Tory Burch On Scent, Memories And Designing A Legacy

Tory Burch founded her eponymous fashion line in 2004 and has since become synonymous with all-American luxury and style. Known for seamlessly blending bohemian with preppy on the clothing rails, Tory is no less skilled at reimagining fragrance. This year the fashion doyenne launches her Essence of Dreams collection, a five-piece line-up of perfumes that can either be layered together or worn alone. Here she speaks exclusively to Grazia about this brand new offering and her passion for scent.

On Her Earliest Memories Of Scent

'I have so many and that's why I'm so passionate about scent. I grew up on a farm in Valley Forge and some of the earliest memories I have are of my mom's incredible vanity of different fragrances. She wore everything, I remember Paris by YSL, Chanel, my Dad's Vetivert by Guerlain, I remember all of them. And then I remember the garden. My mom was an organic gardener, as far back as the 70's and I spent a tremendous amount of time outside with her. The smell of all the vegetables and the flowers, it was a huge part of my life and continues to be.'

On The Inspiration Behind The New Essence Of Dreams Collection

'My starting point was thinking about what fragrance means for me today. There's so much chaos in the world and I wanted to visualise what a better future looks like and how fragrance can transport you there, how it can change the way you feel. I wanted to think about unity and optimism and what emotions those concepts conjure up - magic, love, freedom, joy and peace. Then the process became about bringing different notes together - some classic, others new - and mixing them in unusual ways, blurring the lines. Women today want to be their own alchemist and that idea is key to the collection, you can layer them all.'

On Her Perfume Design Process Compared To Her Fashion Design Process

'There are a lot of similarities when it comes to my approach. I think a lot about confidence and unexpected contrasts. I reimagine classics and consider self-expression and individuality. I like to be unpredictable.'

On The Power Of Scent

'Divine Moon and instantly transports me to Antigua,' - Tory has a holiday home there - 'I'd love to be there all the time, so that's pretty wonderful to me. Vetiver will always remind me so much of my father - that's one of the key notes in Cosmic Wood - he was an extremely important person in my life. And then there's rose. I always wanted to do a rose scent because my husband and I spent a lot of time in Normandy surrounded by fresh garden roses. The garden he proposed to me in was full of them, so rose is a very romantic note for me, it represents love.'

On Her Biggest Strength

'Most would say I'm great under pressure, I'm a pretty calm person and a positive person. My parents always instilled in me that negativity is noise. As for what I'd credit myself with, I'd say that one of my biggest strengths is empathy. I'm incredibly empathetic and to me that's incredibly important and something that I feel deeply.'

Main image credit © Jen Livingston for Tory Burch

Shop: Tory Burch's New Essence Of Dreams Fragrance Collection