In the world of men’s fragrances, some brands niche down to appeal to a specific “type” and demographic, while others try to be all things to all people. The latter is especially true when they include the word “ICONIC” in their brand name, which is the case for this release from GUESS.
It’s called GUESS ICONIC for Men, but GUESS isn’t a company that’s gender-specific when it comes to its scents. Its counterpart, GUESS Woman, was launched last April, and GUESS also designs, markets, distributes, and licenses a large collection of lifestyle products, including apparel, handbags, watches, footwear, and other consumer goods.
GUESS the iconic scent
It’s a lot to take in, so let’s get back to the fragrance. It’s a true melange of scents that GUESS describes as a mix of Sichuan and black pepper, plus bright mandarin, along with “aromatic green notes” like clary sage, mate, and geranium. From there, the fragrance experience shifts to vetiver, labdanum, and “animalic” suede to complement the upper layers of this men’s cologne.
The combination is definitely different, but it does embody the GUESS ICONIC approach.
“For us, the fragrance really encapsulates the feeling of freedom, attraction, and confidence,” said perfumers Claude Dir and Gino Percontino of Mane. “We wanted the wearer to feel empowered to be bold and daring.”
Bold packaging
The packaging is also bold. It’s designed to “harmonize” with what the company calls its classic design cues, with analogous “cues” appearing in the women’s fragrance that was released last year.
What that means in real English is that the bottle containing this cologne is overtly masculine. A brown leather belt around the bottle and cap features intricate, hand-stitched details.The gold-embossed logo is underlined by an upscale heel, all to emphasize the quality of the glass.
Even the bottle gets its own moment in the sun with this fragrance. It’s brown and embossed with a leather texture to make the gold “G” stand out, so that the men who wear it are “ready to go on [their] next adventure.”
GUESS’s image and marketing approach
Part of the idea with this cologne is to create a sense of dramatic contrast with the women’s perfume from last year. That was both floral and fruity, and it was designed to promote the image of the “sexy, iconic, and fun” GUESS girl. That scent featured green apple, bergamot and peony.
The image of the hypothetical GUESS man is equally well-defined, with little or no guesswork involved. Ideally, he’s young and charismatic while still timeless, and this scent is positioned to help him embody spontaneity as he seeks out his new daily adventures. With his sexy charm, he “effortlessly embraces life’s unpredictability,” and he tackles his daily routine with an “unapologetic zest” for living life in the moment.
To attain this special level of masculinity, the GUESS ICONIC for Men Eau de Parfum, you will have to shell out $78 for the 100 mL bottle. The 50 mL bottle costs $60, with the 30 mL going for $48. The Eau de Perfume is available in GUESS stores starting this month, and online. The cologne is also available at JCPenney.
