Look closer… Aēsop’s delicately daring new fragrance Rōzu Eau de Parfum proves how great design can shape all disciplines, from architecture to aromatic design.
Firstly we must mention the exquisite packaging, it’s not only beautiful but ethical too. A heavy card box in deep red tones set with a black and white print, making the fragrance sit like an artwork within.
The fragrance is unexpected, opening with rich seductive notes of rose more spicey and complex than what you would expect from a rose fragrance. Combined with vibrant shiso accords, woods and spice, earth and light smoke – Rōzu subverts expectations and is intended to appeal to all genders – a refreshing take for those wanting something truly authentic and delightfully unusual.
Aēsop’s pared-back design principles of understated elegance come to life in their new fragrance, created with long-term collaborator Barnabé Fillion. Refreshingly, Rōzu is inspired by one of the most underrated design heroines of the 20th Century – French modernist designer Charlotte Perriand, and the Japanese Wabara garden rose that was created in her name. ‘Rōzu’ is the Japanese translation for rose, giving a brazen edge to this scent.
Rōzu Eau de Parfum is an intense yet tender fragrance, with striking longevity. Fillion tells how “the florals, with elements of green citrus, all tempered by earthy, woody vetiver extract calls upon the traditional men’s colognes Perriand was known to favour. In its Japanese touch, it’s like a ghost; the trace left after a light incense has been burned.’
Charlotte Perriand led a colourful life from 1903 to 1999 and she remains one of the few women to have succeeded so profoundly in such a male-dominated field. Bold and compassionate, Perriand believed that intelligent, functional design had the power to improve the lives of others, insisting on purpose and simple forms over fussy ornamentation. Her work has been described as having a “zen-like quality”, much like Aēsop’s signature design philosophy, which takes direction from organic forms with modern minimalism.
With her breakthrough piece Le bar sous le toit on display at Salon d’Automne in 1927, Perriand got a job working with Le Corbusier – after famously being rebuffed by him with a dismissive ‘we don’t embroider cushions here’. Perriand certainly won her share of challenges, her work speaking for itself.
In 1940, the reality of war creeping ever closer, she relocated to Tokyo from Marseilles on one of the last ships to depart before Germany’s occupation of France. It was here that her approach to design was influenced greatly by her environment for years to come. In particular, Kakuzo Okakura’s The Book of Tea captured Perriand’s fascination. Its notions of simplicity impacted her throughout the rest of her life and at the ripe age of 90, she designed a Japanese teahouse for the UNESCO garden in Paris. At 90!
We love the story behind this surprisingly meaningful tribute to such an inspiring person and can’t wait to try this new scent. The refined glass vial is encased in an elegant box and also features an image from Perriand’s photographic archives, a lovely memento of Charlotte Perriand – a true visionary.
For more details, you can visit their website at Aēsop, or pop over to their Instagram page.
