Photo: Courtesy of J.Crew.
We may be on the precipice of a full-scale J.Crew beauty-industry takeover. WWD reports that the fashion label is set to release its first two perfumes next week — a project that has been a year in the making.
J.Crew teamed up with fragrance expert Carlos Huber of Arquiste, a company that develops scents based on a particular time and place instead of a specific smell. The scents themselves were developed to set the scene of the January 5, 1943, opening of "Exhibition by 31 Women," which was the first all-female modern-art show in the U.S. To celebrate the opening, a cocktail party was thrown, and that's where the fragrances come in.
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The first, No. 57, is reminiscent of the cocktails served and has notes of aged whiskey, cinnamon bark, labdanum, and vanilla. The second, No. 31, encapsulates the feeling of the party itself. Dark plum, red vermouth, and Bulgarian rose give this bottle a livelier, more sparkling feeling.
"Working with two of the best noses in the industry, Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Yann Vasnier [who developed the scents], was such a great experience," Tom Mora, vice president of women's design for J.Crew, told us in an email. "What's so special is the complexity of these scents, and the layering is crucial. There are so many different ingredients that tie back into Carlos's vision and story."
This isn't J.Crew's first foray into beauty, though. The brand has had successful collaborations with Bite Beauty, Tenoverten, and RMS Beauty. This is, however, the retailer's first solo mission into the industry.
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