Jimmy Choo has expanded its portfolio of scents and entered into the male fragrance category with the launch of its first eau de toilette for men called Jimmy Choo Man.
“This is a fragrance for the man who goes out with the Jimmy Choo woman,” explained Jimmy Choo chief executive officer Pierre Denis in London at the launch event during London Collections: Men. “He is confident, sensual, he is tough and still romantic, and he is the counterpart to the Jimmy Choo woman, who is sexy and powerful. He’s a cosmopolitan Mayfair playboy.”
“We have had a lot of success with our women’s fragrances and we thought the time was right to add a fragrance for men. After launching the men’s shoe collection in 2011, it was completely logical to have a men’s fragrance,” said Inter Parfum’s ceo Philippe Benacin, who said the scent is a balance between eccentric and classic, “like the Jimmy Choo men’s shoes.” Benacin described the scent as being very woody, with top notes of lavender, honeydew melon and mandarin essence; pineapple leaf and geranium at the heart for crispness, and a base of patchouli and amber-based wood harmonies. It will be launched in the U.K. on Aug. 11, then rolled out globally.
The scent will be available in 10,000 doors worldwide, with distribution mirroring that of the Jimmy Choo Woman scent in department stores and selective distribution covering Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East. It will be available at Bloomingdale’s exclusively for a month. There is also an exclusive distribution with Sephora in 10 European countries. Ancillary products include a shower gel, a deodorant stick and an aftershave balm.
The smoky glass bottle was inspired by an antique hip flask, and has a mock croc leather and chrome cap. “I wanted to include a reference to our signature exotic and printed leathers so we inlaid an embossed leather detail in the cap,” said creative director Sandra Choi. The bottle comes in chrome and black croc embossed packaging. Prices of the eau de toilette range from 40 euros (about $54) for a 30-ml. bottle, to 77 euros (about $104) for the 100-ml. size. None of the executives would cite sales projections. But industry sources estimate the fragrance could generate retail sales of 20 million euros (about $27.1 million at current exchange) in the first five months.
“Game of Thrones” star Kit Harrington is the face of the campaign, a first for the British actor. Harrington was shot for the campaign by Peter Lindbergh at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. In the commercial, Harrington plays a brooding man, who caresses the long legs of a faceless female companion, who is wearing heels but takes a swim in her Jimmy Choos. “It reminds me of big nights out in London; having a lot of fun,” said Harrington. “For me, fragrance is something very personal and, if you like it, you’ll stick to it, so I was really hoping I liked [Jimmy Choo Man], and I actually really did!” He noted that he uses fragrance sparingly: “Only two squirts.”