TIV PERFUME… OUR STORY
1980
Tiv creator, Cynthia Jerry. says, “ I’ve absolutely adored perfume since I was a kid and followed that passion through my fashion career.” She fell in love with the romance and luxury of the tropics in the 1980s when she lived in the Caribbean, after a successful career as Fashion Director for the May Department Stores (now Macy’s), working for Essence Magazine as Director of Fashion & Beauty Marketing, and the Estee Lauder Company as Director of New Market Development in the Fragrance Division.
1981
Living in the Caribbean was a dream come true for Cynthia. So she decided it was time to expand on her dreams and create a scent of her own – one that celebrated the haunting spirit and exotic beauty of the Caribbean. Traveling back and forth to the mainland, a dear friend made some introductions in the fragrance industry for Cynthia, and she met and had the privilege of working with renowned perfumer and Coty Award winner James Bell, at the world-famous fragrance company, Roure Bertrand Dupont (now Givaudan).
1982
Tiv was introduced on Bay Street, the famous shopping mecca in Nassau, Bahamas. It became known as The Caribbean Original. All of the major perfume shoppes up and down Bay Street, as well as parfumeries in the local hotels carried Tiv and the excitement grew. There was much enthusiasm among the local residents too, who were taking it to the mainland for friends and family, while tourists purchased it to take back their new found fragrance treasure.
1992
Charleston, West Virginia was chosen for Tiv’s first U.S. department store partnership. The prominent Stone & Thomas Department Stores launched Tiv in their flagship stores in Charleston. Cynthia always believed that the magic of the Caribbean could sell anywhere, including Charleston. Tiv was now an international success with fragrance lovers from the Bahamas to West Virginia.
1995
Tiv then moved on to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. The Washington Post reported that Tiv became “the first perfume made by an entrepreneur that Hecht’s has carried” (Hecht’s is now Macy’s). Its success was confirmed when The Baltimore Sun reported “Ms. Jerry has managed to crack the highly competitive, big-name, major bucks perfume business …” Once again, Tiv had proven to be the successful Designer Fragrance of the Caribbean.
2012
The company began to explore the internet and online sales as the next transition for Tiv … a new market exploration. Selling from a website rather than upscale department stores and perfume shops was a huge challenge. Tiv developed its first website, redesigned its logo, and began to promote to loyal customers who ordered Tiv by mailorder through the years, and it proved to be the right thing to do.
2018
Cynthia carefully updated Tiv, creating a luxurious, contemporary interpretation that is sultry and sophisticated just like the original scent nurtured those years ago. She created Tiv as the world’s most unique tropical scent, formulated with olfactory ingredients from tropical climates around the world … a scent as diverse as the islands where it was first created. Tiv was originally launched in 1982 in the tropics and its timeless essence has been loved by our many legacy customers over the decades … and our many new fans!