Escada’s Spritz of Retro

NEW YORK — With Ibiza Hippie, Escada’s latest limited-edition fashion fragrance, Cosmopolitan Cosmetics is targeting a wider audience than the club-going crowd that descends on the Spanish island each summer.

Executives at Wella AG’s beauty division believe Ibiza Hippie, a Seventies-themed fragrance, will be the largest yet of the previous fashion fragrances launched — one each spring since 1993 for a total of 10. Ibiza Hippie is seen hitting retail sales of $20 million from January through July in the U.S. alone, according to industry estimates.

Half of the nearly 2 million Ibiza Hippie bottles scheduled for production will be distributed in the U.S. Yesterday, the scent began trickling into U.S. stores including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. It’s expected to completely sell out by Aug. 1.

"What makes it work is the creativity; each one has been better than the last," said Donald Loftus, president and chief executive officer of Cosmopolitan Cosmetics U.S. Inc., referring to Escada’s fashion fragrance franchise. That business ordinarily generates a quarter of Escada’s annual beauty sales, which are expected to hit $64.8 million this year, up 27 percent, according to sources. The U.S. market reportedly accounts for more than half of those sales.

"The stores’ support makes it big," Loftus added. "Every year, they get behind it more aggressively." For example, sources indicated, during a recent preview of Ibiza Hippie at Nordstrom in Las Vegas, the store sold out its 350-bottle shipment, netting roughly $16,800.

Bloomingdale’s, Sephora and Lord & Taylor will receive Ibiza Hippie before Valentine’s Day. The eau de toilette spray is expected to then reach Escada’s full U.S. distribution network of 650 doors by late March — the same month a worldwide rollout is slated to begin. In Europe, Ibiza Hippie will be carried in 1,800 doors in Germany and 1,500 doors in France. It will also be distributed in Asia.

The scent comes in two sizes: a 50-ml. for $48 and a 100-ml. for $68. A 5.1-oz. body lotion, $30, and a 5.1-oz. bath and shower gel, $25, accompany the scent. The fruity floral, which features olfactory notes of pear, currant, cranberry and musk, was developed by two Robertet perfumers, Richard Ibanez and Michel Almairac.Ibiza Hippie targets a younger customer than Escada’s typical beauty clientele, generally women ages 30 to 55. The bottle is slightly different from the previous fashion fragrance bottles that were jointly created by Brian Rennie, the fashion house’s design director, and the Escada beauty team. Ibiza Hippie’s graphics feature a clear to deep-red color gradient and a silver metal collar.

The fragrance will be supported at retail by in-store and point-of-purchase visuals photographed by Steven Meisel, limited co-operative advertising and scent blotters made of denim swatches.