Laurice Rahmé, CEO and Founder of Bond No. 9 Fragrances, is the only woman CEO of Fragrance. Her perfume collection is all about paying homage to the adopted city that she loves, New York, of course. Rahm brought her passion, strength and energy to Saks Galleria to intro her newest Holiday Collection
As someone who knew about Bond No. 9 and the female founder I had heard so much about, I was looking forward to meeting her on her recent visit to Saks Fifth Avenue in Houston Galleria. I did my research, as I always do, on this woman that I was about to interview, only something happened….I read a lot about her and became fascinated with her NY recovery story. I walked into Saks the next morning, excited and highly anxious to meet this woman who I felt had a great story to tell and I was not disappointed. What a powerhouse of a woman she is….smart, both in business and just plain street smarts (literally, since her scents are representative of the neighborhoods of NYC!), articulate and passionate about what she had created and clearly believed strongly in why she had created it. Her unisex perfumes, 70 in total, pick up the essence of so many of the most famed neighborhoods of New York City . After scrolling through the amazing photos and reading about the holiday collections, of this very creative approach to perfumery, please read on below to some of the highlights of our chat….she was fascinating to listen to and her story is a great one!
A sampling, showing a representation of the fragrances developed within Bond No. 9…Note the bottle shape represents the shape of a woman’s body and are painted by hand. Every detail from the bottle design to the choices made for the chemist to follow are all directly a result of Rahme’s input based on her perception of each and every neighborhood…from Central Park West to Madison Avenue, High Line to Wall Street and on to Harlem and so many more.
Bond No. 9’s newest addition….New York Nights’ phenomenal dusk-till-dawn staying power was designed specifically for the city that never sleeps. It is depicting a nighttime Manhattan skyline pieced together out of numerous multi-colored Swarovski baguettes, set against a backdrop of high-shine royal blue.
The Crystal Chest is a luxurious multi-tiered silk-velvet-lined jewel box. Its exterior is emblazoned with blossoms formed by heart, icicle, teardrop and cabochon shaped Swarovski crystals. Oversized Bond No. 9 signature tokens open each velvet-lined shelf to reveal 9 of Bond No. 9’s most sought after eaux de perfume. For more on Bond No. 9 Holiday Collection visit the website at www.bondno9.com
Bond No. 9’s most popular fragrance is her award winning, Scent of Peace. This fragrance, created during a tumultuous time for the world, was an homage to a quest for peace and harmony in the world. This fragrance awarded Rahmé, the Peace Award by the United Nation’s Women for Peace Association. Also available in this scent is a delightful candle.
These photos are of the Saks Houston Galleria Shop for Bond No. 9. This fragrance is a Saks exclusive and the Houston Market is No. 2 within Saks region. Rahmé was quick to point out to me that Houston women love New York and consequently, love her fragrances.
From the ‘city that never sleeps’ comes the brand that also never rests, always thinking about what they can do next to expand their brand. The line extends past perfumes to include candles (shown above), body creams and pocket sprays.
About the Founder…A Chat with Laurice Rahmé
RP: Please give me some of your personal background and explain your concept and why you decided to do such a New York-centric idea?
LR: I moved to NYC from Paris 30 years ago. I had been in the beauty business there for Lancome, L’Oreal and then for famed perfume creator, Annik Goutal, founder of Creed. I came to the U.S. to introduce Creed and fell in love with the energy of NYC…truly the greatest city in the world! After 911 happened and I was so distraught for what was going on in my newly found city, I wanted to celebrate New Yorkers courage and creativity by giving back and doing something for this city. My mission was to restore artistry to the city and give a scent to each neighborhood. “Scent of a Place” as it was dubbed, was founded in 2003. I originally created it just for the New Yorkers in an effort to help them heal and never dreamed they would be available some day, as they are, in 35 global markets.
RP: Please tell me about your brand; how it started where you got your name and logo and much more?
LR: Bond No. 9 is the street address of my studio on Bond Street in NoHo, a very hip street now in NYC that pays homage to women entrepreneurs that reside or do business there, from the woman that owns the famous Italian Restaurant, Il Bucco to Gigi Hadid. I’ve been there since 2001. My logo is a replica of the NY Subway tokens of the past. (Lucky for me, it was not trademarked and then available for me to use…so great, I love it!!
RP: Tell me where do you get your inspirations for your new ‘NYC Neighborhoods’?
LR: Every Sunday I check the NYTimes real estate section for what the hot new neighborhoods are…that’s how I knew about the High Line before it even opened and now, for instance, it’s all about Hudson Yards.
RP: What was your first fragrance that you launched?
LR: Because I know how attached New Yorkers are to their own neighborhoods and never really leave them much, I launched with 16 neighborhoods at one time….all of the iconic ones that you would expect…Wall Street, Central Park, Chelsea, Madison Avenue, Harlem and more.
RP: What neighborhood do you wear?
LR: I don’t wear a neighborhood, for myself I created SIGNATURE, it comes in a gold bottle with a token on front.
RP: How do you see your brand going forward? What if you run out of neighborhoods?
LR: There are so many neighborhoods in this city…I’ve done 70 and could do 30 more. I recently introduced the Beaches, have only one for Brooklyn which I introduced 6 years ago and could do many more there now that Brooklyn has become such a hip place to live. I have two in the works….one which is a SCOOP for MYREDGLASSES is the newest one which is Grosvenor’s Island coming in July 2018!
RP: One last question, I am so curious as to how do you market your fragrances, that are so New York-centric, outside of New York?
LR: I travel all over the world and everyone I meet loves New York. New York is such a representation of so many nations of the world that everyone feels an attachment to this city….it is truly the greatest city in the world! It is unique and whether they love America or not these days, they feel NYC is unique and it’s very easy to sell NY to the world and even to other areas of the U.S.
I say that it was not an accident that this very giving person wanted to come to Houston after Harvey and called to see if there was anything she could do….she totally gets it!