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Duran Duran Expands Its Artistic Horizon with New Fragrances
Iconic band Duran Duran, known for their distinct New Romantic aesthetic and multifaceted musical style, has announced an exciting new venture that engages a sense beyond sound and vision. With a rich history spanning over four decades, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and Roger Taylor are now set to captivate audiences with two novel fragrances inspired by their music: NeoRio and Black Moonlight. Developed in collaboration with perfumer Sergio Momo of Xerjoff, these scents aim to evoke the emotions tied to their enduring artistry.
NeoRio stands out with a vibrant essence, showcasing top notes of candied fig, rum, and elemi absolute. As the fragrance develops, it reveals a soft heart of saffron and rose oil, culminating in a warm foundation of Tonka bean and Peruvian balsam. In contrast, Black Moonlight offers a darker, more seductive profile, featuring a base of patchouli, vetiver, Tonka bean, and benzoin. This alluring fragrance opens with crisp bergamot and mandarin notes, rounded off by saffron, lavender, sambac jasmine, and a hint of hazelnut.
In a recent virtual discussion, Rhodes, who played a pivotal role alongside Le Bon in creating these scents, expressed that the fragrances embody the band’s intrinsic “yin and yang” duality, paralleling the A-side/B-side dynamic of their music. “We’re continually exploring new avenues to express the essence of Duran Duran,” Rhodes remarked, reflecting on the band’s evolution. During the conversation, he also shared insights about his own experiences with fragrance in the 1980s and explored the intricacies involved in crafting perfumes.
“Fragrance is something that really interests me, partly because we can’t digitally recreate touch and scent, which I think gives these two senses more value than they’ve had in a while,” Rhodes noted. His enthusiasm for this project aligns with the band’s mission to stimulate audiences’ senses in novel ways.
Curious about how the fragrance line was conceptualized and its connection to Duran Duran’s identity?
Rhodes explained, “Interestingly, throughout our career, we’ve sought to engage people’s senses, primarily through sound and vision—think live performances, the songs we create, and our visually dynamic music videos. However, we’ve seldom had the chance to delve into other sensory realms like scent. The idea of crafting a Duran Duran fragrance that could positively influence people’s experiences was exhilarating for us. We approached this venture as we do with all projects, starting with a blank slate. We asked ourselves what we truly wanted to create.” He praised Momo’s expertise, highlighting how he educated the band on the nuances of scent, from the layers that make up a fragrance to how subtly adding an ingredient can wholly transform its essence. “The possibilities are vast,” Rhodes concluded.
Source
www.vogue.com