Looking to further the ambition of his personal brand, artist turned fashion designer Greg Lauren has ventured into perfume, in collaboration with Barneys New York. The tastemaker worked with Master Perfumer Ralf Schweiger to develop his first fragrance, which doubles as a one of a kind art piece as it comes packaged in a hand embellished bottle. A reflection of its creator’s painter background, each bottle features a label made from a number of materials, including paper, fabrics, and masking tape, which was stained with coffee, ink, pencil and pastels. True to the Lauren form, the fragrance “delivers irresistible sensual emotions” from a combination of Tonka Beans, Vanilla and marine notes. Trendland caught up with Lauren for a little more info on the truly stunning results.

What was the starting point for creating the perfume bottle? What feelings do you intend to evoke?

GL: I knew that I was being given Barney’s standard bottle to work with, but I was also given the freedom to be a creative as I wanted to be with it. I knew immediately what I wanted the bottle to feel like. Like my clothing, it needed to not only tell a story, but needed to have a soul, all while embracing an artistic spirit and the beauty of imperfection. It also has to be unique, one of a kind. I wanted the bottle to feel like it was discovered in my art studio, An artist’s medium, which has travelled from studio to studio…I wanted it to have a handmade feeling, evidence of human touch in an otherwise extremely mechanized industry…

Is it your scent?

GL: I worked with a brilliant perfumer, Ralf Schwieger, who was able to translate my story, themes and images to a scent. I knew what notes I liked, and he was able to personalize it to what I wanted.

I realized that fragrances are one of the most personal expressions of ourselves…scents capture our imagination, our secrets, our dreams…

What about perfume is special to you? Why did you decide to pursue creating a perfume for your brand?

GL: Creating a fragrance was an opportunity to work and play in a completely new medium, and approach it with the same artistic spirit of being a painter… It was a challenge, but I realized that fragrances are one of the most personal expressions of ourselves…scents capture our imagination, our secrets, our dreams…

What are the special elements of your bottle?

GL: I love that we made labels out of 4 or 5 different fabrics and papers, each setting a different tone for the bottles, sometimes informing the unique painted embellishments I’d put on each one. No two bottles are alike. To capture the personalized aesthetic of a bottle I’m the studio, I hand wrote my name on masking tape, which was applied by hand on all 3000 bottles.