The Bite Magazine - Issue 11

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The refreshing scent of sweet peas and
bergamot mixed with a geranium leaf,
golden quince and freesia completed
with a base of patchouli and rain-tipped
damask and centifolia rose makes up this
appealing scent’s notes. Burberry enlisted
the renowned French-Armenian olfactory
guru Francis Kurkdjian to create something
that would reflect the brand’s “disheveled
elegance,” as Burberry’s Chief Creative
and Chief Executive Officer Christopher
Bailey describes the feel of their clothing
collections. “Because My Burberry is
the first and only fragrance to draw its
inspiration so directly from the Burberry
trench, it has to be the true embodiment
of our brand - in scent, in design and in
attitude.”
Thus, with his instructions and
guidelines given from Burberry,
Mr. Kurkdjian set forth to
create the new fragrance.
He told Vogue, “The flowery
aspect of the perfume comes
from that idea of the garden
after the rain.You have the lush
wetness. You have the soil. You
have the earthiness. All of these
feelings!” Kurkdjian stated.
“[The inspiration is] London,
an urban garden. You have
the vibrancy of the city, so it
is something contemporary.
You have the garden. You have
the flowers… and the art
of gardening, which is very
important for the British.”
As for his choice of specific
scents to include, he said he
wanted to evoke, “the feeling
of the light of London: clouds,
wetness, rain, flowers.” He said
the main flowers are roses
and freesia, “which is a little bit
spicy and adds brightness. Then
geranium leaves, which give an
herbal, almost minty, vibrancy
to the perfume. Then from the
back note, there are patchouli
leaves and quince – a fruit that is
between a pear and an apple.Very British.
It is not fruity, fruity. It is fruity floral.Then
on top you have linen and bergamot.” And,
well, this combination proved to be spot
on, for the fragrance is just that, earthy,
yet deliciously fresh and sweet without
being over-powering. It’s light, feminine,
and slightly flirty, just like the “disheveled
elegance,” Mr. Bailey and the brand’s iconic
trench coat imply.
The ability to personalise the very carefully
designed bottle and packaging also calls
upon the brand’s British roots and the
affectionate way people refer to their
beloved Burberry trench coats. Senior
vice-president of Burberry Beauty sector,
Simona Cattaneo stated the following,
“The Burberry trench is something
very personal. You can wear it in several
different ways, in different places
and occasions. There is an emotional
connection with a trench, and we wanted
to transfer it to the new fragrance.” As
such, customers will be able to monogram
their own bottles with (up to three of)
their initials, truly making it a signature
fragrance for themselves. (This bespoke
service is available online at Burberry.com,
in select Burberry and wholesale stores.)
The bottles themselves are lovely;
featuring a squared glass falcon with a
honey, slightly rose-golden liquid inside,
which takes its colour cue from the fabric
used on the brand’s traditional khaki
trench coat. The bottle is topped with
a cap covered in faux-horn, which was
inspired by the buttons on the coats, and
everything is tied off neatly with a bow
in English-woven gabardine, the same
fabric that is used to line the inside of
the trenches. Overall, it will make a fine
addition to display on top of anyone’s
vanity.
Aside from employing a great design team
and creating a wonderful new fragrance
that they hope will become the signature
scent of the brand; they also knew that
in order to sell the scent they need a
beautiful ad for this beautiful product.
And for that, they enlisted two world-
famous beauties for their brilliant,
understated marketing campaign: Kate
Moss and Cara Delevingne to be shot by
the talented Mario Testino wearing their
Burberry Sandringham Heritage
trench coats. The ad is simple,
sexy, and elegant. The girls chat
and flirt with one another and
spray the perfume into the air,
which makes “it rain” down
upon them. (Witty take on the
rain in the garden, and purpose
of the trench coat, no?). All the
while, the ever-catchy lyrics of
Jay Hawkins,“I put a spell on you,
because you’re mine,” play over.
It all comes together to form
an utterly perfect cohesiveness
summarisation of this gorgeous
perfume.
Christian Dior once said, “A
woman’s perfume tells you
more about her than her
handwriting,” and that ladies and
gentleman is exactly Burberry’s
wish. By being able to take and
make each bottle personal to
the individual customer is a
huge step in the right direction
for customisable beauty that
doesn’t necessarily involve a trip
to the perfumery. Well done,
Burberry.Well done.
My Burberry is available in 30,
50, 90 and 900ml Eau de Parfum
bottles, accompanied with perfumed body
care products (240ml shower oil, 100ml
body mist, 100ml deodorant and three
soap set).
bite fragrance