Katy Perry, A Cool Cat Lady with “Purr”

I’m not a fan of Katy Perry‘s music, but from what I gathered, she seems like a woman who knows exactly what she wants and refuses to be dictated by the industry she is in, which I admired. In everything she does, she seems to inject some of her fun and quirky personality into it. When other celebrities launch their own fragrance, they usually choose to make it elegant and high style. But Katty Perry took a different route. She launched a cat-shaped purple bottle named “Purr” and she sold the perfumes herself on the streets of New York, accompanied by a big purple milk truck.

She explained: “I’m such a sucker for a theme — you see that in my music, my music videos and now with my first beauty venture. I’m doing things a bit differently. We didn’t launch in a store, we launched in the middle of New York City with a Purr parade, which was perfect for me. And I think when you see this [cat-shaped] bottle on the shelves, you’re kind of, like, taken aback. I hope that it has the same kind of unique feeling as when I first saw the snow globe that Jean Paul Gaultier did [for Fragile], or the corset fragrance bottle he did [for Le Male]. They really influenced me, because it wasn’t just another bottle of perfume with some ridiculously serious name. I don’t need that in my life — I’m a young girl and I like to have fun. I like to be cute. I hope even when the perfume runs out, people want to keep it as a little tchotchke.”

It seems to be working, because Perry sold about $30,000 in just two-and-a-half hours, according to industry estimates. Perry sold 450 bottles of the 3.4-oz. size of her scent, which is priced at $65 (a 1.7-oz. version goes for $45). This came after a successful Selfridges event at Oxford Street in London last Friday, where Perry reportedly sold 700 bottles on presell and another 500 the day of her store appearance.

“I don’t feel like I’m selling a product — I feel like I’m selling more of my personality. And my personality is really in this bottle, and with everything I do, I’m the boss, you know? Nobody says to me, ‘Hey Katy, it’s time to launch a perfume because you’re a pop star.’ I do it because it’s fun and it’s a creative extension of my groove, and because I want to.”

To anyone who suggests she’s selling out? “I want to sell out! That’s the thing. I’m a businesswoman, and selling out sounds good to me.”

You see what I mean? Just from that interview alone, I’m thinking of buying her perfume!

In the U.S., Purr is exclusive to Nordstrom and nordstrom.com until February. The scent itself is concocted by Firmenich with citrus, jasmine and musk notes.

Source: WWD.com