Brining together the global heritage and attention to detail that both brands are widely known for, this first collaboration between Zara and Jo Loves is a perfume enthusiasts dream. The Zara Emotions by Jo Loves Collection includes eight unique fragrances, crafted with care by Jo Malone founder of Jo Loves, Jo Malone London, and creator of some of the world’s most well-loved fragrances.
A partnership over a year in the making, Zara Emotions is storytelling through scent, something that Jo Malone is already known and celebrated for. The personality of each scent comes through just in the eloquent descriptions that Jo Malone provides of each fragrance, evoking scenes of the Italian Riviera, new experiences, and citrus and floral infused moments. The collection includes eight unique fragrances in three different sizes and is also sold in the form of other products including candles, hand and body wash, and a range of Gift Sets.
The sophistication of the fragrances is evident just from the packaging, a chic, minimalistic black and white design that will be right at home on any vanity. One of the best bits is that all the products in the collection are very affordable. You won’t need to hurt your wallet to experience the elegance of the collection.
Jo Malone chatted with HOLR to explain her process, inspiration and more.
What was your experience like working with Zara? Do you see this being ongoing?
“It’s a long-term collaboration and it’s been a joy. I’ve learned so much about myself and I’ve learned about a different approach to business. It’s been a bit of a shock because everything happened really fast but now, I’m three years into it and I’ve grown tremendously as a person. I thoroughly enjoyed it and enjoyed bringing the best of myself to the table and creating a third identity, that’s the way I look at it. Zara brings the best of themselves too and together, we’ve created a whole new approach.
In the beginning, there were a lot of people very nervous that I was doing the wrong thing and I just knew instinctively that this was something I needed to do and wanted to do. Now everyone says it’s such a great relationship and it was such a great idea. But in the beginning, people were questioning, could I do it? Could I really create for somebody else? Because I’ve always created for myself, which is a similar but different approach. So, in the end, it actually has made me a better person, a bigger person and a much wiser person.”
Where did you draw inspiration when crafting this collection?
“This first one that is launching in Canada, India, and in the US, is taken from Zara’s heritage and their archive of fashion. Everybody loves them and everybody I know from every sort of wage bracket loves a piece from Zara, so we looked at all the archives, the things that really sold and really worked, and their speed to market and who buys them. Then I took certain pieces from my wardrobe, like a beautiful lace template, a dress, a leather jacket, a beautiful sequined jewelled dress, and I told the story of the person that would have worn it and what they would have done. That was the whole basis behind this first collection. So Ebony wood, for instance, is a cashmere sweater of a young woman that’s just come out of university, and her father gives the keys to the car, and she drives down the South Pacific Highway. Florida orange is a beautiful celebration dress, a girl going to a wedding barefoot. Each one is a story and each one tells the personality by using the fragrance notes that we’ve placed together. It’s like little love letters.”
Is there one fragrance that stands out from the collection for you, at least?
“I think for me, there are two that really stand out, Ebony Wood is definitely number one and then there’s Waterlily Tea Dress. That one was inspired by the Great Gatsby in the 1920s, it’s a really spotty note with waterlilies just floating on the top, it’s beautiful. It also comes in the form of a candle which was so difficult to perfect, but we got it right and in fact, I’ve got it burning in the room right at this moment. I can close my eyes and I’m just on a green lawn and can smell fresh green leaves, smell that watery kind of waterlily and I think it’s a beautiful, beautiful fragrance. I love them all for different reasons. Bohemian Bluebells is really different because it’s artsy and like little pieces of fragrance put together that don’t completely fit but that’s what I’m going for. It’s a smoked tea note all the way around and there’s an oddness to that, but I love it for how it reminds of a leather jacket, biker boots, and really cropped hair. That fragrance dares you to look at it, it’s bold, and it’s not frightened of anything or anyone.”
You said that you’ve created the collection with ingredients that you’ve loved for many years, is there something that keeps bringing you back to these particular ingredients?
“I suppose it’s like any artist, whether you paint, play rock music, do any of the things you love, or how you’re drawn to certain characters because of your own character. I’m always drawn to the citrus, that’s where I have my most fun, in that realm. I love orange blossom and those clean, fresh, crisp, very English notes of things like hyacinth, bluebell, or lime blossoms. I love that little twist that I can bring into them. I think you work with the palette that you love and when you’re doing something that you really want to be your best at, you’re always going to relate back to the things that you know well, and you know what you can do. Those notes, you can play with and you can make them really heavy and woody, or you can make them as light as a whisper or a shadow just running over something, that that way they’re so adaptable.”
The collection also includes some other products like candles body lotions and gift sets. Can you tell us a little bit more about these products?
“We’ve done paintbrushes for the fragrances as well which is what I’ve spent the last few years pioneering and creating, to wear fragrance with a paintbrush. The candles and soap take forever because of the high wax content in them and you have to reformulate all of the fragrances. We’ve also got the shower gel and body lotion, then we’ve got a hair mist, there are all kinds of different and salaries that we’ve created around it. It’s all there for people who want the whole line because often people will find a fragrance they love and want in every part of their lifestyle. It’s funny, candles never used to be part of the ancillary collection, and now they are which is great. We’ve actually done layered candles for Zara as well for which I’ve done two fragrances. There’s one, a big luxury one, that is Vetiver Pamplemousse which then burns into Ebony Wood.”
The fragrances, now available exclusively in Zara stores or online:
Vetiver Pamplemousse
Grapefruit / Mandarin / Vetiver
“A crisp white cotton shirt layered with citrus cologne, an everyday accessory for me.”
Waterlily Tea Dress
Vert de Bergamot / Spearmint / Musk
“Soft jazz music plays in the background, picnics on the lawn, a vintage tea dress floats by in the gentle breeze.”
Ebony Wood
Peppercorn / Clove / Ebony wood
“That moment of freedom and care-free adventures that are about to begin.”
Amalfi Sunray
Bergamot / Mandarin / Orange flower
“So many happy memories of summer, Italian Riviera holidays.”
Tuberose Noir
Ylang ylang / Tuberose / Sandalwood
“The single note of Tubereuse is more commanding than diamonds.”
Neroli
Orange flower / Neroli / Ylang ylang
“Royal and regal moments should always be celebrated with orange flowers.”
Fleur De Patchouli
Peony / Patchouli / Guaiac wood
“The eye of this fragrance stares straight at you, daring you to engage with her creativity.”
Bohemian Bluebells
Lavender / Sandalwood / Musk
“This scent breathes a Bohemian spirit, it’s full of bold, unexpected notes and its vibrant character mesmerizes the wearer. It’s like nothing you have ever smelt before.”