BUILDING THE RHUBARB THIEF

A look into Heretic's workshop and the creatives who helped construct the Rhubarb Thief Campaign.

A collection from the workshop

A message from Douglas Little, Founder, Heretic Parfum:

"In a world increasingly driven by AI and CGI, I wanted to create something deeply analogue, mischievous, tactile, and handmade, much like the way we make fragrance at Heretic. Fragrance has always been a way to tell stories. With Rhubarb Thief, I imagined a rather unusual perfumer: a rabbit obsessed with stealing and capturing the bright, tart, sweet, and bitter magic of rhubarb. Instead of approaching this campaign through traditional photography, I wanted the story to move. So we created a stop-motion film inspired by some of my aesthetic heroes: Arthur Rackham, the Brothers Grimm, Jan Švankmajer, Frank Baum, and the wonderfully strange worlds of the Brothers Quay. Every piece was made by hand: painted backdrops, paper sets, a sculpted rabbit puppet created with a master puppet maker, and an original score." -DL

The story of monsieur lapin

A rabbit blessed with an extraordinary nose, an incurable curiosity, and a marked fondness for looking his best. Where others smell little more than grass and rain, he detects whole kingdoms of fragrance hidden among leaves, soil, and moonlit gardens. Perfectly polite and quietly mischievous, he follows these invisible trails with great enthusiasm, having long suspected that the most interesting things in life are rarely found by the well-behaved.

IT BEGINS WITH A SKETCH

Storyboards of The Rhubarb Thief, Illustrated by Thyra Heder

the making of the rhubarb thief

A look behind the seams of what it takes to create a stop motion film.

Uncovering Dark Alice

mars chasolen

The co-star of the Rhubarb Campaign. Mars is a Los Angeles–based creator redefining fashion with her signature alternative aesthetic, transforming traditional clothes into bold statements of self-expression. In under a year, she has built a loyal community drawn to her emotive, uplifting content that celebrates individuality. Beyond fashion, Mars uses her platform to drive real-world impact through charity and mutual aid initiatives.

Mars can be found at @yung.planet on Instagram.

Inside the Rhubarb Discovery Set

Inspired by the fairy tale books of the 19th century, the Rhubarb Thief Discovery Set is presented in a collectible storybook format. Inside are, a collection of hand–tipped watercolor illustration by Sam Wolf Connelly (@deadthicket)