One Direction: All Pink, No Platitudes

Wow, those One Direction guys sure use a lot of product in their hair.

I’m told this UK boy band is s**t hot with American tween girlz. The band’s collective smellebrity scent Our Moment just launched in the UK and heads to the States this fall. The fellows provide some of the usual launch talking points:

“It’s not too strong and it’s quite sweet and subtle, rather than it being a bit more in your face,” [band member Liam] Payne told WWD of the scent.

Noticeably missing are the strenuous assertions that the smellebrities themselves were involved in every facet of the project, smelled dozens of mods, worked with the perfumers, yadda yadda. Instead, we get this:

Given that there were five opinions involved in the creation of Our Journey [sic], the band insists it was a dispute-free project. “We kind of just agreed on it,” said Tomlinson. “We’re all, like, into the same sort of thing. It was actually easy in that respect. The people we were working with were a great help. They were, like, making really good stuff, and we were, like, ‘That’s great!’ They gave us what we wanted.”

Such easy clients. And why not? According to WWD, “industry sources said they expect [Our Moment] to make $120 million in first-year retail sales.” Let’s say net sales to the manufacturer (after cost of goods, marketing, shipping, etc.) are $30 million and the band gets a 7% royalty. Divided five ways, each band member gets $420,000. Not a huge payday, but surely enough to mouth a few of the usual pieties, no?

 

The kitsch factor in the Our Journey packaging is off the charts. Then again it’s probably on target for the group’s demographic. Can’t you see it covered in glossy, candy-flavored, super-moisturing, lip imprints from the owner?

And check out the launch event on YouTube: it screams semi-ironic distance. Again, probably just what the demo expects.

I see they were pouring non-vintage Canard-Duchêne Brut Champagne. (On sale at £19.00!)

. . . a clean, easily accessible style . . . and a fine mousse.

Exactly!

Meanwhile, this tidbit from WWD hints that Our Moment had something other than a carefree development process:

The license for the scent is owned by Eden Parfums, which is a subsidiary of Imperial Pharmaceutical Group and owned by chief executive officer Nayan Thakrar. Eden purchased the license from Olivann Beauty, a division of Fusion Brand Inc.’s luxury fashion division, in February this year, along with all the assets that had been developed before the sale.

Hmmm . . .