Fragrance Friday: Byredo drops yet another very special new scent

For fans of the olfactory powerhouse, a new release from Byredo is always a cause for celebration. I am most definitely in that camp, finding each new Byredo release seemingly as bewitching as the next.
The house is no stranger to employing natural landscapes as both inspiration and metaphor for its fragrances, and in the brand’s newest release, Desert Dawn, the tradition continues.
Set to land at MECCA this month, Desert Dawn is described as a “warm, captivating fragrance” with a hint of spice, featuring top notes of cardamon and rose petals, heart notes of sandalwood, cedarwood and carrot seeds, and base notes of papyrus, vetiver and silk musk. According to Byredo, the fragrance’s “sweet spices of Cardamom and Rose Petals, and wood-forward notes recall the dry heat of the desert”, while the warmth provided by the sandalwood and cedarwood result in a scent that is “powdery and slightly earthy,” while the vetiver and silk musk are brought life by the “crisp, clean scent of papyrus.” As someone yet to investigate the scent I am immediately intrigued, and desperate to apply.

The house adds that Desert Dawn represents an idea of the desert as an internal landscape of the mind, a place one can visit to access creativity. Like rhythm in nature, the imagination ebbs and flows, patterns form, and energy is harnessed from instinct into expression. Desert Dawn traces the meandering motions of the creative process, which is never linear but sees new ideas that come forth at any given moment, just like dawn.

The campaign for Desert Dawn is fronted by indigenous model Cherokee Jack, who is known for his advocacy for the environment, mutual aid, food sovereignty, and health, and shot by Brazilian photographer Rafael Pavarotti, whose work has appeared in leading fashion publications. A member of the Aniyunwiya Nation, Jack frequently documents his interactions with nature and the diversity of the world on social media, and his ease with being immersed in the great outdoors makes him a dream match with the work of Byredo. The campaign setting is the Maspalomas dunes in Spain’s Canary Islands, where Pavarotti captures Jack in a series of stunning portraits, offset by the stark, dramatic backdrop.

I for one can’t wait to experience, Byredo Desert Dawn, which is available later this month at select MECCA stores and online.