Ulla Johnson‘s show notes on Friday got a fragrant accompaniment.
“Eau de parfums, candles and incense. Arriving this Spring” read the box of three Robertet lab samples, which hold names like “Baroque Garden,” “Drift Rose” and “Adriatic Gold.”
The imminent launch got less obvious cues throughout the show, too. “The whole set was inspired by the organic shapes you will see soon with the fragrance and the candle,” Johnson told WWD backstage. “We worked with ceramicists to make hand-built objects, having that hand touch and something that felt unique. You know how crowded this space is, so it really felt important to have something that felt truly our own.”
Johnson isn’t the first to use a runway to debut a new beauty project. Balmain unveiled its bottles on the runway in 2024, as did Victoria Beckham. This season, Christian Siriano also used it to launch skin care. The fragrances come at a time of growth for Johnson’s brand, which she said is focusing on international expansion in 2026.
For New York-based designers, though, very few emerging ones have had launches in the category in recent years. In the past, Khaite, Willy Chavarria, Area and Christopher John Rogers have all been floated as potential entrants, seeing that designer fragrances in the U.S. comprise roughly 70 percent of the category’s sales overall. The only U.S.-based exception is LoveShackFancy, which launched at Sephora with a trio of fragrances in 2023 and has since built out its suite of products to include new juices and formats.
