Ralph Lauren Fragrances is swinging for the fences with its latest launch.
The brand is introducing its newest men’s fragrance, an eau de toilette called Polo Est. 67, which on Thursday will enter the brand’s distribution flywheel that includes Macy’s, Sephora and Amazon. The fragrance retails for $108.
The new product’s campaign, featuring New York Yankees team captain Aaron Judge, will coincide with the launch. Judge was a natural choice, given baseball’s influence on both the brand and the product’s development.
“In both the world of sport and the world of fragrance, it’s passion that sets things apart,” said Ralph Lauren, executive chairman and chief creative officer, in a statement. “Aaron Judge’s genuine love for baseball embodies what I most believe in — a commitment to excellence and the art of doing what you love.”
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“As a brand I’ve admired and loved for years, having the opportunity to work on the Polo 67 eau de toilette campaign with Ralph Lauren Fragrances was a dream come true. Fragrance is another way to tell my story and invite people into my world, and Polo 67 eau de toilette does that perfectly because it’s such a natural extension of my personal style and essence,” Judge added via email.
The brand’s Polo franchise is its largest fragrance business in men’s, according to Charles Finaz de Villaine, global president of Ralph Lauren Fragrances, and the launch represents a bid for a newer, younger consumer.
“Polo Est. 67 embodies the reinvention of Polo for the next generation,” Finaz de Villaine said. “For us, it’s a turning point, and we’re going to focus on sports, starting with the most iconic American sport: baseball.”
The bottle doesn’t feature the typical polo pony, instead opting for a refreshed logo that Finaz de Villaine calls the “Polo swoosh.”
“It will attract a younger audience, a new demographic,” he continued. “But as our brand is so powerful, especially in the U.S., it’s a broad target. It gets to a younger audience but can also seduce a 40-year-old man.”
And though inspiration came from the brand’s own codes, Finaz de Villaine said Ralph Lauren scents are resonating globally. “Fragrance is experiencing a tremendous momentum and Ralph Lauren is overperforming,” he said. “We implemented the brand in Asia, and we are in the top three brands in China and Southeast Asia. In men’s fragrances, we’ve launched in Africa and the Middle East.”
Executives didn’t quantify sales, but industry sources anticipate the product to reach between $70 million and $80 million in retail sales for its first year on the market.
“It’s clearly an addition for us,” Finaz de Villaine said. “We didn’t have a woody citrus fragrance in our portfolio, it has a surprising freshness.”
The fragrance, created by Marie Salamagne, includes top notes of bergamot essence, pineapple accord, lavandin heart; heart notes of geranium and clary sage essence heart, and base notes of vetiver haiti, sandalwood essence and patchouli heart.
Polo Est. 67 is also housed in a refillable bottle as part of a greater sustainability effort from the brand, precursed by the launch of Polo Earth. “[Licensee] L’Oréal Group has always been committed to improving its footprint,” Finaz de Villaine said.
