"Musk? Did you say musk?" In Narciso Rodriguez's studio in New York, the faces of the four Spanish journalists that we discovered twenty years ago in the now classic For Her were surprised and expectant.
We first smelled an intimate fragrance that did not follow fashion or trends: it was not strictly a floral bouquet, which was almost the law at the time, nor was it a sign of the gourmand phenomenon that the successful Angel de Mugler had inaugurated 10 years earlier.
And not a trace of celebrity, at a time when each star took their own, but the publicity was an angelic Carmen Kass in black and white! “I am extremely proud to have taken a leap into the void and to have created something that went against the trends and the times. It is very gratifying to see that it continues to evolve and seduce the whole world”, says Narciso Rodríguez today.
That first For Her for which I was asked so many times “What are you wearing?” he has had many lives, with different olfactory declensions. The last to arrive has something of self-homage and implies an explicit wish: For Her Forever.
“I worked out of pure instinct, using the materials I liked best. I created a specific area in my design studio to work on the bottle and the musk, which would ultimately become the hallmarks of the fragrance and the brand,” recalls Rodriguez.
The link between fashion and perfume works: “It completes a look by leaving a lasting impression; it can very well define the vision of a designer in a more succinct way ”, he sums up. Anyone who sees a memory of New York skyscrapers in the bottle is not wrong. The designer is a great lover of architecture and believes that buildings like the Seagrams, by Mies van der Rohe, "are always a great source of inspiration."
What makes a perfume untangle itself from the whims of time and surf its waves without losing its balance?
"For it to last, it must be unique and a large dose of passion cannot be missing among its ingredients," Rodriguez told us. “For her she is pure and seductive; she is delicacy and beauty in a fragrance. I believe that these are the virtues that make her timeless, that she has no age, that she falls in love forever, ”she reflects. The musk that he began to make fashionable is today a note that keeps him mysterious.
“Of all the essences, it is the most sensual and blends perfectly with the skin of the person who wears it. She has always been part of my aromatic wardrobe since I was old enough to recognize the power of a fragrance”, declares the designer. And how would you describe the new For Her Forever in three words? She is clear about it: “Sumptuous, seductive and beautiful”.
“Authentic beauty is a timeless quality that becomes more powerful for women over time, as they gain confidence and self-assurance”, values Narciso Rodriguez. He is passionate about art, a frequent visitor to the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza during his stay in Madrid between 1997 and 2001. "I was very inspired," he recalls.
The art-woman-perfume dialogue takes shape in The Image of Woman. Muses and creators, an exquisite collaboration between the designer and the museum built as a multisensory story that can be seen until May 14. It is a journey through 15 works from the museum's permanent collection, from the 13th to the 20th centuries, which reflect the evolution of women as the muse and inspirer of art, to the point of being its creator.
Narciso Rodríguez has personally selected two Lirio blanco no. 7, by Georgia O'Keeffe; and Hotel Room (1931), by Edward Hopper.
