Obsessed by Calvin Klein

I suppose you could say we were obsessed by OBSESSION. If one thing summed up CALVIN KLEIN for us visually, it was Mario Sorrenti’s OBSESSION campaign with Kate Moss. It lived in our heads for so many years and became a touchstone of sensuality when we arrived at CALVIN KLEIN. We thought about a scent that could reflect such an idea of memory and desire for today. Of male and female, of the memory of somebody else on your skin.RAF SIMONS, Chief Creative Officer CALVIN KLEIN

One of the first things we did when we arrived at CALVIN KLEIN was look at the OBSESSION archive. It was then that we discovered so many images that had never been seen and began to really understand the true love story behind Kate and Mario’s campaign. It is a story of an iconic and inspiring moment in fashion photography as much as a deeply personal and human love story, the two are intertwined and can never really be replicated again. We wanted to look back on both and explore them in a new way, while making the scent very much part of this story. We wanted memory, the visual and the sensual to intertwine today.PIETER MULIER, Creative Director CALVIN KLEIN

I remember your touch, your skin, your scent…

As the re-invention of an iconic fragrance, OBSESSED plays on the evocation of memory through scent. Mixing memory and desire, masculine and feminine, the past and the present, these compelling fragrances echo the original OBSESSION, yet blur and reformulate scents for both men and women today.

At the heart of OBSESSED is the memory of a past love, triggered by the scent of another on the skin. Here, the genders are subverted and layered, with the traditional scents of the masculine Fougère —particularly White Lavender—harnessed for the women’s fragrance, while the men’s scent is in thrall to a dark Vanilla. These elements are combined with materials more typically associated with each gender; Musks add a sensuous warmth to the women’s fragrance while Amber and Woods strengthen the sense of masculinity in the men’s. It is this tension, a compulsive push and pull that makes the wearer return to the fragrances time and again.

Parallel to the olfactory story of OBSESSED, runs a visual one. In 1993, Obsession truly attained its iconic status when Kate Moss became the fragrance’s face, shot by her then boyfriend Mario Sorrenti. This ground- breaking and provocative imagery reflected a real love story; besides portraying a mutual flourishing of first love, the images also reveal an obsession with both a subject and a medium for the photographer.

As the legendary campaign approaches its 25th anniversary, OBSESSED utilises never before seen imagery from that time and personal biography to further explore and evoke the idea of memory, past love and present iconography.

As the first fragrance formulated and promoted under RAF SIMONS as Chief Creative Officer of CALVIN KLEIN, OBSESSED can be seen as a celebration of CALVIN KLEIN fragrances past, present and future.

OBSESSED is about how memory, the sensual and the visual intertwine today.

OBSESSED delights in excess, yet this is achieved in a refined, balanced and contemporary way.

A combination of olfactory memory and modern desirability brings the past seductively into the present.

OBSESSED FOR WOMEN

An Oriental Aromatic Green

Top         Sacred Citrus Neroli Essence Elemi
Mid          Violet Leaf White Lavender Purple Sage
Dry           Musk Helvetolide Ambrette Muscenone

A masculine Fougère structure is contrasted with feminine warmth; the fragrance is formed around a base of White Lavender, while creamy Musks envelope and sensually soften.

The tension of the aromatic top notes with the smooth creaminess of the back, further explores the tension between the masculine and the feminine.

Perfume Annick Menardo
Master Perfumer Honorine Blanc

OBSESSED FOR MEN

An Oriental Woody Amber

Top         Oro Blanco Grapefruit Sichuan Pepper Black Cardamom
Mid          Cedar Leaves Labdanum Firnat Blonde Leather
Dry           Patchouli Cœur Black Vanilla Infusion Ambrox Super

A compelling heart of Black Vanilla is sophisticatedly structured with dark, dimensional woods, providing the tension between a feminine melodiousness and masculine strength.

Ambrox elegantly cuts through all, lending a sleek and contemporaneous edge.

Perfumer Ilias Ermenidis
Perfumer Christophe Raynaud

More Information

THE LINEUP:
OBSESSED For Women
Eau de parfum Spray 3.4 fl oz 100ml
Eau de parfum Spray 1.7 fl oz 50ml
Eau de parfum Spray 1.0 fl oz 30ml
OBSESSED For Men
Eau de toilette Spray 4.2 fl oz 125ml
Eau de toilette Spray 2.5 fl oz 75ml
Eau de toilette Spray 1.0 fl oz 30ml

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