100 years of tradition

History

Parfümerie Osswald looks back on a long family tradition, today it is managed by Tanja Dreiding Wallace in the 3rd generation.

Founder Boris Dreiding

The Osswald perfumery was founded by Boris Dreiding in Zurich in 1921. Osswald sold products from major brands such as Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein and was the first perfumery in the city to carry Guerlain fragrances.

Jago Dreiding

After the Second World War, his son Jago Dreiding took over the business and moved the location to Bahnhofstrasse 17. In 1980, he founded the "Salon de Beauté" in the basement and successfully managed the Osswald perfumery until 1992.

Tamara Dreiding

After that, his widow Tamara Dreiding faithfully continued the traditions of her husband and father-in-law. In 1994, she commissioned a well-known architect to renovate the interior. The then glittering glass case with over 250 perfume bottles was the main attraction of the shop.

Tanja Dreiding Wallace

Tanja Dreiding Wallace, the daughter of Tamara and Jago, joined the Osswald team in 2005. Since the beginning of 2014, she has continued to run the business according to the values and standards of her ancestors and has enlarged and renovated the premises. In 2012, she opened the first international branch in New York's Soho neighborhood, bringing her Swiss commitment and experience to the table.

www.osswaldnyc.com

The history of the Osswald Perfumery

Boris at a young age

The beginning

The founder of Parfumerie Osswald, Boris Dreiding, grew up in the then Russian "Kischinjow" in very modest circumstances. From an early age, he was fascinated by the diverse fragrances of his hometown. These were influenced by the turbulent history of Moldavia, once occupied by the Romans, then by the Ottomans and later by the Russians. He decided to turn his passion into a profession and trained as a druggist as a young man. In his free time, he passionately fiddled around with his own cream and fragrance formulas and wrote them down in his notebook, which he always carried with him. Soon it became too cramped for him in the provincial town of "Kischinjow" and so he completed part of his training in the then cosmopolitan city of Odessa.

After his training as a druggist and the longer stay in the then cosmopolitan city "Odessa", our founder quickly realized that he would not find happiness in the provincial "Kishinev". In order to realize his dream of creating cosmetics himself, he sewed all the formulas he had been tinkering with all those years into his jacket pocket, packed the essentials and set off on the long journey to Paris - where, unfortunately, he never arrived. At the Katowice border crossing he was taken prisoner of war and interned at Kufstein Fortress, where he was held for over a year. He was finally released for health reasons and deported to Switzerland.

Boris Dreiding was accepted as a refugee in Switzerland and received a residence permit. With his vision of his own cosmetics company in mind, he set out full of motivation in search of work to keep his head above water here in Switzerland. By chance he got a job as a bottle cleaner in the former grocery store of Mr. Ernst Osswald. Boris impressed with his diligence and entrepreneurial spirit, so that Mr. Osswald soon promoted him and entrusted him with the responsibility for the entire drugstore area in his shop. In 1921, Mr. Osswald then supported Boris in opening his own perfumery and in honor of his name, Boris christened it Osswald. Over the years, a friendly business relationship developed between them and Mr. Osswald also assisted Boris in finally fulfilling his dream of owning his own cosmetics. In 1930, Boris founded Parfa, using the recipes he had sewn into his jacket pocket for his escape from his homeland. He named his first product line Arrow. Unfortunately, it remains a mystery to this day how he came up with that name.

Boris did everything he could to get the latest trends in perfumery and skincare to work with him, in addition to his own products. After the war, it was difficult to get hold of such luxury products. Finally, he succeeded in putting together an exclusive range. Today we still carry the name Osswald with great pride and respect for our history, and in the meantime we also associate it with all the people, brands and customers who have been part of our history, are part of it today or will be part of it in the future.

The perfumery today

Located directly on Paradeplatz, in the heart of Zurich's luxurious shopping mile, Parfümerie Osswald invites you to explore the finest perfumes and high-quality care products. The range is complemented by make-up, room fragrances and high-quality accessories. For relaxation and as a skin-pampering oasis of well-being, the Osswald Facial Spa with its 7 luxury brand cabins offers the ultimate in skin care.

The Osswald Perfumery

Osswald Journal History Special

100 years of history

Learn even more about the past of Parfümerie Osswald in this special edition published in summer 2021. Immerse yourself in the fascinating history and marvel at pictures steeped in history.

Read the Osswald Journal History Special