EAU WU!!
On the eve of his first fragrance launch, powerhouse designer Jason Wu sits down with Gotham for an exclusive one-on-one.
We have watched you rise through the ranks to become one of the most prolific designers. Has a fragrance been something you have long wanted for your namesake portfolio? It’s been a dream project of mine to create my own fragrance. I’ve done many different collaborations within beauty over the past decade, and it was always the goal to launch beauty under my own brand one day. It’s been an incredibly personal project for me. What notes in the fragrance resonate with you the most? When I started the project with perfumer Frank Voelkl at Firmenich, he showed me over 200 raw ingredients, and I kept going back to this one note that stood out for me. I realized my affinity for jasmine sambac because it brought me back to my childhood in Taiwan when I used to pick these flowers from my neighbor’s wall full of jasmines. The scent triggered such a strong reaction from me. You are a quintessential New Yorker. Are there any senses of the city that you feel in the fragrance? There is a modernity about the scent that feels very New York. The contrast between the different types of florals and fruits that come from different parts of the world feels so multidimensional—just like the city. Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Ave., 212-753-4000; 225 Liberty St., 646-3446300; saks.com
“IT WAS ALWAYS THE GOAL TO LAUNCH BEAUTY UNDER MY OWN BRAND ONE DAY. IT’S BEEN AN INCREDIBLY PERSONAL PROJECT FOR ME.”
— JASON WU