery expertise with Australian ingredients.
What does the name Goldfield & Banks mean?
Goldfield refers to sandalwood, which grows on fields of gold, and Banks honours the botanist Joseph Banks.
Is Australian sandalwood used in luxury perfume?
Yes. Dimitri Weber told Monocle that around 90 per cent of the sandalwood found in department store fragrances today comes from Australia.
Originally featured in Monocle, 12 April 2026.