Before Tory Burch was Tory Burch, world-renowned fashion designer, she was Tory Robinson, her parents’ “little scientist.” As a child, she was mesmerized by scents, particularly those of her mother (Yves Saint Laurent Paris and Chanel N°19), father (Guerlain Vetiver and Jacques Fath Green Water), and grandmother (Jean Patou Joy), and she’d constantly get into their stashes. “They called me the little scientist, because I was always mixing and matching,” Burch tells ELLE.com over the phone. “I would even grind up flowers from the garden, put oil in [them], and try to create fragrances,” she adds. It seems it was always in the cards for the businesswoman to curate her own eponymous fragrance line, and today marks the launch of her latest scent, Sublime.
The perfume is fresh and inviting yet subtly sexy, with mandarin, vetiver, and florals, like rose and osmanthus flower. Burch, Shiseido (owners of Burch’s beauty license), and perfumers Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Christine Hassan designed the scent to empower those who wear it. Kendall Jenner, whom Burch recruited to be the face of the scent, gives her take: “To me, confidence is when I feel most myself, when I am my goofiest, weirdest, just fully unfiltered self, and that is what Sublime is about.” The fragrance might have taken two years to develop, but Burch says the journey was worth it. Ahead, why she chose the name Sublime, how she’s reinvented the brand, and which accessory would pair best with her new fragrance.
What sparked the idea for the scent?
I was in Antigua, and I found this old leather bag of my mother’s or grandmother’s. The smell was intoxicating. I thought leather would create some interesting tension and contrast with a flower like osmanthus, which is [everywhere] in Antigua.
What is it like to dream up clothing and accessories versus a fragrance?
There are some similarities, interestingly. I thought a lot about that. For me, it’s rethinking the classics. How do you innovate and think about something that will last? Fashion, beauty, fragrance [are] tools for self-expression. [Fragrance] really does create a sense of individuality. It’s an emotion. It’s how you feel, and I want women to feel powerful above anything else—and confident. I thought of three words: Confident, sensual, and strong. And those are [also] the three words that I focus on when I design a collection.
What is an accessory or piece from your current ready-to-wear line that would pair perfectly with the new fragrance?
I think our Pierced Mule is perfect for that.
How did the team for this project come together?
The one thing I’m great at is surrounding myself with extraordinary people, like Mert Alas, Marcus Piggott, Lina Kutsovskaya, and Bakar, who sings the song [for the campaign]. I spent a lot of time thinking about working with Kendall Jenner. We’ve never had a face. There’s something that I really love about her. A long time ago, we were in a shoot together, and I’ve been intrigued with her. She has a quiet power, which I find interesting. She’s fearless. She’s an entrepreneur [with] great family values and a work ethic.
Tory Burch and Kendall Jenner.
How did you come up with the name Sublime?
Sublime is one of my favorite words. It’s underused, and it’s an emotion, a feeling, and a state of being. It goes back to confident, sensual, and strong.
I read that you’ll be launching refills for the perfume in 2025. What was the reasoning behind that decision?
The bottle is meant to last. I wanted something you would keep forever, and that’s why it feels so heavy; I wanted it to be a beautiful, artistic element that you put on your vanity. [The design] was inspired by the Guggenheim, taking an abstraction of the Ts [in our logo].
I worked with Malin Ericson, and we worked on many different iterations. There was a purity to this that I loved, and we put the logo [off-kilter] as a representation of things not being where they used to be and not being so straightforward. It’s about reinvention, evolution, and innovation.
So you’re capturing the vibe of your fashion line going forward?
A lot to do with that, and rethinking our business and brand from a creative standpoint. Sublime reflects where we are as a brand today. Almost six years ago, I convinced my husband to come and run our company, and I happily gave up the CEO role [so that] I could focus exclusively on the creative process and 100 percent on design.
For the 14 years before that, that had not been the case. [When] I became the CEO, the business took over, which I’m proud of. But I realized that it wasn’t a personal reflection of me or the way that I see women today. I wanted to evolve and reinvent our company, and part of the reinvention is in this fragrance.
How do you decide what fragrance to wear on any given day?
It’s pretty last minute, and just as I’m walking out the door. But I do like wearing a fragrance. It’s a ritual for me. There’s one of our Middle East fragrances that’s an oud that I love, but I also now love Sublime. I’ve given a couple bottles to my sons’ girlfriends; they’re obsessed with it, and they said it’s addictive. I love that.
What are your other beauty essentials?
I’m a creature of habit. I wear Shiseido sunscreen. Olaplex shampoo. I love Barbara Sturm serums. I love Joanna Czech facials. Gucci Westman—I have a highlighter that I use. Erno Laszlo sea mud soap. And then there’s this product I use under my eyes that I love called Versed Smooth Landing Eye Balm.
What is your vision for the future of Tory Burch fragrances?
I don’t have a vision right now beyond this. I’m focusing on Sublime. I love fragrances, and I’m sure we’ll work on another at some point. Perhaps even some kind of skin care or makeup. No plans yet, but that’s something that I really would love to do.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Carol is the Associate Beauty E-Commerce Writer at ELLE.com, where she covers all things beauty. Before joining ELLE.com, she was an editor at Food Network Magazine and HGTV Magazine. She’s always on the hunt for the perfect lipstick and watches the same few comfort sitcoms (Frasier, Cheers, Seinfeld, New Girl, etc.) over and over again.