For the fashion set—and now, almost everyone, thanks to the popularity of Ryan Murphy’s Love Story—1990s-era Calvin Klein conjures images of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, pencil skirts, and white orchids. Mid-2000s Calvin Klein, on the other hand, brings to mind one particular citrusy and exotic scent, housed in a sexy bottle, and with a sexy ad series to match. Who didn’t have or want Euphoria on their vanity, back then? Even a whiff of it smells like a night out before cell phones: indiscriminately androgynous and intoxicating—or as one Reddit user called it, “almost narcotic.”
As of now, Euphoria is so back—with a new, more intense and potent concentration and a slick campaign fronted by Rosalía (gone are the muscled male models and oiled chests of yore, it seems.) Moments after the Calvin Klein Collection runway show on Friday, the Grammy-winner and recent Vogue cover star said that Euphoria always reminds her of singing on stage or being behind the wheel of her car—two moments that make her feel euphoric.
To properly unveil the new chapter, Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein Fragrances hosted a launch party at People’s in Greenwich Village following the afternoon’s collection reveal. Fittingly, the bash felt like a throwback to 2005—purely because nobody was on their phone and a camcorder was doing the rounds. The rarity of an offline party meant that people were really and truly dancing; getting down to hip-hop remixes by DJs Kitty Ca$h and Huneycut. They were even popping jell-o shots, with every passing tray of lychee-infused jellies wiped clean as soon as they appeared.
Everyone dressed the part, too—nodding to those instantly-recognizable 2005 ads in vests, midriff-revealing tanks, and dark-wash denim of their own. Male models balanced martinis while giving each other la bise and catching up in French, many stopping to spritz samples of the new scent.
As she arrived in the door in eye-catching silver, Rosalía beamed while hugging and kissing the label’s creative director Veronica Leoni and Javier Zotes Ciancas, Global SVP at Calvin Klein Fragrances. According to Zotes Ciancas, in its new signature elixir format, the original notes of have been preserved whilst the composition has been modernized by a richer, more enveloping 28% concentration. Master perfumer Carlos Benaïm, who co-created the 2005 original, returned to spearhead this next chapter. “It’s unmistakably Euphoria, but reinterpreted for today,” Zotes Ciancas said.
While Rosalía recalled spraying herself abundantly with her fragrances as a teenager—noting “I was trying to leave a thread and trying too hard to be remembered”—these days, she’s much gentler. “My perfume is only for whoever gets to be really close to me,” she smiled.
Being remembered, in fairness, is something the Catalan star doesn’t exactly struggle with lately. Coincidentally the new face of Euphoria was also a face on HBO’s Euphoria, playing Magick, a dancer at Alamo’s club, in the show’s third and final season.
Rosalía told Vogue that she thinks about acting the way she thinks about finding and perfecting your personal scent—both are about the art of pursuit in their own ways: “It’s like a muscle…you have to practice.”
