Cult London ready-to-wear label Kiko Kostadinov has just launched its first perfume, KK.001. The solid fragrance comes packaged in a small, toothpaste-like aluminium tube held in a plastic gripseal bag.
The product design of KK.001 has a characteristically streetwear aesthetic – it echoes the look of a mass-produced, factory-line item but has been reworked into something definitively unique. It’s a style rarely seen in fragrance packaging, and one suited to Kiko Kostadinov’s first foray into the field.
Behind the brand is the eponymous London-based, Bulgary-born designer, who graduated with a master’s from Central Saint Martins in 2016 and founded his label the same year, becoming known for his utilitarian yet futuristic looks. Kiko was directly involved in the creation of the perfume alongside sisters Laura and Deanna Fanning who oversee the Womenswear division of the brand.
The fragrance itself was designed in collaboration with Tokyo-based fragrance house retaW (‘Water’ backwards). The brainchild of Hiroshi Fujiwara, designer, musician, and oft-cited ‘godfather of streetwear’, retaW produces a range of gender-neutral fragrances made from Japanese ingredients.
For KK.001, the fragrance house and the fashion label came together to create an earthy scent with top notes of cedarwood, heart notes of sandalwood and leather, and base notes of vetiver and musk.
It’s an unusual fragrance that manages to be simultaneously earthy and slightly antiseptic, something in between the heavily incised air of cathedrals and the chemical cleanliness of freshly laid linoleum.
Those who enjoy Comme des Garçons’ fragrances, particularly its 2 Eau de Parfum and Wonderwood, will be drawn to KK.001, as will anyone who prefers a more experimental olfactory palette.
The fragrance looks set to be another successful collaboration for Kiko Kostadinov, following successful projects with sneaker brand Asics and British heritage label Mackintosh. §