London, from Abu Dhabi perfume house Widian, is a leather fragrance released in 2018. London is the first in the Widian “Sapphire” series, which will be based on cities around the world. No perfumer is credited as of yet with the creation of London; the only statement is that founder Ali Al Jaberi “has collaborated with perfumers from all around the world”. Previously he has worked with Jean-Claude Astier to create the house’s other offerings.
London is described as “inspired by the lights and proud culture of cosmopolitan city of London but stretching far beyond borders in its appeal,” and “Eastern exoticism meets Western polish.”
LONDON ARCHITECT ZAHA HADID
Since London is supposed to represent a bridge between London and the East, I looked to architecture for inspiration. Baghdad-born architect Zaha Hadid spent most of her career working in London and was one of the world’s most influential modern architects. She received the U.K.’s most prestigious awards for architecture, and was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for her services to architecture. One of her many accomplishments was the design of London Aquatics Centre, completed in 2011 for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Ms. Hadid also designed the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the home of Widian Perfume House. This bridge, completed in 2010, is considered to be the most intricate bridge ever constructed. Its curved lines are meant to evoke images of desert sand dunes. This design, by an Iraqi-British architect, is a perfect blend of East and West.
I was interested to learn that before Ms. Hadid designed these two iconic works, she designed the Contemporary Arts Center in my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. This building was completed in 2003, and the design earned the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Award in 2004. The Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center is a non-collecting museum that focuses on current art from diverse media such as painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art and new media. They aspire to provide programming that reflects “the art of the last five minutes.” I hope that someday they will feature a fragrance art exhibition.
Sadly Ms. Hadid died in 2016, but her work is an important and lasting example of the connection between London and the Arab world. Another example is London’s Shubbak Festival, a biennial festival of contemporary Arab culture.
London is a very cosmopolitan and diverse city, so there are many people whose lives and work exemplify and embody this idea. Unfortunately, I can’t find any of this sort of inspiration in the fragrance named after this fascinating city.
LONDON FRAGRANCE REVIEW
The juice itself is a pale blue, clear and light. I’ve seen this before, but I would call it distinctive for an Eastern fragrance. The color might be the most interesting thing about London (the fragrance).
London opens with a strong, rough leather note, accompanied by a powdery sort of raspberry. It is, to be kind, very referential.
There is a sharp, resinous, terpenic smell. It’s slightly green and smells oily-fruity, like a juniper-infused olive oil. And there is a smoky, medicinal oud-like note. As time passes, the wood and smoke dissipate and what is left smells like the harsh part of lavender plus pine cleaner, and heavily alcoholic. The raspberry powder floats on top of this sickly cocktail. The overall effect is reminiscent of hairspray. I imagine that this raspberry-vanilla hairspray is a reasonable facsimile.
After what seems like an eternity, some of the sting of the alcohol smell subsides, and what is left is a harsh, synthetic leather-oud note, a suggestion of raspberry, and a base of amber-vanilla musk. I can’t get rid of the association with hairspray, it’s just dry hairspray now.
Widian promises Eastern exoticism and Western polish, and I find none of either in this scent. I love the idea, but the actual inspiration is lost on me, and the execution falls flat. Widian’s press materials call this fragrance “a fitting tribute to London.” I can only call this a fitting tribute to London if we are referring to “London” — the heavy-metal/glam-rock band from Hollywood in the 1980’s. Here are the original members Nikki Sixx, Lizzie Grey, Dane Rage, and Michael White. These guys look like they used a LOT of hairspray back in their “London” days.
London, the fragrance by Widian, is marketed as a unisex fragrance. Longevity on me was about 10 hours, and sillage was large. Manufacturer’s listed notes are oud, cypress, violet, lily of the valley, raspberry, leather, dry amber, musk, and vanilla.
London is a new release at the time of this posting, and does not yet appear on Widian’s website. It is available at other retailers in parfum concentration at a price of $245 for 50 mL. For more information about Widian, see www.widianofficial.com.
