Ulla Johnson's First Fragrances Are Destined To Be Your Summer Scents
Our take
Fragrance has the uncanny ability to transport you to a faraway locale that’s a significant chapter to your life story. Maybe it’s a dazzling citrus scent that reminds you of a romantic getaway to the Amalfi Coast or a rose-heavy scent that takes you back to your grandma’s garden. For her inaugural fragrance collection, New York fashion designer Ulla Johnson is drawing on the scent memories she’s collected through her love of travel. Created in collaboration with British perfumer Lyn Harris and developed with French perfume house Roberte, the three eau de parfums evoke hiking on a dune trail as the sun sets, a flower’s first bloom, and the sun hitting your skin on a beach on the Adriatic coast.
When crafting pieces for her cult-favorite clothing line, Johnson works with artisans and craftsman from around the globe. She took the same approach to creating the glass fragrance bottles. The curved shape is inspired by 19th century Chinese snuff bottles, while the organic porcelain cap is designed by Los Angeles-based ceramic artist Jonathan Yamakami.
Even if you don’t have any upcoming flights, the three fragrances will satisfy your wanderlust. Not to mention, with summer on the horizon, they’re all very seasonally apropos. Get to know all three scents, ahead.
Drift Rose
Key Notes: Lemon, white peach, immortelle, Turkish rose essence, cardamom, sandalwood, vetiver, papyrus
This sun-dried floral scent evokes a sunset on the Atlantic coast by combining light, sparkling fruit notes with dark, rich wood base notes. This contrast makes Drift Rose the perfect transitional weather fragrance, which is why I’ve found myself consistently reaching for it. Not to mention, I’ve been getting compliments while wearing it. Someone on the subway even tapped me on the shoulder to ask what perfume I’m wearing. The scent starts off bright with the citrus and floral notes dominating, but as it dries down, the sandalwood, vetiver, and papyrus really come through, creating an air of mystery. It’s like being out on a summer Friday late afternoon with friends, unsure where the rest of the night will take you.
Baroque Garden
Key Notes: Bergamot, galbanum, jasmin absolute, ylang absolute, irone, orange flower absolute, black pepper, vanilla absolute, white musk
The brand describes the traditional floral scent as “a bouquet gathered and arranged by hand, each stem plucked in its peak bloom, noticed for its gesture, its opulent scent, its singular beauty.” To me, the bold yet complimentary blend of floral notes is reminiscent of walking through my neighborhood in Brooklyn on the first balmy spring day when the trees and front gardens of brownstones first bloom. Unsurprisingly, I’ve been wearing it on weekend afternoons spent in Prospect Park.
Adriatic Gold
Key Notes: Bergamot, mandarin, orange flower absolute, jasmine absolute, ylang absolute, angelica seed, black pepper, sandalwood, rice absolute, white musk
Named after the Northern arm of the Mediterranean sea located between the Italian and Balkan peninsulas, this solar scent smells like how the sun feels on your skin while laying on the beach. While Adriatic Gold is essentially summer in a bottle, I anticipate I’ll be spritzing it on during the colder months, too. It’ll be the next best thing to a mid-winter tropical escape.
In addition to the eau de parfums, Johnson has created four scented candles ($135 each) that come in ceramic vessels also designed by Yamakami. There’s Coral (neroli, rose essence, geranium, raspberry leaf clove, vanilla), Celadon (green stem, galbanum, red berry, rose essence, cedar wood), Cowrie (bergamot, petitgrain, eucalyptus, geranium, patchouli, cedar wood, white musk), and Gold (orange flower blossom, eau des brouts absolute, orange, rosemary essence, petitgrain, sandalwood, musk). Coral also comes in aloeswood incense ($55 for 50 sticks), which can be used with the flower-shaped poreclain holder ($240) designed by Brooklyn-based ceramic artist Jane Yang-D’Haene.
Ulla Johnson’s Ulla fragrance collection is available for pre-order now at ullajohnson.com and violetgrey.com.
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