Chopova Lowena's Whimsical World Now Features Fragrance
Chopova Lowena — the English-Bulgarian design duo beloved for their punkish, whimsical designs — is expanding into beauty with a new fragrance line.
Announced on Wednesday, the collection pays homage to plants, herbs, and smells that are a part of Bulgarian culture. As Chopova Lowena co-founder Emma Chopova told British Vogue, the idea for the line actually came from her father, who is Bulgarian.
"He is always looking into things we can make traditionally in Bulgaria, and came through with this, asking if we’d be interested," she said. "And we said yes, absolutely!"
The result is a range of three perfumes and three corresponding scented candles, all crafted in — you guessed it — Bulgaria. The first is Queen Rosa, Rosa Is Queen, an ode to the country's famed rose, often used in fine fragrance.
"Her bright bouquet mirrors her outgoing and flirty personality," an Instagram post announcing the perfume specifies. "With fishnets and fairy wings she’s born to be a star."
Next is Great Root, Green Ruth, "an outdoorsy girl with top notes of vetiver, saffron, nutmeg, and Bulgarian geranium who’s unafraid to explore the wilderness with her trusty snail pet."
Lastly, there's Hay Zhasmina!, an ambery, woody scent that mixes the aforementioned Bulgarian rose with notes of jasmine, fennel, and ylang-ylang. "She has a natural warmth and kindness that complements her tender aura."
Packaged in bottles with bobblehead-like caps — a detail reflected in the collection's campaign, starring huge-headed models — the scents aren't just vehicles to spotlight Bulgarian raw materials. They also represent distinct personas that Chopova Lowena hopes will resonate with their eclectic fan base.
"We wanted to create characters that people could feel that they saw themselves in," Laura Lowena-Irons told British Vogue.
Chopova Lowena Perfumes are exclusively available in-store at Dover Street Market London, New York, Los Angeles, and Paris. The brand's expansion into scent follows a recent deluge of luxury fashion brands — Bottega Veneta, Balmain, and Acne Studios included — launching and doubling down on olfactive offerings.
If the viral success of Chopova Lowena's kilts are any indication, we have a feeling we'll be getting more than a few whiffs of the brand's new scents at London Fashion Week next month.
