Meet the Irreverent Fragrance That Lets Your Freak Flag Fly

By Jade Yeo

New York fashion retailers-turned-designers Carol Lim and Humberto Leon are recognised for their cheeky take on fashion, so a similar approach to the conception of their first-ever fragrance for Kenzo was inherently expected. What I didn’t expect was a perfume advertisement as engaging as this one – an obvious standout in a sedate world of conventional commercials, raking up over 6 million views on YouTube alone.

THE KENZO WOMAN

Since its world premiere nearly a year ago, the viral ad has lodged itself in my memory permanently, and it remains a favourite to this day. Director Spike Jonze introduces a young lady sat amongst others at a black-tie event, seemingly disconnected from the entire spectacle. She excuses herself and roams the empty hall, tears trickling down her cheeks, but from the moment she locks gaze with the camera, actress Margaret Qualley takes centre stage and plunges into the deep end of irreverence.

Through the riotous dance choreographed by Ryan Heffington (the man responsible for Sia’s Chandelier video), she twitches, punches, twirls, leaps, and even shoots lasers from her fingertips. Yup, it’s wild, cool, silly, and strangely relatable all at once – just what Kenzo wants to encapsulate within the new Kenzo World Eau de Parfum, because “the Kenzo woman is unafraid to be herself. Unexpected and uninhibited, she dares to see the world her way and stands out from the crowd.”

While I can’t express myself in dance (let alone balance in heels) as effectively as Margaret Qualley can, I’d like to think I reflect certain bold qualities of the Kenzo woman. For starters, this is what my hair looks like. It’s a daring look that garners way too much attention for an introvert like myself, but it’s also a decision I stand behind wholeheartedly. It may be easy to label me “different” from that physical trait alone, but we’re all different in our own little ways, and those quirks are exactly what Kenzo World celebrates. So when our Editor-in-Chief Adele asked me to take on the new fragrance, I was thrilled.

THE SCENT OF KENZO WORLD

I got a whiff of it recently and I must say, it’s nice to finally put a scent to the visuals I’d been so familiar with. So here’s my take on perfumer Francis Kurkdjian’s creation: the fragrance opens with a burst of fruity florals and settles down to a warm feminine scent, but there was a lingering, musky-ambery note I couldn’t quite put my finger on until it was revealed to me. There’s notes of Peony and Egyptian Jasmine in it, topped off with a dash of Ambroxan® crystals which gives the sweet fragrance an unexpected edge that I, well, unexpectedly enjoyed.

From that description, you can sort of imagine what Kenzo World smells like, but as with all fragrances, you’ll need to get a whiff of it in person to complete the picture. As soon as one of these adorable bottles arrived at our office, I went round to get the NYLON team’s first impressions. A couple of spritzes later, our Associate Editor Amelia remarked that it’s a sweet floral fragrance most girls will favour, and that sentiment definitely resonated with the rest of our team. Our writer Joel said the opening notes smell fruity, while our designer Patrene said it smells fresh, as though she just took a nice shower. Ultimately, it strikes a positive chord among us, and the same can be said for its packaging.

THE BOTTLE DESIGN

From the Braille-printed name on the top of the box to the eye-catching bottle, it’s definitely an intriguing invitation to experience Kenzo World. The design is remarkably different from the rest of Kenzo’s offerings, yet it’s universally appealing. What I like in particular is that it doesn’t bear the typical sleek, sensual pink design elements to match the scent’s femininity. Instead, Patrick Li took the iconic eye motif introduced back in 2013 for the label’s Fall/Winter collection and gave an opaline bottle contrasting touches of black rubber and gold.

Dare to be different with the #KENZOWORLD floral invasion.

A post shared by KENZO Parfums Official (@kenzoparfums) on Apr 6, 2017 at 11:14am PDT

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Of course, women are predictably drawn to the cute bottle design like a moth to a flame. At our meeting with Kenzo Parfums, the waitress noticed a bottle of Kenzo World perched on our table. Glint in her eye, she loomed over with a smile to ask, “Is that the new Kenzo perfume?” Why, yes. Yes it is. But the stylised eye doesn’t just capture the attention of women – it pulls men in, too.

In fact, my boyfriend and a couple of male friends said they’d love to own one, even if they probably wouldn’t indulge in the fragrance themselves. Kenzo World has mass appeal, no doubt, which is great news for a fragrance that seeks to trigger off the world.

Kenzo World Eau de Parfum; $96 for 30ml, $133 for 50ml, and $164 for 75ml. Available at all Sephora stores and Sephora.sg from 31 August. kenzoworld.com.