In classic NEO 10Y simulation mode, I landed from Athens to find a black package from YSL containing their fragrance Y. Those of you who know me super well will know the significance of the letter Y in my universe – my name, curiosity ethos, the name of one of my highest streamed songs etc.!, so writing this post and exploring the fragrance deeper was a no brainer.
Fitting in with the rockstar direction of the scent, living legend Lenny Kravitz is the face of the first ever campaign for Y, following in the footsteps of his daughter Zoë Kravitz who just became a Yves Saint Laurent Beauty’s Global Ambassador. Iconic.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been an admirer of Yves Saint Laurent, of his creation, his vision, his fashion house, his lifestyle, interiors, his taste in art and sculpture and so forth,” Kravitz says. “Throughout the years the designers obviously have changed but I’ve remained an admirer of the house, worn the clothes, and I feel like they’re designing for me. It really fits my aesthetic, my silhouette—I feel very comfortable in it.”
The intention with Y is to capture “that rock star energy” in a bottle, as its creator Master Perfumer Dominique Ropion meant to evoke the scent equivalent of black jeans and a white T-shirt. The fougére opens with top notes of green apple, sparking bergamot and juniper berries; mids of mint, litchi, lemongrass, geranium and lavender; with a base of ambery clary sage and almond-scented coumarin. It has that fresh, yet sweet and earthy kinda vibe.
I thought I’d also note some of the similarities between Y the fragrance campaign and Y the song. Lenny says the fragrance and campaign is about “dreaming your dreams and following your dreams and achieving your dreams and being authentic to who you are, to take on challenges” and that’s brought to life energetically by the video by Anton Corbin and campaign photos by David Sims. Y the song is about freedom and manifesting the utopian future that we deserve as a collective through being your ultimate and truest self.
You can learn more about Y, the fragrance here.
