Perfumer: Pascal Gaurin.
Your ardor outweighed my reason. I can recall those dark streets where we lingered, the sensual gleam of the urban neons caressing our skin. I remember you slipping an osmanthus flower into the open front of my dress.
Addiction of the senses. A perfume offering the forceful contrast of violence and sensuality. The exploration of another continent. A smoked longjing tea combined with the modern leather notes of natural osmanthus conjure an invitation to dangerous, romantic games. Vetiver creates imperceptible fluidity. Bergamot, cardamom, Turkish rose and jasmine nurture the intrigue. Many musks and leathery nuances intensify the mystery.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
Kar-Wai belongs to close, low-lit settings where the air feels warm and charged, and where a polished leather jacket or sharp tailoring reads as part of the atmosphere. It projects a controlled intensity rather than volume, drawing people in with smoke, spice and skin-level warmth.
How to wear
Best in cool weather or evening air, Kar-Wai wears well with a light hand: one or two sprays are enough to let the tea-smoke and leather unfold without overwhelming the room. On skin it stays intimate and textured, while in colder air the woody-musky base becomes smoother and more pronounced.
Who it’s for
For those who like smoky leathers, dark woods and fragrances with a sensual, cinematic edge. It will appeal to wearers who prefer texture and tension over sweetness, and who enjoy a perfume that feels polished, slightly mysterious and distinctly unisex.
Release year
2019
The nose
Pascal Gaurin is a French perfumer known for elegant, textural compositions that balance clarity with depth. His work often leans into modern woods, musks and refined contrasts, which suits Kar-Wai’s interplay of smoked tea, leather and floral nuance. In Kar-Wai, Gaurin shapes a scent that feels cinematic rather than decorative: the tea-smoke accord, osmanthus leather and restrained spice create tension, while the softer floral and musky facets keep it fluid and wearable.
Collaborators
Carine Roitfeld developed the fragrance concept with Pascal Gaurin, using her own vision of fantasy, sensuality and ambiguity to guide the brief. Her son Vladimir also helped translate that creative world into the finished collection.
Carine Roitfeld’s story
Carine Roitfeld’s fragrance house reflects her fashion sensibility: sensual, editorial and deliberately memorable. The brand favors character over prettiness, building scents with ambiguity, bold texture and a strong personal point of view.
Kar-Wai’s concept
Kar-Wai is one of seven genderless fragrances in Carine Roitfeld’s debut collection, each linked to a favorite city and a fictional lover. This one evokes Hong Kong and takes its name from filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, with the scent built around the contrast between smoky tea, leather and osmanthus, inspired by the city’s streets and cinematic mood.
Extra info
Kar-Wai is named after filmmaker Wong Kar-wai and was conceived as the Hong Kong chapter of Roitfeld’s seven-fragrance debut. The bottle was designed in deep khaki with an ergonomic shape meant to feel sensual in the hand.
Celebrity connection
Carine Roitfeld is the central public face of the fragrance line, and the launch drew guests including Kris Jenner, Tom Ford, Gigi Hadid, Joan Smalls and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Perfumer: Pascal Gaurin.
Your ardor outweighed my reason. I can recall those dark streets where we lingered, the sensual gleam of the urban neons caressing our skin. I remember you slipping an osmanthus flower into the open front of my dress.
Addiction of the senses. A perfume offering the forceful contrast of violence and sensuality. The exploration of another continent. A smoked longjing tea combined with the modern leather notes of natural osmanthus conjure an invitation to dangerous, romantic games. Vetiver creates imperceptible fluidity. Bergamot, cardamom, Turkish rose and jasmine nurture the intrigue. Many musks and leathery nuances intensify the mystery.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
Kar-Wai belongs to close, low-lit settings where the air feels warm and charged, and where a polished leather jacket or sharp tailoring reads as part of the atmosphere. It projects a controlled intensity rather than volume, drawing people in with smoke, spice and skin-level warmth.
How to wear
Best in cool weather or evening air, Kar-Wai wears well with a light hand: one or two sprays are enough to let the tea-smoke and leather unfold without overwhelming the room. On skin it stays intimate and textured, while in colder air the woody-musky base becomes smoother and more pronounced.
Who it’s for
For those who like smoky leathers, dark woods and fragrances with a sensual, cinematic edge. It will appeal to wearers who prefer texture and tension over sweetness, and who enjoy a perfume that feels polished, slightly mysterious and distinctly unisex.
Release year
2019
The nose
Pascal Gaurin is a French perfumer known for elegant, textural compositions that balance clarity with depth. His work often leans into modern woods, musks and refined contrasts, which suits Kar-Wai’s interplay of smoked tea, leather and floral nuance. In Kar-Wai, Gaurin shapes a scent that feels cinematic rather than decorative: the tea-smoke accord, osmanthus leather and restrained spice create tension, while the softer floral and musky facets keep it fluid and wearable.
Collaborators
Carine Roitfeld developed the fragrance concept with Pascal Gaurin, using her own vision of fantasy, sensuality and ambiguity to guide the brief. Her son Vladimir also helped translate that creative world into the finished collection.
Carine Roitfeld’s story
Carine Roitfeld’s fragrance house reflects her fashion sensibility: sensual, editorial and deliberately memorable. The brand favors character over prettiness, building scents with ambiguity, bold texture and a strong personal point of view.
Kar-Wai’s concept
Kar-Wai is one of seven genderless fragrances in Carine Roitfeld’s debut collection, each linked to a favorite city and a fictional lover. This one evokes Hong Kong and takes its name from filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, with the scent built around the contrast between smoky tea, leather and osmanthus, inspired by the city’s streets and cinematic mood.
Extra info
Kar-Wai is named after filmmaker Wong Kar-wai and was conceived as the Hong Kong chapter of Roitfeld’s seven-fragrance debut. The bottle was designed in deep khaki with an ergonomic shape meant to feel sensual in the hand.
Celebrity connection
Carine Roitfeld is the central public face of the fragrance line, and the launch drew guests including Kris Jenner, Tom Ford, Gigi Hadid, Joan Smalls and Tracee Ellis Ross.