Product | Aug 1, 2018

Michele Van Dien on inspiring collaborations between fashion and fragrance

Fashion and fragrance Kenzo Takada Avon Life Colour fragrance

As someone who spends their career thinking about new ways to expand and evolve the world of fragrance, I’ve always loved the amazing creative synergy between fashion and fragrance. The trends, the colours and the textures allow us to access a truly creative and inspiring world which takes something as simple as getting dressed in the morning and allows it to become a true act of self-expression.

At Avon, fragrance is an art, a true creative expression, and a way of bringing a touch of glamour to life.

I’m so excited that we have just announced an exclusive new fragrance collaboration with the iconic fashion designer Kenzo Takada.

Avon Life Colour is the second chapter in our collaboration. The first, Avon Life, broke Avon sales records by recording the highest-ever sales for a fragrance in the first quarter after launch, which shows just how much our customers enjoy the world of fashion and fragrance colliding too.

A true fashion visionary, Kenzo Takada was one of the first Japanese fashion designers to succeed in the rarefied world of Paris fashion. Avon took inspiration from his unique, irreverent and creative spirit and created Avon Life fragrances for him and for her. The focus was on beautiful ingredients that are both exquisite and a little unexpected: for example, the women’s fragrance is a luxurious blend of waterlily, violet and iris flower, while the men’s fragrance has vibrant, fresh and refined notes of black pepper, violet leaves and cedarwood.

Avon Life Colour, the new scent, takes that same sense of the unexpected and injects a splash of colour into the mix. The hero ingredient of the ‘for her’ scent is Magnolia, a white flower with an elegant jasmine-like note, contrasted against a slightly fruity scent. Kenzo Takada chose it for the fragrance because he grew up in a house with large magnolias next to it. For the other ingredients, he looked – alongside their scents - for materials that would convey emotion through their colours. The power of colour has always been one of his greatest inspirations; a universal language, just like fragrance.

Being able to bring the passion and creativity of such visionaries into our world - creating world-class products with artists that can be enjoyed by everyone - really drives our fragrance team. At Avon, our aim is to democratise beauty and allow everyone to explore their own expression through scent, colour, texture and beyond.

It’s a privilege to create fragrances with such true fashion heritage, but even more of a thrill to wear them. We hope you enjoy!