Timeless Fragrance Legacy – Crafted by the original makers of ELSHA cologne; inspired by historic Russian leather aromas. Bold & Sophisticated Scent – Outdoorsy wood, exotic spice, and romantic leather blend with lavender, cedar, amyris & ylang-ylang Generous 8 oz Bottle – Provides excellent value; ideal for daily use or extended gifting. Long-Lasting Performance – Known for all-day projection and strength that outperforms many budget colognes. Proudly Made in the USA – Handcrafted in USA with high-quality essential oils; crafted for discerning users. There was a time, in the middle decades of the last century, when there was a plethora of Russian Leather scents on the market, clearly marketed to men as witnessed by their aftershave and toiletries offerings. Saxony, Imperial Del Oro, Royal Argenta, Prince Obolenski, L’Argene and Davlyn were among the many independent brands producing Russian Leather fragrances and toiletries. Many of these companies produced their products in the United States in places as seemingly unlikely as Los Angeles, CA, and Rhode Island. Take a look at any New Yorker magazine from the 40s and 50s and the pages are littered with ads for various Russian Leather fragrances. Only one such brand still exists: Elsha, which still produces its 1776 Russian Leather fragrance as they have done for over ninety years. The self-proclaimed “Aristocrat of Perfume and Cologne”, it is still manufactured in the US, looking—and more importantly, smelling—exactly how it has for almost a century. The history of the brand reads like a romantic novel (or marketing materials from Creed…) whose origins are lost in the mists of time. The brand was founded by Elias Lazaroff, who, as a Russian Jew, fled the Soviet Union before World War II. Advertisement –article continues below The Life and Legacy of Elias Lazaroff Born in Kiev in 1896, Lazaroff trained in the dramatic arts at the prestigious Moscow Arts Theatre and attempted to start a career in entertainment in the US which included a small part in a Hollywood film and writing and producing musical plays which were performed in regional theaters. One musical, “The Voice of the Centuries,” was presented as part of a concert series in Portland, Oregon in 1937 which included a recital by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Another, “Fantasy of Life,” played at Los Angeles’ Ebell Theater in 1946, and starred Lazaroff who portrayed a Russian actor who fails to make a success of a motion picture career! Promotion for “The Voice of the Centuries” by future founder of Elsha, Elias Lazaroff With his only modest success in the theater, Lazaroff returned to the manufacture of fragrances; legend has it that Lazaroff and his family had been making his signature Russian Leather fragrance since the days of Tsarist Russia and brought the formula with him when he emigrated. He claimed to be the one who “brought Russian Leather to America” although Chanel, who launched Cuir de Russie in 1924 might beg to differ. Lazaroff landed in Salt Lake City, of all places, where he started manufacturing his fragrance, now under the patriotic name of 1776 (the name Elsha may be a diminutive of his name Elias). From there he moved to Los Angeles and set up shop on St. Andrew’s Place in Hollywood where he produced 1776 as well as Liberty Bell and Golden Eagle, described in marketing materials as “LIBERTY BELL, a light, gay, summery fragrance and GOLDEN EAGLE, a warm, interesting fragrance for those moments to remember.” The patriotic, early American names were an homage to his new homeland. Lazaroff ultimately moved his operations to Eagle Rock, CA, an area to the east of Hollywood, near Pasadena. Lazaroff’s marketing strategy was to sell his colognes through high end haberdasheries and had his products placed from coast to coast—at F.R. Tripler & Co. in New York (stockists of Knize Ten as well), The Palmer House in Chicago, Carroll & Company in Beverly Hills and many markets in between. Perhaps because of his time spent in Utah, he had particularly strong ties to certain states in the Midwest like Nebraska where his fragrances sold extremely well at haberdasheries such as Sampter’s in Fremont. Advertisement for defunct Utah-based department store, Devey’s, featuring Elsha Russian Leather (The American Fork Citizen, May 1962) Pin Ad for Biamonte’s Men’s Shop featuring Elsha as a gift idea Changing Hands: The Kaprielian Era In 1965 the company was purchased by the Kaprielian family, owners of Cosway Company, Inc., a major contract manufacturer of personal care products. Cosway took over the production of Elsha products at their facilities in Los Angeles and the brand was managed by the sons of the family, Roy and Dennis Kaprielian. At that time, as a teen, Dennis met Lazaroff and remembers him as an imposing grandfatherly figure, “born to wealth, who gave up everything when forced to flee from Soviet Russia”. Dennis and Roy continued production and took great care to ensure that the product smelled the sa