Comme des Garçons will launch Serpentine, a new unisex fragrance developed in conjunction with Serpentine Galleries in London.
London’s Serpentine Galleries have collaborated with renowned fashion house Comme des Garçons to create a bespoke unisex fragrance entitled SERPENTINE. The scent was developed on the occasion of the Serpentine Galleries’ expanded presence in the Royal Park of Kensington Gardens with the new Serpentine Sackler Gallery, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The scent will be available for sale in Spring 2014.
Serpentine Galleries invited Tracey Emin to design SERPENTINE’s bottle and box, the first in a new, ongoing artist commission. Created in France during the summer of the artist’s 50th birthday, Emin’s drawing takes inspiration from a sculpture she purchased depicting a lovers’ embrace. The handwritten text for the bottle face reads: “The Grass, The Trees, The Lake, And You”. The bottle text is printed in luminous silver and the artwork for the packaging slip cover is hot foil stamped in bright silver.
Christian Astuguevieille, creative director of Comme des Garçons Parfums, with Emilie Coppermann, perfumer, developed the fragrance in response to the Serpentine Galleries’ unique setting in an historic park in a large city. The result is a fresh, accessible yet deceivingly complex and light unisex scent.
Christian Astuguevieille said: “The Serpentine asked me to create a perfume that would be rooted in their geographical location in the middle of one of biggest parks in the middle of one of the biggest cities of the world. We worked on the concept of ‘Green and City’, but not any green space in any city. The perfume we made is London specific, finding the best fresh and tender green notes from Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park and interplaying and juxtaposing them with the smells of London, the circulation of its traffic and its air. We wanted to create a fragrance that symbolised Nature in a City”. The scent is composed of grass, leaves, pollen (galbanum, irisleaf), oxygen (aldehyde, ozone), asphalt (black musk, nutmeg), labdanum, smoked cedar with a little bit of pollution (benzoin, juniper wood, gaïac wood).
Comme des Garçons + Serpentine Galleries Serpentine launches on 28 April, in Eau de Toilette, size unknown, €66, £56, $95.
(via serpentinegalleries.org, found via en.vogue.fr)
Update: the Serpentine fragrance is in 50 ml.
Well as a Londoner I can just go sniff the air/pollution and save myself 50 odd quid. It’s funny, yesterday I would have been interested in this (heh it’s GDG, it won’t be boring) but today it just sounds a little contrived. Last night I attended a small presentation given by Vero Kern at a lovely little perfume shop, Bloom, and her perfumes are just so magical and sensual that my head (and nose) is still full of the sensations and there’s not much room for anything else! I’ll be back to normal soon 😉
Oh, that sounds lovely! Did you try the new Rozy? Is it wonderful?
And I admit this one did not grab me either, not at all like a CdG scent usually does. Doesn’t help that they mentioned ozone.
Yes! As a general rule I’m not a floral person and certainly not a rose person but the Voile concentration of Rozy is spectacular. It smells like a characterful woman’s skin after she’s been dancing all night. (Sorry that’s a bit fanciful) On the other hand I don’t like the EDP – too bright and rosy. I hope you sniff it soon, Robin! Looking forward to your impressions.
Oh, that sounds lovely! Hope I’ll snag a sample soon.
I was once a Londoner too, and I can’t say that this really appeals to me – why would anyone want to wear pollution??! Emin isn’t a favourite artisit of mine either (she is famous for her “unmade bed” installation, and another which comprised a tent with notes pasted all over the insides with names of the people she had slept with written on them). Guess I’m not really the target audience for this.
Echoing Donanicola, I am however very fond of Vero Kern!,
Thanks…not familiar with her, & just added a link to her Wikipedia page above.
And adding…that reminded me of the original bottle of Boyfriend, which had boy’s names written all over it.
You know, I can’t understand why I am not a famous artisit as I think I could come up with equally (underwhelming) designs!
🙂