Smelling like a New York street might not be everyone’s idea of an eau de parfum, even after the annual swell of pride in recovery from Sept. 11.
But fragrance maker Bond No. 9 is banking on the allure of a new Wall Street scent.
With musky notes, it pays homage to the Michael Douglasy financial swagger of the street. Robust sea kale honors the proximity to the water. Lavender and citrus make it a zesty unisex scent–for the area’s future.
“After Sept. 11 lots of the large companies left and moved to Midtown or New Jersey,” Bond founder Laurice Rahme said. “Now it’s having a renewal with residential. Many buildings are being converted into condominiums. Couples with children are moving in.”
All of Rahme’s 21 fragrances so far, including Little Italy, which launches in October, are civic-minded and blended by perfumers who breathe New York air. Though she’s a native of Paris, Rahme has lived in New York 30 years, long enough to leave the meatpacking district off of her scent map. (“It doesn’t smell good.”)
Wall Street, $190 for a bottle covered in subway tokens, arrives at Saks Fifth Avenue in November. (Price per ounce starts at $45, plus the price of various bottle styles.) A dollar of each sale of Wall Street will go to Wall Street Rising, a not-for-profit organization working to restore vitality to Lower Manhattan.
