Blackgama, best known for their fur coats, will enter the fragrance market in September with four scents for women: Addiction, Epic, Mythic and Icon.
Addiction ~ "When you crave the finest in life, Addiction is your fragrance. This rich, woody floral fragrance is inspired by the lovely, distinctive iris— a rare and expensive essence. The opening, a charming burst of citrus and fruity notes add vibrancy, while the romantic iris nuances flawlessly blend to express sensual femininity. Its heart exudes a distinctive scent, building an extraordinary character with a tempting floral bouquet that lingers deliciously on the skin. A rich and long-lasting drydown features sensual notes of patchouli, amber, vanilla and musk, capturing the different facets of the mysterious Blackglama woman who wears it; making her the object of desire." Additional notes include bergamot, jasmine, mimosa, muguet, rose, tuberose and animalic accord.
Epic ~ "Epic is a fierce exploration of boundless style. A scent that becomes an expression of her: An essential accessory to her femininity. The perfume invites you to rediscover your senses with notes of sparkling sage and the sensuality of iris in the topnote. Its olfactive signature makes a statement with a modern combination of jasmine and moss, creating a feminine textural impression. The undeniable warmth of suede and amber is the ultimate balance with the earthiness of patchouli."
Mythic (shown) ~ "Mythic, like the brand itself, is a unique interpretation of a modern chypre, a category known only to connoisseurs of the finest fragrance, Mythic opens with an aromatic top note and a big cascade of florals. Artemisia, an herbaceous ingredient rarely found in women’s scents, adds a touch of the unexpected inspired by the edgy brand itself. The jasmine, lily and tuberose lend a classic quality, while the citrus and green fruity notes add a dose of fun and youthfulness. The cassis used in this composition comes from a proprietary method of extraction that yields a superior quality ingredient. Mythic’s sultry dry-down or base develops slowly, with a leather accord, woody notes and the mossy undertones that evoke the unique sophistication of all chypres." Additional notes include bergamot, green notes, patchouli, sandalwood and vetiver.
Icon ~ "Icon is a contemporary fragrance evoking feelings of excitement in every aspect of her life. The topnote celebrates her with luscious nectars and fruits, creating dimension and embracing her vibrant femininity. The heart is a statement, with blushing rose and jasmine florals, creating textural layers that seep into your skin. The fragrance dries down with the irresistible warmth of amber, moss and woods, embracing her dynamic femininity and catching the eye and imagination of anyone who crosses her path." Additional notes include peach, green notes and black tea.
Blackgama Addiction, Epic, Mythic and Icon will be $128 each for 50 ml.
(quotes via blackglamaperfumes, additional information via wwd)
Can’t say that these sound bad in ANY way! all of them sound kinda magnificent!
I couldn’t say why, but the whole thing sounds like failure to me. I don’t think Blackgama really has the name or the clout to pull this off?
I think the opposite… doesn’t seem as if they’re trying to be all things to all noses… pretty much looks like they are trying to target their audience who already know who and what “BlackGlama” Is… Is the ad copy inspiring, nope, actually kinda silly and insipid, but what they are trying it seems to do with the fragrances seems Awfully Solid and Less that Disastrous! I know i’d give them all a good sniff and maybe an outright buy before sniffing on a couple of them!
Of course you may be right and I may be wrong!
And Absolutely Vice Versa…
I am always ready to admit when i am in the weeds, Dearest Robin! ;-*
Part of it, for me, is how many of these brands I’ve seen launch fragrances and then disappear again. If I had time, I’d go back through all the archives and tag every brand that didn’t make it — it’s an awful lot of brands at this point! Blackgama’s license went to Baron Beauty Group. For all I know they’re wonderful, but it isn’t a big name.
I think you might be right Robin. Fur coats are pretty much taboo now and I haven’t seen a Blackgama advertisement since the 1970’s or 80’s. They always had celebrities lying around in black fur – very Serge Lutens.
I know absolutely nothing about this brand, but the name “Blackglama” makes me think about old blacksploitation flicks. Makes me hope that their mens’ clothing line includes large fur collars.
Other note: “Mythic, like the brand itself, is an interpretation of the modern chypre. . .” Very poorly written! The brand is an interpretation of a chypre? Somehow I don’t think that’s what they mean!
They had this great ad campaign — “what becomes a legend most” — and then all sorts of people, Liz Taylor, Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch, participated. It was huge. But I don’t think fur has that sort of cachet any more, at least, not with everyday perfume buyers. So not sure they have the kind of aspirational pull they need.
And yes…the chypre line is ridiculous, I noticed that right away.
“What becomes a legend most”!!! I remember those ads in magazines and on the wall at the dry cleaner, when I was younger. I was always curious, as a girl, to see who would be featured.
They’re apparently still doing them! Interesting quick read:
http://the1968exhibit.org/covering-1968/2011-04/what-becomes-legend-most-ad-campaign
Oh, that gives me a good sense of it, thank you! I guess I got the era right, even if I shouldn’t have the Shaft theme song stuck in my head!
Blackgama’s used to feature celebs of a certain age (i.e., over the age of 30) known for genuine accomplishments wearing black fur coats over the tag line “What becomes a legend most?” One of its most famous ads featured an editor of Vogue who went on to turn the Metropolitan Museum of Art from a sort of curitorial backwater into a major focus of the museum and a social force in New York. The aging editor(Diane Vreeland?” was rather what the french would call “jolie laide” (so strikingly plain or ugly as to become beautiful in a unique way) so to feature her as a “legend” was as quite a departure from the advertizing norms of the day. (Imagine if Channell featured retired senator Olympia Snowe in its ads)
Any way so much to the history of Blackgama. The copy for the first of these perfumes is a hoot. My Rewrite “Addiction-. Forget about craving the best, we all know that Addicition is for when you are so dependent that any trace of that poison will have to do. When you have gone beyond demanding Opium…. to just needing a fix. NOtes include tobacco notes scavanged from the cigarette butts pulled from ashtrays, when you desparately needed that nicotine, chocolate notes from that year old hershey bar left in the back of the car and the acid from yesterday’s coffee. Sounds awful, well what the heck, your cocaine habit pretty much destroyed your nose and sense of smell anyway. “
I had the exact same thought about “Addiction.” That is a word that has NO appeal to me whatsoever – GROSS.
I’d also add that the perfume industry’s recent attempt to rebrand “gourmand” fragrances as “addictive” fragrances bugs me, for the same reason.
*shudder*
I remember those ads! Lauren Bacall, Sophia Loren, Lena Horne – they were the essence of glamour. I’m struggling to think of any company using similarly strong, successful, older women in ads today, sadly, even though there are probably more successful women in most fields. Nonetheless, it appears that someone is still buying expensive black mink coats, so I wouldn’t count the perfumes out yet.
I know it’s how things are done these days, and we’ve all lamented it, but why on earth couldn’t they start with one and go from there? Even one each quarter rather than four all at once.
They do still have the ads. Janet Jackson was the latest