LONDON — Theo Fennell is branching into beauty.
The jewelry designer and Juniper, his fragrance license holder, introduced Theo Fennell Scent, his debut fragrance, here this month.
While the price tag on Scent may not be as high as that attached to Fennell’s gem-encrusted confections, the jeweler nonetheless deems the fragrance as rich and alluring.
“I wanted something very specific, very nocturnal in mood, heavy and sexy — a scent that makes a statement,” he said. “It’s not the equivalent of a little black dress; it is something you make your mind up to put on.”
Blended by Christophe Laudamiel of International Flavors & Fragrances, its chypre oriental juice comprises top notes of saffron, cardamom, lily, rose and orchid. At its heart are jasmine sambac, orange flower, cumin and cinnamon notes, while base notes include patchouli, tonka bean, labdanum, sandalwood and benzoin.
“It’s a grown-up fragrance,” said Jill Hill, managing director of Juniper. “It is not a ubiquitous scent, but very specific and has a very beautiful, feminine allure to it.”
“It is a smell you need a bit of self-confidence to wear,” continued Fennell.
The same could be said for the designer’s jewelry collection, since along with more classic pieces, some items include gold skulls with serpents snaking through their eyes all dotted with diamonds and rubies. There are also oversized rings sporting eye-popping gems.
For Scent’s bottle, Fennell, who also designs silverware, plumbed for a heavy glass orb featuring a seal with the brand’s logo. “It is designed to be very simple and very elegant on a woman’s dressing table or wherever she performs her ablutions,” said Fennell. “It’s sophisticated, bold and sexy.”
Scent will be available exclusively in Harrods department store and Fennell’s London flagship for six months. It will then be rolled out internationally.
A 75-ml. eau de parfum spray retails for 68 pounds, or $134 at current exchange. Playing on Fennell’s notoriety as a silversmith (he has created silver “sleeves,” or holders, for household products such as ketchup bottles in the past), a line of silver fragrance accessories are also on offer. A 15-ml. parfum is sold along with a silver sleeve into which the bottle can be placed, for example. Together they are priced at 250 pounds, or $492. A 75-ml. eau de parfum with a silver sleeve goes for 375 pounds, or $738. As ancillary products are added, the silver collection also will grow, said Hill. Bath-and-body items will sport silver lids, for example.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
Industry sources estimate Scent will generate first-year retail sales of 500,000 pounds, or $984,177.
A sampling drive, including Sophisticates, will support a single- and double-page advertising campaign, which is to bow in April. Featuring a partly obscured moonlit woman sporting Theo Fennell jewels, the visual is meant to underline the fragrance’s womanly appeal.
“It’s a proper, old-fashioned heavy scent, redolent of evenings of gorgeousness, luxury, decadence and naughtiness,” said Fennell.