Name/TitlePerfume: DAMN REBEL BITCHES
About this objectDAMN REBEL BITCHES eau de parfum in original wooden presentation box, with presentation bag, small brown label and a set of six cards.
MakerREEK perfume
Period2010s
Place MadeScotland, Edinburgh
Medium and MaterialsOrganic, wood and card;
Inorganic, glass and plastic
MeasurementsH: 128 mm
Subject and Association KeywordsFeminism, feminist movement
Subject and Association KeywordsBeauty industry
Subject and Association KeywordsSocial enterprise
Subject and Association DescriptionREEK perfume was founded in 2016 by a mother-daughter team: writer Sara Sheridan and make-up artist Molly Sheridan. The objectives were to challenge beauty industry norms by celebrating real women’s lives and history, by being sustainable and making only small batches of products, and to support equality causes via a blog (Bitches Unite), distributing free protest stickers and giving out small grants, e.g. paying for a pregnant Irish journalist to come to the UK for her abortion and write about it during the Repeal the 8th Amendment campaign, sponsoring Scottish feminist singer Josephine Sillars' tour and donating to a crowd-funded campaign to commemorate the women murdered at the time of the Scottish Witch Trials.
REEK closed in April 2020 in anticipation of BREXIT and the subsequent expected downturn in economic circumstances. The Sheridans no longer felt it was a valid form of protest and went on to other projects.
REEK sold two eau de parfums, both made by award-winning independent female perfumer, Sarah McCartney, through her company 4160 Tuesdays. The first, DAMN REBEL BITCHES commemorated Scotland’s Jacobite women and their spirit. The second, DAMN REBEL WITCHES commemorates people persecuted worldwide for witchcraft both historically and in the present day.
The company also stocked a range of merchandise including badges, T-shirts and tote bags. REEK’s imagery was revolutionary and was studied by trend forecasters and is now included in marketing courses across the UK. Shot in natural lighting with no retouching, the company allowed models to choose which images they preferred and interviewed them about their lives and reaction to being photographed on the Bitches Unite blog. The brand was featured in an array of international publications and the perfumes were beauty editor’s pick in Grazia, Elle UK and Standard Issue magazine.
Object TypePerfume
Object numberGWL-2020-44-1
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved