AMBER, The Fragrance
As befits our muse, the scent created in honour of Amber is a clash of contradictions. Both opaque and light, both vigorous and graceful, her smell is one that represents a multitude of moments all at once, moments remembered and relived, moments imagined and pined for, and also the present moment, the right here, right now of fashion. Imagine the way the world smells after a great thunderstorm when the air is still dense and the earth still moist. This is how Amber smells just now, her whole being emitting the scent of the soil, dense, round, heavy, as it mingles with the air, perfumed by sulfur, light and sweet. This brief and intricate moment is one of the many that Amber perfumes, for she is as multifaceted, comforting and polarising as this force of nature.
Exotic sandalwood, robust leather, delicate violet leaf, fresh cologne, salubrious green melon and, of course – because a touch of narcissism can’t be helped – amber. These are the ingredients that subsequently make up the heady essence of Amber. The warm liquid is presented in a glass orb, reminiscent of a snow globe or a crystal ball; representing the alternate world that Amber is offering her followers. Through her orb Amber beckons us to join her, to enter her world, adapt to her commands, dance to her melody. Amber’s sphere is calling us, resting as it is in a black triangular box, each corner representing its mistress’s past, present and future. A personal letter is attached to the box, included as Amber’s gift to us – a gesture of commitment and proof of her devotion.
Distilling the scent of Amber has been a collaboration between Six Scents Parfums and Arnhem Mode Biennale, with help from perfumier Darryl Do, but the result is pure Amber; alluring, mystifying, transient, omnipresent. Here the intangible essence of Amber has taken a tangible form and now that the process is complete a symbolic element of Amber is obtainable – a memento from a slip of a girl, who is sure to be long gone before you even realise how precious she is. Nevertheless, she has left something behind. As JOFF so succinctly puts it: ‘This perfume is a token of love from Amber.’