Oh, the high street. An English institution of commerce, restaurants, nightlife, and, most importantly, fashion. Traditionally, the centre of life for any British town, one high street in particular, is perhaps the highest of them all. That is, the busiest, buzziest, and brightest in all of the United Kingdom: London’s Oxford Street.
To slow the foot traffic is hard. To stop it is even rarer. But to shut this street down is unheard of. Except for one glamorous debut getting a certifiably royal treatment.
A line—ahem, queue—of trench-coated fashion darlings and luxe-style savants wraps around the corner, gliding past metal barricades with the kind of effortless cool that could launch a thousand street-style snaps. Puzzled passersby pause, wondering why a stylish army of insiders is gathering at Flannels X, the flagship location of London’s most prized designer department store. Pavement traffic renders to a halt, and a queue of queue observers gradually jams the walkway.
“Why is everyone waiting? Who is in there?”
“Who”? Au contraire. This is a matter of “what.” The crown jewel of the evening is none other than the latest liquid gold from Creed, Absolu Aventus—a limited edition re-issue that’s making it’s grand return. Tonight, it’s coming straight out of its sleek black box and into the hands of the first fifty partygoers. Yes, partygoers. A debut like this deserves a celebration.
To the less luxuriously acquainted, a fragrance isn’t worth the wait. A fragrance, one could say, is a dime a dozen. Well, this one isn’t. At £340 (or $565), it’s a pretty penny, but for purely good reason. Dare we say it’s more than a mere purchase—it’s an investment in craftsmanship. You see, the fragrance world is overly saturated, and these days, almost every brand dabbles in perfumery to create the next best and buzzed-about scent. But unlike other labels relying on viral shticks and celebrity endorsements, Creed is the celebrity garnering a loyal following of the veriest of VIP fans, from Hollywood royalty to royalty royalty rumored to be fans.
For the discerning few, exclusivity is everything. It’s not just about having a scent; it’s about having the scent. And why settle for what’s common when you know you’re deserving of more?
This isn’t just your run-of-the-mill mass-produced fragrance house. Creed prides itself on a small batch process to ensure the highest-tier fragrance formula and oversees every step of production—from ingredient sourcing to processing and bottling. Unlike other perfumers, Creed utilizes natural oils and rare materials for grade-A juice. It’s a quality you can feel—and smell, of course. The fragrance delivers that kind of sillage that announces your arrival for you and lingers behind you just long enough to keep others wondering about who that mysterious person really is.
By these standards alone, Creed is already made for the ultra-high-end. It couldn’t possibly be any more exclusive, right? Wrong! Next step: make it a limited edition. Enter Absolu Aventus, the highly anticipated second issue of this coveted cologne.
In homage to its bestselling classic, Aventus, the fragrance house adds a zesty twist to the scent profile to dial things up an olfactory notch. Think juicy grapefruit and bright pineapple meets musky cardamom and spicy pink pepper. It’s that well-dressed guy on the metro you can’t diverge your eyes from staring at—you find yourself still thinking about him in the office. It’s the man with a quiet confidence across the bar that you can’t help but be drawn to. “It must be pheromones!” you insist. But actually, it’s Absolu Aventus. He’s got that limited edition suavity.
So limited it’s worth the hours-long wait. Doormen unlock the front door of Flannels X, producing a gust of wind from the simultaneous turn of every head up and down the block. A double-decker bus stops. The light drizzle even ceases. One by one, a woman with a clipboard checks off invitees’ names, and guests excitedly flood into the luxe flagship. Let the party begin.
Inside, the intoxicating aroma of earthy vetiver with a punch of energetic citrus envelops the senses. Cameras flash at the VIP photocall, and a distant hum of deep house entrances guests down a set of glistening stairs. Following their descent, attendees step into an LED dreamscape. Larger-than-life grapefruit slices inch across the floor-to-ceiling screen, and London’s clubbing scene’s head honcho, Bradley Zero, mixes tracks in the centre. Spotlights cut through a light fog and laser beam across the dancefloor. One reveler throws his arms in the air and steps to the rhythm, his possé following suit.
“Care for a drink?” asks a waiter. In one hand, he carefully balances a tray of bright pink drinks, lovingly topped with a slice of grapefruit and livened up with Degen Distillery vodka. On the other hand, a brushed metal can of the trendy Cornish lager, Jubel, refreshingly cut with—you guessed it—the citrus of the night.
At high-top tables along the sides of the dance floor, guests take a break from two-stepping. Phones are swapped to share each other’s Instagram handles. An influencer hands her phone to her assistant. “Get me with the Creed sign,” she instructs. Par for the course tonight; everyone wants to be seen with it. The iconic logo slowly passes behind her on the LED screen, and a flash goes off.
One of the first fifty partygoers digs into their complimentary gift bag and pulls out tonight’s star. A sleek black hip flask-like bottle embossed with quintessential Creed lettering. The crisp white text spells “Absolu Aventus” above. A spritz bursts into the air. Nearby, drinks are set down. A perfectly coiffed blonde in red and a man with a Zayn Malik quiff approach.
“Hey! Could we try that on?”
See? What did I tell you? Like a moth to a flame.
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