News- Gwen Stefani: Harajuku Lovers

Z WWD.com:

"By Julie Naughton
Seldom has the term "doll-like" been so applicable as in the case of
Gwen Stefani's September fragrance launch.

That's when Stefani will introduce her new Harajuku Lovers
collection. For the project, Stefani created dolls based on herself
and her four real-life backup singers, Love, Angel, Music and Baby —
and turned them into scent bottles.

"I didn't think this project would actually come to life," Stefani
admitted to WWD. "The idea that Coty would let me do five different
fragrances for Harajuku Lovers was a fantasy. [But] it really had to
be five, because that's what the world is. Each girl has her own
personality and sense of style. We're all saying something different
with unique personalities."

Stefani has long been fascinated by the whimsical style of girls in
Tokyo's Harajuku area — so much so that they have inspired her
music, a streetwear apparel line, handbags and watches, to name a
few.

That whimsy is reflected in the Harajuku Lovers bottles, which
consist of two pieces: a glass base that holds the juice and hides
the spray top, and a personalized doll that lifts off the base. Each
doll is meticulously crafted, with a different mold and hand-applied
detailing, down to the bows on Lil' Angel's dreadlocks. The outer
box gives each doll's backstory.

The project itself came together quickly, said Stefani. "So much had
been done already with creating these girls — dreaming up the entire
world while I was working on the first solo album, living the
fantasy on tour — the actual fragrance selection wasn't that hard,"
said Stefani. "I was just so inspired that it came together really
fast. It was a little bit easier than when I was creating the
L.A.M.B. fragrance. This time it wasn't just about me, so there was
a little more freedom. And when you get to do five different things,
you get to go in five different directions. You get a lot more space
to choose."

The scents are all inspired by Stefani's views of her backup
singers. Love is described as "sweet, caring, free-spirited and
always off in her own little world." Lil' Angel is "constantly
looking out for others," but is no saint. Music is "always looking
to make someone laugh" and is "charismatic." Baby is "enticing in
her frilly innocence." (And, naturally, G is the leader of the
pack.)

Love, a sensuous floral concocted by Yves Cassar and Pascal Gaurin
of International Flavors & Fragrances, has top notes of sparkling
bergamot, pink pomelo, peach and bamboo leaf mist; a heart of watery
peony, living hydroponic lace rose, jasmine sambac, nectarine
blossom, creamy paperwhites and Egyptian jasmine, and a drydown of
petally ylang, creamy vanilla orchid, sensual musk and blond wood.

Lil' Angel, a fruity floral by Givaudan's Christophe Raynaud, has
top notes of raspberry, cranberry, blackberry and pineapple; a heart
of pear blossom, candied violet and sugared rose, and a drydown of
lollipop accord, hinoki wood and crystal amber.

Music, a delicate floral by Honorine Blanc of Firmenich, has top
notes of clementine and sparkling pear; a heart of jasmine sambac,
sweet pea and honeysuckle, and a drydown of vanilla, skin musk and
sleek woods.

Baby, a powdery musk by Firmenich's Harry Fremont, has top notes of
freesia, bergamot and white rose; a heart of orange flower, tiare
flower and jasmine petals, and a drydown of white musk, soft woods,
heliotrope, vanilla and violet.

G, a modern gourmand by Steve DeMarcado of Fragrance Resources, has
top notes of crisp mandarin, fresh coconut and apple skin; a heart
of jasmine sambac, soft freesia and magnolia vapor, and a drydown of
coconut cream, white sandalwood and cottonwoods.

The scents will each be available in two sizes: $45 for 30 ml. and
$25 for 10 ml. A coffret, which includes solid perfume versions of
all five, will be on counter later this fall as a permanent addition
to the collection, and will retail for $60. "They're value-priced to
encourage multiple purchases," said Catherine Walsh, senior vice
president of American Fragrances for Coty Prestige, adding, "While
we're not the first to launch multiple scents at once, I do believe
that we're one of the few to launch five extremely different scents
at once."

That position swims against long-held conventional wisdom in the
industry that it is difficult to merchandise more than one fragrance
introduction at a time at point of sale. However, Walsh firmly
maintains that the novelty of the five figurines will be so
compelling that consumers will be charmed into buying more than one.

In the U.S., the Harajuku Lovers collection will be sold in some
2,200 department and specialty store doors, including Macy's,
Nordstrom, Dillard's and Sephora. The lineup will also be sold in 17
international markets, including Japan, the U.K., France, Australia,
Germany and China. Worldwide, the scents will be in about 10,000
doors, said Walsh.

In the U.S., certain retailers — including Macy's West — intend to
install such fan-appealing features as 5-foot versions of the
fragrance dolls and a photo booth where customers can take their
pictures with the characters.

While Coty executives and Stefani declined to comment on sales
projections, industry sources estimated that the collection would do
upward of $30 million at retail globally in its first year on
counter.

A print advertising campaign, shot by Craig McDean, will begin
running in September fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines.
Stefani does not appear in the ads, purposely, said Walsh. "Harajuku
Lovers is part of the world of Gwen Stefani — but it's a completely
different franchise than Gwen's first fragrance, L," said Walsh. "We
wanted to make that clear. Each one of these scents has its own
personality."

Coty is also filming TV spots for the collection, although it is
unlikely that they will be shown in the U.S., said Walsh.

Also key will be a comprehensive Web site, HLfragrance.com, intended
to be an "interactive online experience," said Leslie Oglesby,
global director of marketing. The site will offer information about
the fragrances and their creation process, as well as a scrapbook
section, a style discussion board and downloadable tools and
avatars, said Oglesby. It is expected to go live on Sept. 1.
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