Jo Malone is back on the high street where she belongs with her new brand JO LOVES, as her first store opens this week. Anna Hunter reports
“Once a shopkeeper, always a shopkeeper.” This recent tweet from @JO_LOVESteam speaks volumes about fragrance pro Jo Malone’s hard-working ethos, grounded attitude and insatiable entrepreneurial spirit. After selling her illustrious namesake fragrance, bath and body brand to Estée Lauder in 1999, the unstoppable Malone launched a new, independent line of stunning signature fragrances in 2011. JO LOVES was born; its roots run deep and it looks set to flourish.
The eagerly awaited first JO LOVES store opens its doors on Friday 11th October, on the very same street that Jo’s career and love affair with fragrance began:
“As a sixteen year old, I had my first job as a florist in Elizabeth Street. Still to this day, I remember the subtle scent of tuberose and lilies, freesia and roses, alongside crushed green stems on the floor and the smell of twine and brown paper.
“Thirty years later, life has unexpectedly taken me full circle and the first JO LOVES store is located on Elizabeth Street. It’s such a special place for me where fragrance, experience and creativity come to life.”
The shop and new collection offer customers a unique olfactory experience that has Malone magic sprinkled all over it. A fragrance tapas bar elevates your appreciation of scent to a whole new level; from Bath & Shower Gel served on the rocks (shaken not stirred) to warm Body Lotions and Crèmes painted on the skin, you’ll luxuriate in the sensuality of Jo’s creations. Another never-seen-before innovation is JO LOVES Bath Cologne, £59, served in store in steaming hot tagines and used at home as a dual bath oil and personal fragrance. Envelop yourself in scent in the bath, and the fragrance will stay with you all day. Genius.
To mark the shop’s emotive location and the starting point of Jo’s natural affinity with floral extracts, JO LOVES will also launch The Flower Shop Collection this autumn (starting at £45). No.42 The Flower Shop, A Shot™ of Fresh Sweet Peas and A Shot™ of Muguet & Cedar are all inspired by the blooms that Jo was surrounded by as both a child and floristry assistant. They represent the delicate, natural aromas that Jo so loves, and we’re pretty sure that we all will too. We’ll see you at the tapas bar.
Visit JO LOVES at 42 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9NZ.
Like this? Read Hannah Betts' pick of the five best floral perfumes here .