Bond No. 9 Takes on Queens

Even though it is the largest borough of New York City, Queens was a missing piece of Bond No. 9’s New York-themed collection.

Laurice Rahmé, founder and owner of Bond No. 9, will change that in September.

“When I read all the press about the World’s Fair, I said it’s time for Queens,” said Rahmé.

While it’s appropriately named after the area, the Queens scent is also inspired by Queen Catherine of Braganza, the wife of King Charles II of England, for whom the borough was named, and the fact that it is an up-and-coming area for the younger generation.

“It’s very important for us to celebrate the world since Bond No. 9 is a New York brand and we are now marketed in 36 countries,” said Rahmé. “So the mission statement [for the brand] was to take New York fragrances to the world.”

The resulting scent, created by International Flavors & Fragrances’ Laurent Le Guernec, is meant to be a unisex tuberose. Packaged in a royal purple laser-etched bottle, the scent’s top notes include bergamot, cardamom and blackberry; a heart of tuberose, champaca flower and osmanthus, set atop a base of sandalwood, benzoin resin, musk and amber.

Eau de parfum sprays in two sizes — 50 ml. for $195 and 100 ml. for $270 — will be offered, as will a 200-ml. body lotion, priced at $100.

On the flacon is a gold rendering of the 1964 World’s Fair Unisphere representing the theme of global interdependence. “I like this project because the World’s Fair is global,” Rahmé said. “It’s a message for peace.”

To market the fragrance, Bond No. 9 will have scented samples in the Saks Fifth Avenue catalogue and a Queens visual display at the department store. The fragrance will also be available at Saks’ Bond No. 9 counter and in the men’s fragrance bar since it is unisex. Additionally, Queens will be included in Bond To-Go, a collection of nine travel sprays consisting of Bond’s best sellers.

Bond No. 9 Queens will launch on Sept. 18 in the U.S. in 62 department store doors and at Bond No. 9’s New York flagship. It will begin rolling into global doors — 36 markets in total, including its newest entry, Spain — in October.

Rahmé declined to discuss sales projections, but industry sources estimated that the scent could do upward of $7 million at retail globally in its first year on counter.