Natori, Parlux Delve Skin Deep
Intimate apparel impresario Josie Natori is moving beyond undergarments toward fully bare skin this summer with the launch of a brand new fragrance, Natori—arriving exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue in August.
“Lingerie and fragrance are quite possibly the most intimate products a woman can wear,” the designer said in an exclusive interview at her Manhattan showroom. “And in a way, fragrance is even more personal than lingerie. It’s a way of expressing yourself to yourself, like a secret.”
The forthcoming Natori fragrance represents the first joint venture between the Philippines-born designer and Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based fragrance manufacturer and distributor, Parlux Fragrances, Inc.
“This is also our first fragrance to launch in the specialty store arena,” said Neil Katz, chairman and CEO of Parlux, adding that the fragrance would roll out to Bloomingdale’s and other retailers in November after debuting at some 53 Saks doors across the country.
“I have always said that every time we add a brand to our portfolio, we should be adding another retail sector,” he said. “We don’t want to be pigeonholed into celebrity fragrances, or major department store fragrances. As a company, we want to appeal to every kind of consumer.”
Natori follows an initial scent venture by The Natori Company in the 80’s, and another alongside Avon in the 90’s, Ms. Natori said—neither of which is still on the market.
Growing up, Ms. Natori was surrounded by flowers—“I prefer them to food,” she says—and in Natori her favorite peony and jasmine scents are offset by deeper patchouli and amber notes, which harken back to her Asian heritage.
Altogether, the combination yields a balance “like yin and yang,” she explained. “Soft and strong at the same time.”
Helmed by Caroline Sabas of Givaudan, the sparkling floral oriental features top notes of aldehydes, rose petals and dark plum; a heart of ylang ylang, purple peony and night-blooming jasmine; and a drydown of black patchouli, amber and a satin musk accord.
The Natori collection includes 1.7- and 3.4-oz. eau de parfum sprays, priced at $80.00 and $110.00.
Ancillary items (which feature silk as a key ingredient—alluding to Ms. Natori’s fluid and sinuous fashions) will include a 5.0-oz. body crème for $75.00 and an 8.0-oz. shower crème for $55.00. An ambient 6.35-oz. candle rounds out the collection, priced at $75.00.
Ms. Natori noted that the ancillary collection would evolve in the future with powders, sachets, massage oils and other collectible items.
In Japanese, the word “natori” refers to the highest form of art, and it was this sort of authenticity that Ms. Natori was seeking in the conception of the perfume bottle.
Loosely inspired by the shape of a lotus flower, its curvaceous figure and aubergine hue resulted in “the kind of object that you’d want to display after you finish the fragrance,” she said.
A clear peekhole at the base of the container reveals the golden juice within. “It’s a unique touch,” Ms. Natori said, “like peering into the soul of a woman.”
Of the fact that its lacquered surface features no typeface, Mr. Katz said the team decided to “let the bottle’s shape and color speak for itself. That’s also why we chose the tag phrase, ‘Where life meets art’—because this is a piece of art.”
A print campaign—of the bottle hovering above a luminous, violet pool, shot by Yucel Erdogan—will break in September books, Mr. Katz said.