Words: Jonathan Wells
This year, Creed’s Virgin Island Water, branded the ‘ultimate holiday fragrance’ by the brand, celebrates its 10th anniversary. First launched in 2007, it is indeed an intoxicating tropical summer scent – with the fragrance of coconut and sensual ylang ylang flowers mixing effortlessly with the crispy punch of lime juice and mandarin.
But how did it come to be? Sixth generation Master Perfumer Olivier Creed is a dedicated world traveller, and his scents radiate luxurious natural ingredients harvested from across every continent. His experiences of exotic countries are celebrated and amplified in all of his scents – and none more so than Virgin Island Water.
Perfumers, says Creed, prefer to travel by water than by air. As they approach landfall, their noses can revel in ‘a bombardment of delicious fragrance’, or so say the perfumer. And, from Jardins D’Amalfi, which celebrates the luscious green scents of the Italian coast, to Millesime Imperial, a rich, amber scent as musky and woody as your own private Greek island, Creed’s arsenal of fragrances can be used to chart Olivier’s journeys around the world.
In fact, even his luxurious private yacht, Erolfa, which Creed uses to celebrate the joys and exhilaration of a glorious day on the waves, has lent its name to a signature scent of the brand.
Celebrating a decade of production, Virgin Island Water is truly a sailing adventure in a bottle. The scent’s namesake was discovered and named by Christopher Columbus in 1493, dubbed the ‘Virgin Islands’ due to their pristine and untouched appearance. As such, we’ve inadvertently got this 15th-century Italian explorer to thank for one of the most addictive and seductive fragrances available to buy.
Shaped by trade winds and clear blue waters, Olivier and Erwin Creed drew both visual and olfactory inspiration from the islands Columbus discovered. The dazzling tropics of the Caribbean are weaved into the fragrance and have created an enticing piece of paradise the wearer can carry all year round.
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