Calvin Klein Downtown Fronted by Rooney Mara (2013): Again, that Generational Thing {New Perfume} {Celebrity-Endorsed Fragrance}
Calvin Klein since the trendsetting CK One in 1994 have been in the business of tuning into generational aspirations in the broadest terms possible. Back then it was initially a war cry for gender-neutral, unisex identities embodied by lanky youth. In 2007 it was about feverish, highly reactive connectedness in the digital world with CKIN2U. This year, the new Downtown is meant to capture the aspirations of the 25-35 group whose global face will be actress Rooney Mara dressed in a gender-crossing biker gear meant to express a new facet of the Calvin Klein youth message...
She is free, or wants to be, yet has this relatable mainstream aspiration: to ideally live in a downtown area of a city. A bit sedate admittedly, and going counter current with the movement of urbanites going back to farms or cool villages, which has not yet been captured in a scent.
Mara has become known through her role as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She is next to be seen in David Lowery’s “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” together with Casey Affleck and Ben Foster as well as Spike Jonze film, “Her” and an untitled Terrence Malick film opposite Ryan Gosling and Natalie Portman.
The name of the perfume, which rings particularly familiar in the context of the transatlantic popularity of British TV series Downtown Abbey, is about a global Downtown whose skyline looks a lot like Downtown Manhattan. Catherine Walsh of Coty said,
"Downtown is aimed at a consumer sweet spot age of 25 to 35,...This group of consumers lives by its own rules, ...“We’ve put together a superaspirational scent. Globally, consumers see downtown as a place they want to be. They identify it with youthfulness, edginess and cool.”
The woman who wears Downtown is said to live in her own world, to be an anti-conformist who is "not doing the expected", despite the fact at the same time that she wants to live in a conventional, aspirational locale lusted upon by millions of others. It's completely contradictory, and representative of the multi-pronged approach of advertizers willing to corral in as many consumers as possible by proffering inconsistent gibberish.
To express those feelings, a floral and woody fragrance was composed by perfumers at Givaudan together with consultant Ann Gottlieb. The eau de parfum opens on top notes of Italian cedrat, bergamot, Tunisian neroli, green pear and watery plum leading to a heart of pink peppercorn, violet leaf and gardenia petals, lingering on with a drydown of Texan cedarwood, incense, vetiver and velvet musks.
Via WWD
