The best scents tell a story, capturing a memory or a moment in time. This is true of the new Penhaligon’s fragrance Juniper Sling, which launches this month with packaging designed by jkr. “Juniper Sling is a very exciting concept. The fragrance is inspired by the botanical ingredients within London Dry Gin,” explained Sarah Rotheram, CEO, Penhaligon’s. “We look to create fragrances that have a very British beat to them, and Gin is very much a part of the history of London. To create this fragrance, we have had the pleasure of working with an icon within the fragrance industry, the perfumer Oliver Cresp”.

Photo: The new Penhaligon’s fragrance Juniper Sling in the packaging designed by jkr

“The brief was very clear on the mood and emotion we wanted Juniper Sling to conjure up from a design point of view,” said Jovan Buac, Account Director, jkr. “It’s about gin cocktails in the 1920’s, bright young things and art deco nuances.”

As always, Penhaligon’s aims to play on its heritage but with a nod to the modern. “The design aims to deliver simple elegance with patterns inspired by 1930’s architecture but shown in a very subtle way through the use of silver foils on the box,” said Liz Stannard, Designer, jkr. With a newly designed over-sized box structure and metal bow-tie, jkr strived to add more weight and luxury to Juniper Sling, whilst still ensuring it fitted with the rest of the Penhaligon’s range.

“This design is all about tactility and layering, but with simplicity at the heart of the design. The paper stock is tactile whilst the use of silver foils and varnishes helps create a luxurious feel,” said Judith Allan, Production Director, jkr.

“The use of real metal features on the bottle & box was key. This aspect of the design was inspired by classic decanter labels and helped provide authenticity while building on the gin story at the heart of the fragrance,” said Liz Stannard, Designer, jkr. “Of course, producing these labels was technically challenging, but the result is superb,” added Judith Allan, Production Director, jkr.

“We are delighted with the final packaging, the bottle sparkles, the presentation has the fizz that one associates with Gin, and it manages to feel decadent, without relying on all of the clichés of the 1920’s. We have a truly unique fragrance, brimming with unusual and fine ingredients, a strange olfactive tale of Gin; the packaging continues this story, subtly hinting at the Gin inspiration, whilst at all time staying very true to the brand,” said Sarah Rotheram, CEO, Penhaligon’s.