Story of the birth of the Maison Shesmou
In the calm streets of Caen, where normand limestones tell stories of past centuries, Sarah Merciol let out her first cries. Soon, her family moved in Saint-Philibert-de-Grand-Lieu, near Nantes. When Sarah was 8, the family moved to Vannes. This change was like a new page of her story, where Breton legends came to mingle with the stories of her grandfather. The young girl’s imagination is enriched by myths, tales, and mysteries.
Sarah Merciol grew up like an unusual child. Her grandfather, an amateur botanist with a mischievous look, used to take her in his secret garden, where each plant seemed to have a soul and a story to tell. Summer afternoons were a journey. Between blue hydrangeas and ancient roses, the old man murmured her forgotten legends, quite mythical stories of perfume creators. Sarah listened, her brilliant eyes catching each detail as if she was capturing fragments of invisible magic.
Egypt is her favorite imaginary world. Not the Egypt of history books, but the one from tales, full of mysterious gods with strange powers. Which one ? Shesmu, god of essences and ointments, whose legend seems to balance between reality and fiction.
When she became a teenager, it wasn’t a simple interest which guided her, but an almost mystical vocation. Perfume books became her grimoires, each formula a spell to revive asleep emotions.
Then came the moment of her takeoff. The spirit of Brittany was calling her, not far from the legendary forest of Broceliande, land of Arthurian myths and enchanting secrets. She left Vannes to settle in a small workshop close to Paimpont, where history and legend seem to murmur in every corner.
At 28 years old, Sarah found her house of perfumes in Josselin. The name flows like a river : Shesmou, as a tribute to the god who fascinated her so much. It’s not a simple company, but a workshop where the magic is working. Each bottle is a story, each essence a chapter of a personal story.
The memories of the time spent with her grand-father are floating in her workshop, as a kindly guardian. Everytime she creates a new fragrance, it’s as if he was murmuring to her ear, giving her ancestral secrets from perfume creators.
The Maison Shesmou isn’t just a company. It’s a place where magic of senses is alive, where each perfume tells a unique story, as complex and mysterious as the human soul itself.
