In Closing: Fragrance as Art
Donna Karan Cosmetics recruited artist Yoon Lee to decorate a bottle.
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorEach October, some New Yorkers trek to upstate farms to pick the first ripened apples of the season. This fall, some New Yorkers will also trek to stores to purchase Be Delicious Art, one of the new additions to the DKNY Be Delicious fragrance lineup.
Be Delicious Art is a limited-edition bottle. The clear glass bottle is the same apple shape as the bottle for the original DKNY Be Delicious fragrance, which launched in fall 2004. The apple shape is meant to symbolize New York. Be Delicious Art’s bottle has new decoration that was intended to represent New York City’s connection with the art world. Up-and-coming artist Yoon Lee was commissioned to create the bottle’s abstract design.
“The design is a black-and-white base splashed with acid green, which is the signature color of the women’s fragrance,” says a representative from Donna Karan Cosmetics. The men’s version has a brown splash.
Lee’s art has been described as “revolving around the concept of speed and its relationship to urban settings.” The artist often covers large plastic slabs with colorful, fluid lines. She also uses abstract shapes that have been described as a mix of “tech and soul” because they look organic yet computer generated at the same time.
The team at Donna Karan Cosmetics explains that it felt a design by Lee would be perfect for the DKNY Be Delicious brand. “Lee’s ‘landscapes’ explore the connection between movement, energy, and urban renewal. This is a perfect theme for the DKNY brand philosophy, which focuses on fast fashion in a city-street environment,” explains a team member from Donna Karan Cosmetics.
Solev (France) decorated the glass bottle. The glass is molded by Vitro Packaging (Huntington Station, NY), and the silver cap is by Lombardi Design and Manufacturing (Freeport, NY). The pump and actuator are supplied by Rexam Dispensing Systems (Purchase, NY).