If there has ever been a fragrance creative to generate a distinct mood it is LVMH’s bloodline entrepreneur Kilian Hennessy. Last Thursday, a dozen of us were invited to a private dinner at The Mandrake Hotel to experience Kilian’s Ex Tenebris Lux fragrance “Dark Lord”, a novel take on vetiver which is brought to life through the lens of the infamous Dorian Gray.
The dinner was in a private room, drenched in red, with a dirty mirror, referencing the campaign for Dark Lord which features Mr. Kilian Hennessy himself and a nod to Dorian Gray which was Kilian’s primary inspiration for the vision of Dark Lord.
As for the fragrance, I had a sneak peek a few days earlier when I spent 90 minutes with Marie O’Brien, the eduction manager for By Kilian at the Burlington Arcade store where we went through the narrative and ingredients of a fair few fragrances. Dark Lord is designed for the unapologetic man and takes on a similar direction to Black Phantom, you could almost call them siblings or lovers or twin souls, but Dark Lord hosts ingredients including long-lasting accords of leather and strong vetiver, its jasmine drenched in rum, and a dandyish entrance of bergamot and pepper – a variation from its sweeter counterpart. It still comes sealed in a skull lock box with key, just like Dorian’s painting and the sensory experience is truly exquisite. Looking forward to working more with the brand for sure!
Make sure to visit www.bykilian.com to explore further!
Photo by Getty/Dave Benett, edited by Diangular.