Kenzo flirts with red poppy flowers

JAKARTA (JP): Kenzo, a giant name in the fashion world, has just launched its new fragrance: Flower by Kenzo.

With a price tag of between Rp 245,000, for a 30-milliliter bottle, and Rp 460,000, for a 100ml bottle, this soft and feminine fragrance is Kenzo's latest eau de toillete for women.

In a press release at a five-star hotel in Jakarta recently, Kenzo Takada, the fashion guru, said he was inspired to craft the new fragrance using red poppy flowers, which grow wildly in Europe.

The flowers actually have no strong aroma, and they fade easily, a separate press release of Kenzo said.

But "it is a singular, strong, pure and sensual flower" said the Himeji-born designer.

The power of the Flower by Kenzo is in the combination of its three different aromas called Floral Energy, Powder Power and Urban Energy.

Its composition is a blend of parma violet, Bulgarian rose, wild hawthorn, cassia, white musk, opopanax, vanilla reunion, hedione and cyclosal.

Kenzo, who had dedicated 30 years of his life to fashion before leaving the glamor in late 1999, poetically said that the red poppy flowers "decorate a city and give its people spirit".

For perfume bottle collectors, Kenzo's latest production is worth putting on the list.

Designed in the shape of a modern skyscraper, the long, slim and transparent bottle has the red poppy flower painted on it.

However, it remains unclear how well the latest Kenzo creation will be received in the Indonesian market.

Kenzo, now 67, released his first woman's perfume, Kenzo by Kenzo, in 1987, three years before he celebrated his 25th year in the fashion business at the National School of Fine Arts in Paris where he threw a grand party, with delicacies from around the world, along with a ballet and musical performance, for his 3000 guests.

Following the success of Kenzo by Kenzo, he released his first men's fragrance called Kenzo Pour Homme in 1991, followed by D'ete in 1992. He received the Time for Peace award for his perfume creations, pour Elle and pour Lui, in 1999. (Sri Ramadani)