What if you could capture the perfect night in a bottle? That’s exactly what Ralph Lauren Fragrances did with Ralph’s Club Eau de Parfum, their new masculine scent that was inspired by Ralph Lauren’s one-night-only fall 2019 fashion show, which was opened by Gigi Hadid. She stars in the ensemble campaign, along with model, artist and actor Luka Sabbat; musician, actor and model Lucky Blue Smith; and artist Fai Khadra. As part of the celebration surrounding the launch, Ralph Lauren Fragrances is introducing a virtual Ralph’s Club experience in August, an augmented reality destination where people from all over the globe can attend live events, unlock exclusive features and mingle with talent, via QR code technology.
The woody scent was created by master perfumer Dominique Ropion, with top notes of lavandin, apple and grapefruit; middle notes of clary sage, geranium and orange blossom; and a base of Virginia cedarwood, vetiver and patchouli. Bold and sophisticated, just like its sleek bottle, Ralph’s Club Eau de Parfum is fittingly represented by a co-ed cast, which captures the scent’s spirit of togetherness. Hadid, who knows that fragrance doesn’t know gender limits, sports the scent and tells us all about it.
Why did you decide to partner with Ralph Lauren on the launch of Ralph’s Club Eau de Parfum? Ralph has been one of the most iconic brands of my memory in terms of brands I looked up to. I grew up in Santa Barbara riding horses and designer things weren't really anything I was ever interested in. To me, luxury was Ralph. I always looked up to the brand for not only the clothes, but the image of the brand. They were some of my favorite campaigns growing up, the family campaigns. I need to talk to Ralph about this sometime, but when I was 16, I randomly got casted for this small Ralph photoshoot in Malibu that I think was for online. Ralph was one of my first jobs before ever moving to New York, or starting modeling professionally or full-time. So, it is an honor to do this campaign and it was an honor to open the show and I was just so excited that this campaign took on the creative of the show and Ralph’s Club got to have another night because it was awesome.
Since the scent was inspired by Ralph Lauren’s fall 2019 fashion experience, does the fragrance remind you of that night? For sure. I keep saying this, but I think the campaign is so symbolic of how the fragrance makes me feel. To open a women's show for Ralph and to open it in that outfit, in a tuxedo, I felt like the girl 007—I just felt so cool, so powerful. It was so fun. I still can relive walking that show in my head. And so the fragrance is that for me. That's why I wanted to do this men's fragrance campaign because it wasn't taking on the female character like you would usually see in a male fragrance campaign or in a fragrance campaign in general. I love that I got to wear the same outfit from the show, a tuxedo with a coat. And I got to be one of the boys. It was very genuine to what I think the Ralph's Club fragrance and the Ralph’s Club message is, that anyone can come have a great night and you can wear tiny little dresses if that makes you feel great. And you can wear a suit if that's what makes you feel great. And people from all over the world and all different backgrounds and interests and hobbies are welcome to come together and have a great time. So, the fragrance makes me feel powerful and confident.
Even though Ralph’s Club Eau de Parfum is considered a masculine fragrance, do you still wear it? Yeah, I wear it on its own. I love it for a night out. I also think if you want to [you can wear] it earlier in the day, or if it's just kind of a different energy that you want for the night. It's still super strong but it's natural. It blends really well into the skin. I think that it's really good for any kind of night. I find it to be very much going out in New York in a bottle because the Ralph brand is so iconic to America in New York. And New York is a city where you can go have the most random, awesome day ever, and you can turn a corner and your whole night changes. And I think that that's kind of the goal.
What’s your take on gender and fragrance? Actually, I have to remind myself that it was a men's campaign. Obviously, that's how it's marketed because the market is still that way. But I don't necessarily think that people need to only shop in the fragrance section by gender. That should be opened up in general. The Ralph team did a beautiful job of showing that in this campaign and creating these characters that are, you know, we are friends, and it's based in real life, but me as a character is representative. It has a great cast, and a really diverse one.
What was your favorite part of shooting the campaign with Luka Sabbat, Lucky Blue Smith and Fai Khadra? My favorite part about it was that it was coming off a year of the pandemic. I felt really fortunate to have a safe and COVID tested environment that we could all come together again. Some of them I've known for years and some I met that day on set, but we all had a really great time together. We were able to celebrate togetherness and find joy in that even though some of us were just meeting that day. It was just a nice feeling to see people again, to get to feel that energy.
How is shooting a campaign with an ensemble cast different from shooting one solo? Either you get there and you're given a character and a storyline or, my job as a model, if that's not the case, is to look at the clothing and the set and find and create a character in my mind that is going to take on this issue. That's how I feel about it. Having an ensemble cast is different because it adds more layers and more complexity to who you can create in your mind when you're shooting. And then also, it's just fun. It creates more real experiences and some of the most beautiful things in photoshoots and art in general, I think, is the things that you can't plan and you don't expect and obviously having an ensemble cast creates more opportunities.
Has working with Ralph Lauren taught you anything new about style or beauty? When I look at Ralph, I picture him and his denim, jeans and a suit, and it's such a reminder to always be yourself and I think that Ralph as a person and as a brand has done that for decades successfully because they're always true to themselves. As a farm girl myself that comes into the city for work, it’s great to see a brand that encourages you to also embrace the dualities of your style. If you want to wear something fancy on top with your cowboy boots in the city, then this is the place to do that. Ralph shows a lot of layers and a genuine feeling that still comes through as well.
How do you like to wear fragrance? I have usually one that I'm going back to often. I'm super open to seeing how I feel that day and mixing something up or trying something new that feels right, or how I want to take on the day. On a daily basis, I usually do a little spray and walk through it because it's lighter than what I would do at night, which is on my hair. Fragrance enters almost before you do, so you think about the strength that you want in terms of the smell and then also what you want to wear in terms of complexity. That might have a story behind it because it's going to be a conversation starter and I love when fragrance is a little bit confusing—not in a bad way, but when you want to ask question about it.
What’s your earliest scent memory? When people ask what's your first fragrance memory, it takes me right back to this single moment. I don't remember exactly what it was. But it's super visual in my mind. It was a warm day and I was walking in my backyard and I think it was jasmine and just the way the sun was hitting it, all the air smelled sweet like that. I always remember that as a moment that I realized my appreciation for how a fragrance can make you feel.
What are your favorite scents and smells? I love houses where something special is being cooked, like pie or anything, really. I love a flower shop. I love a bakery. I love environments that are made by the way they smell where you can walk into a place with your eyes closed and know where you are.
