Inspiration takes many forms when it comes to fragrance with everything from space to chocolate shops taking the place of more traditional florals. It’s no surprise then that the covert world of spies has also made its way into the perfumer’s imagination with the release of Kingsman TGC by Azzi Glasser and The Perfumer’s Story. It was originally launched to coincide with the cinema release of the film of the same name, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, but this is far more than just a novelty scent. Kingsman TGC is refined, elegant, and wonderfully sophisticated. So, let’s head to Saville Row and I’ll tell you more.
Kingsman is a secret organisation entrusted with protecting Britain, and the world, against the machinations of various evil villains. Sound familiar? Well, the series was a tongue in cheek homage to the classic spy films and also to our very own James Bond. The director of the films, Matthew Vaughn, got the idea to set the headquarters in a tailor’s shop when he was visiting the Huntsman store, in London’s Saville Row, to have a suit made. He imagined the panelled walls sliding back, secret rooms being revealed, but always with the utmost sense of British decorum and good taste.
Throughout the films we are treated to a steady array of ingenious weapons and yet the gold star surely has to go to an exploding perfume bottle in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Now, the one that I’m reviewing is thankfully much safer, but it still owes much to the style of the film. When Azzi Glasser was asked to create a scent to launch alongside this second instalment it very quickly became a question of what aspect of the story would she develop into a standalone fragrance. Action-packed spy films can easily lend themselves to rich orientals and heady florals, but Azzi Glasser went in a decidedly different direction.
After much thought she decided to try and encapsulate the quintessentially British style of Colin Firth and Taron Egerton’s characters. Taking inspiration from the crispness of the suits and the way the Huntsman fabrics felt, Azzi Glasser told me that she wanted to create a fragrance that sat close to the skin, which drew people to you as they detected the scent, and yet also had an unexpected twist. Kingsman TGC is most definitely a purr rather than a roar, but don’t think for one moment that this perfume doesn’t have claws.
Kingsman TGC opens wonderfully brightly in the style of a classic cologne, with bergamot and mandarin, but almost immediately there’s a huge dose of vetiver. One of Azzi’s favourite ingredients, used here it gives a feeling of texture and perfectly compliments the citrus notes. A bay leaf is positioned to appear almost at the same time as a rum note and, in harmony with a base of resinous labdanum and frankincense, you are very firmly in the panelled walls of Mayfair. The merest touch of oudh adds sensuality to Kingsman TGC but it never detracts from Azzi’s desire for it to be “debonair, intelligent and charismatic.”
Kingsman TGC was a limited edition priced at £95 for 30ml and was available from theperfumersstory.com, mrporter.com, and also Liberty. It is now sold out. [Sample provided by The Perfumer’s Story]
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