Sitting across from the world’s most beautiful faces and Ralph Lauren Fragrances campaign stars—Gigi Hadid, Luka Sabbat, Lucky Blue Smith, and Fai Khadra—and listening to their interactions with one another feels like eavesdropping on a BFF group chat. Basking under the dim glow of midtown eatery Hutong, the group of friends are dressed to the nines in a black-tie affair as if they’ve stepped off the set of the latest James Bond movie, gathered together to discuss Ralph Lauren’s newest fragrance Ralph’s Club.
To the quartet of friends, the chic, polished, glossy black packaging perfectly represents what the scent and story of the unisex fragrance embody: New York. If Hadid could describe the scent in one word, she would choose “powerful.”
“Honestly, it’s a night in New York in a bottle in terms of anything can happen,” Hadid clarifies. Most fragrances have notes that work better in the day or night, but Hadid says Ralph’s Club is an appropriate scent that can carry you through all of your New York City escapades. “Wouldn’t you say that New York is a very powerful place?” Hadid asks her friends and campaign-mates. “But it’s very authentic and natural. It’s not the same feeling that can be created in another city.”
Hadid’s leading men all agree in unison; Sabbat chimes in and finally answers, “This scent represents the nights that aren’t planned when you go from club to club. You don’t need a definite plan. You can just be like, ‘I’m just going to leave my house.’ Ralph’s Club fits any occasion.”
Designed to conjure memories of the best night of your life, master perfumer Dominique Ropion whips up olfactory all-stars like lavandin, apple, grapefruit, clary sage, geranium, orange blossom, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli, cashmeran that Khadra warns adds a layer of confidence and “je ne sais quoi.”
“It makes me feel like how I do when I put on a suit—makes me feel like a boss,” he adds. As Khadra puts it, fragrances act as an extension of your identity and an identifier. “Even before you walk into a room, your scent can be almost recognizable. It’s cool when someone’s just about to come in, and you’re like, Oh, Fai’s here.
On the other hand, Hadid’s relationship with fragrance is one rooted in self-care. “I love that in other people, and for myself, I change my fragrance based on my mood. Fragrance lifts my mood. Sometimes I might like something more citrusy and fresh for daytime, and sometimes I want to wear something like Ralph’s Club, and I want to mix it up,” she adds. And sometimes, it evokes a particular memory like a day on set with your friends after some time apart.
“This specific scent reminds me of when we were all on set together because it was the first time we all came back together. We’re all friends in real life, so we were all hanging out and working together, which was really fun. It always reminds me of that exciting transition from the pandemic to being together more, being outside,” Khadra explains. Like a chorus singing the same tune, the four friends yell out, “togetherness.”
“The experience of being around people, shooting with people, traveling with people. Togetherness,” Blue adds.
Ralph Lauren Fragrances is launching a virtual experience for Ralph Club customers this August to further the togetherness mission. Customers can enter the augmented reality event by scanning a QR found on the packaging of Ralph’s Club, which will unlock access to exclusive features, events, and more. Join the Ralph Club wait list here.
Ralph’s Club will be available for purchase here.
Nerisha Penrose
Assistant Editor
Nerisha is the assistant editor at ELLE.com, covering all things beauty and fashion.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io