With a decade of running his own label under his belt, designer Jason Wu tells Caitlin Agnew about his expansion into fragrance
As a fashion designer, launching a namesake fragrance doesn't just mean you've arrived – it means you're here to stay. Following in the footsteps of legends like Oscar de la Renta, Jean Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent is Jason Wu, who's debut namesake fragrance hit Hudson's Bay stores this month.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Wu's label and, at just 34, the New York-based designer has already earned more accolades than most. In 2010, just three years into his career, he won the Swarovski Award for Womenswear at the CFDA Awards. In 2016, Wu was named International Designer of the Year at the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards. He's also the artistic director of women's wear and accessories at Hugo Boss, and has found fans in Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon and, perhaps most notably, Michelle Obama.
Born in Taiwan and raised in Vancouver, Wu says that this new fragrance tells an olfactory story. "All of the smells have been amassed from the last 34 years of my life," he says. Most important is the jasmine sambac, a floral note Wu kept going back to in the initial stages of research. "I lived in Taiwan until I was nine and there were jasmines growing around my house. I used to go pick them and it kind of brought me back to that. It's a really innocent memory."
Flowers have played a key role in the Jason Wu aesthetic since the beginning, and Wu has used a floral element in nearly every show. "And every single print has always been a floral print," he says. For his debut fragrance, Wu was drawn to a blend of white flowers, including freesia, peony and iris. "I like the idea of lightness and something that feels fresh, kind of like the idea of when you cut the stem of a bouquet of flowers. I love that." To cut the sweetness of the bouquet, Wu and Firmenich master perfumer Frank Voelkl added pink pepper, Italian bergamot and mandarin before rounding it out with silky musk.
The bottle and its packaging are both reflective of the feminine Jason Wu aesthetic. Designed by art director Fabien Baron, the dusty pink box is reminiscent of pressed powder from the 1950s, with a perfect gold circle that mirrors both the perfectly round "O" in the Jason Wu logo and the circular cap atop the bottle. For the sculptural vessel, Wu turned to architect Andre Mellone, who designed both his apartment and his store in New York. "I think architects have such a keen sense of structure and shape and form," says Wu. "I love the idea that perfume is not just perfume, but the bottle serves as an object of beauty."
Going forward, don't be surprised to see more beauty offerings from Wu, who has previously collaborated with Caudalie, Lancôme and Shiseido. "Beauty is so intrinsic with my house, especially the idea of feminine beauty," he says. "It's very much the right counterpart to the ready-to-wear."
THIS WEEK'S STYLE HAPPENINGS
- The Canadian-owned and Toronto-based International Modest Fashion & Design Festival will be holding it’s 4th Annual Festival this year at Daniels Spectrum in Toronto. Taking place on Aug. 26, the festival includes a bazaar featuring modest brands from Canada, the U.S., South Africa and Europe, runway shows and a VIP after party. For more information, visit imfdf.ca.
- Toronto-based designer and Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau favourite Hilary MacMillan is hosting a pop-up shop in Parkdale this week. Running from Aug. 24 to 29 at 1340 Queen St. W., the sale will feature her fall 2017 collection of cruelty-free women’s wear, including vegan leather varsity jackets. For more information, visit hilarymacmillan.com.