Rick Owens is applying his signature aesthetic to skincare and fragrance in a new collaboration with Aesop. The collection includes a candle and a travel kit comprised of Owens’ favourite Aesop body and hair care products—Coriander Seed Body Cleanser, Resolute Hydrating Body Balm, Classic Shampoo and Classic Conditioner. Owens has also worked alongside perfumer Barnabe Fillion to create a signature perfume entitled ’Stoic’ that comes with a chain of ceramic beads that can be perfumed and worn to diffuse the scent throughout the day.
Fillion has made a name for himself in the world of perfumery with his idiosyncratic approach to fragrances. In addition to working with Aesop on almost all of their fragrances, Fillion has collaborated with artist Anicka Yi on ‘Biography,’ three fragrances designed to challenge historical definitions of femininity, and has developed his own fragrance line, Arpa, which enlists the talents of musicians, glassblowers, sculptures and more to simulate the experience of synesthesia. Fillion’s cerebral, multi-disciplinary approach to fragrance makes him an ideal collaborator for Owens, who has long drawn on movements in art, music, architecture to create his iconic, avant-garde aesthetic.
Like Owens’ fashion designs, ’Stoic’ is a strange and singular fragrance that blends the sharp, spicy flavours of black pepper and coriander seed with earthy frankincense and patchouli. It is an unusual scent, but not so eccentric that it is off-putting. Rather, Owens wanted the fragrance to be something soothing and fit for everyday use.
‘I am not sure if it was my body responding positively to the alchemy of the unguents they produce or my head responding to the quiet and gentle aesthetics of their ethos as a company,’ says Owens, ‘but Aesop’s balms represented a soothing mood that I wanted to continue seamlessly throughout my home life and my travel life.’ §