Coty Canada and the team at Fashion Magazine have a long-standing relationship when it comes to Canadian fragrance launches (recent collaborations include events celebrating the launch of CK Man, Calvin Klein Euphoria Men, and Calvin Klein Euphoria Women). On Wednesday, the two joined forces again, marking the launch of the new Calvin Klein scent Beauty with a press conference and photography exhibit—featuring five specially commissioned photographs of calla lilies—at Jamie Kennedy's café at the Gardiner Museum.
"We've partnered with Fashion Magazine for the last five Calvin Klein fragrance launches," said Aliki Mahshy, director of public relations and education for Coty Canada. "Every time we launch a Calvin Klein fragrance, a collaborative event is thrown." Coty invited 50 media representatives to a 5 p.m. press conference where the team behind the fragrance spoke about its development, inspiration, and the face of the brand, actress Diane Kruger. Event organizers then transformed the third-floor space into a gallery setting for a cocktail party that drew 175 guests.
Nicholas Pinney of Nicholas Pinney Design designed the decor, filling white flower boxes with hundreds of calla lilies (the hallmark of the new scent) and showcasing the fragrance in custom display cases that doubled as backdrops for five specially commissioned photographs of the lily. Five female photographers, including Caitlin Cronenberg, Davida Nemeroff, Jody Rogac, Karen Roze, and Natasha V., contributed pieces to the exhibition.
"The larger strategy to launch the fragrance involves both the event and a special style report," said Karen Cleveland, marketing and communications manager for St. Joseph Media. "More than 150,000 copies of this report will be distributed to targeted subscribers of The Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, and Montreal Gazette this weekend."
Journalist David Livingstone worked with the team at Fashion (serving as editor) to produce the style report, which features an X-ray image of a calla lily on the cover. The insert includes a spring runway retrospective, a feature story on the calla lily, and an interview with Sophie Labbé—senior perfumer at the Paris offices of International Flavors and Fragrances. Labbé, who flew in from Paris for the event, collaborated with Carlos Benaim to create the new scent.
