” All beauty is best as Nature made it: Belgic colour is shameful on a Roman face ‘If some woman has stained her forehead with Azure dye on that account to be desired?’

Propertius, Elegies Late 1st BC

Wode is a new fragrance from British design team Boudicca that’s been under production for nearly a decade and was officially launched at the Frieze Art Fair in London.

Boudicca’s designers Zowie Broach and Brian Kirby set out to create a scent from the historical touchstones that have always fuelled their brand, while still offering a modern and commercial product.

Besides a spray paint-like container, the subtle vintage notes include juniper berry, hemlock and tuberose absolute. Wode’s distinct point of difference is in the spray’s unique cobalt blue color, which fully disappears from any surface minutes later.

The fragrance explores further the myth around queen Boudicca ( Aka Boadicea). Legend has it she and her tribe wore a cobalt blue war “paint”  on her skin that gave them a ferocious and mythical look when advancing into the battle. When finally defeated by the Romans queen Boadicea killed herself by swallowing Hemlock and extract of wich is included in Wode.

After scoring an advanced tester of the precious product during Paris Fashion Week, we sat down with Broach to discuss the tortured process of producing an innovative fragrance, Boudicca’s reverence for the color blue and why this may be the fragrance to catapult the label beyond their indie status.

Joelle’s Tips:

Zowie Broach from JC Report on Vimeo.

Purchase: only in the UK -  Barney’s in Usa

The Artist : Siamack Bahreini of Dream Alchemy