MILAN — Costume National is breaking with its androgynous vibe and offering an eau de parfum that is decidedly voluptuous and soft: So Nude, a fragrance that evokes female beauty au naturel.
“The idea was to convey the most sensual and feminine side of Costume National,” said the brand’s co-founder and creative director, Ennio Capasa. “I have always relied heavily on white, black and nude [in my work] and I had the desire to express this important part of my color scheme.…It had to be coherent with what I had done before.”
The new edp opens with spicy notes of cardamom, cumin and neroli and gives way to a floral heart of Ylang-Ylang, Damascus Rose and tuberose over a drydown of Virginia cedar wood and heart of Indonesian Patchouli. Beauty San, Costume National’s fragrance creation, production and distribution licensee since 2007, is supplied by a laboratory in Grasse, France, which uses specialized artisanal techniques to extract the heart of high-quality raw materials, said Andrea Valdo, Beauty San chief executive officer and export director.
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Valdo declined to discuss sales figures, but industry sources estimate So Nude could reap 3 million euros, or $3.8 million at current exchange, to 3.5 million euros retail, $4.4 million, in its first year turnover.
Capasa emphasized the powerful connection between his fashion — which makes sparing use of color and focuses on unusual materials and tailoring — and his fragrance line, which most recently launched the more gender-neutral Pop Collection in 2011 and totals eight scents. He also said creating perfumes that stand the test of time is important to him, as he is “more attracted to style than to trends.
“[So Nude] is for a sensual woman who is independent at the same time, with a strong aesthetic sense,” he added.
The designer, who studied sculpture while attending the Accademia de Belle Arti di Brera, has been directly involved in designing his fragrance bottles, striving to make each “timeless but innovative,” recognizably linked to the fashion brand, and ergonomic. So Nude features a creamy, ecru-colored packaging with block capital letters spelling out the name, and the bottle is tall and gently concave, with a silver gilt cap.
According to Valdo, So Nude will prelaunch in July exclusively at Selfridges in the U.K. and Printemps in France, and will reach the Middle East later that month. The worldwide launch is planned for September, and in the U.S., Barneys New York — the only American department store to sell Costume National fragrances — will have a six-month exclusive before the edp hits select perfumeries and hotels.
Distribution varies internationally because the brand is perceived differently across borders, Valdo said, noting that in Italy, Costume National’s fragrance line is available at 400 doors, while in France, where it is considered a niche label, about 25 doors carry the line.
Costume National fragrances “are doing uniformly well worldwide,” said Valdo, although he added there are regional preferences for specific scents: 21 (a 2007 entry) is a top-seller in southern Europe, while Homme (2009) is a favorite in France and Turkey. Overall, the brand’s strongholds are Italy, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. Valdo said the Middle East is an important emerging market both because of the region’s spending power and because of its robust “culture of perfume.”
In Asia, Costume National fragrances are available in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Valdo said no entry into the Chinese market was planned for the foreseeable future, as the fashion brand is not yet established there.
The exclusively print and Web advertising campaign reveals model Alyona Subbotina in the nude, her blonde hair tousled and her gaze piercing. South African filmmaker and photographer Henrik Purienne, known for his playfully sensual work, shot the grainy, retro-style images on the dunes of Pismo Beach, California.
So Nude will be available in three sizes: 1-oz. (57 euros), 1.7-oz. (80 euros) and 3.4-oz. (109 euros.) In the U.S., prices will be $80, $112 and $153.