Going anywhere nice this year? If not, perhaps you’d like an olfactory vacation? No, not the classic coconut-and-vanilla beachy blends, but something much more niche and personal.
It’s the era of the hyper-specific location perfume. Rather than Mediterranean colognes and fruity-florals, the latest crop of wanderlust fragrances are landing in far-flung places like Dubai, Tokyo and the Sahara Desert or close-to-home hang-outs like The Woody Office of Daddy and The Bomboneria in Barcelona*. (more…)
Something interesting is happening in the world of streetwear. It’s fixing up, shedding its scrappy roots and going all out for growth. Latest development? In the space of a few weeks, two of its most culty brands have opened retail stores that cement their influence and ambition for mass expansion.
On June 17th, Hypebeast unveiled an impressive new seven-storey HQ-slash-store-slash-event-space in NYC’s Chinatown. Two weeks earlier, Aimé Leon Dore (above and below) opened its London store in the heart of Soho, a two-storey retail destination incorporating a marble-floored café and a VIP private lounge. A sneaker’s throw from Supreme and Stussy, Aimé Leon Doreis a far more refined proposition than these rough and ready rivals. Its branding is more preppie-adjacent than skater kid, yet it speaks to the same youthful demographic. (more…)
Colette may be no more, but I like this olfactory tribute to the OG Paris concept store. Fragrance and lifestyle brand, Lola James Harper has reproduced the classic figgy Colette candle, ‘L’Air de Colette‘ in a newly reconfigured candle and room spray (from £35). It’s the old scent with a new name, ‘213 Rue Saint-Honoré Air‘, so if you’re mourning the demise of one of the best retail destinations of our time, here’s the perfect olfactory memento.
I remember discovering Lola James Harper’s candles in Colette. (more…)
Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands and industry stories currently buzzing on my radar…
1. GLOSSIER TO THE UK
Am I the only person left who hasn’t tried Glossier? The 35 million dollar blogger beauty brand is finally extending its reach worldwide with a big buzz of coverage in the media last week. London is getting the first of the European push (exact date still tbc), which has come about thanks to Glossier’s phenomenally engaged social media fan base. (more…)
