Liquid Assets

Today, Gant releases their new cologne, aptly named Gant. The first in-house fragrance developed by the label, they stuck true to their New England roots with a scent inspired by sea breezes and old clipper ships. We've been wearing it for the last two weeks and unlike more one-note scents, the cologne is at once clean yet masculine. What starts out sporty and fresh, diffuses into a warm, leathery finish. There's something decidedly old world about it, while still feeling modern. Not unlike the way we dress today.

So how did Gant create such a perfect storm of olfactory ingredients? It's not a simple task—distilling the essence of a brand into a single scent—so they enlisted Pierre Wulff of Robertet, the French fragrance house that's been crafting cologne since 1850. "We talked a lot about their East Coast heritage, the sporting and sailing history, about the Gant of yesterday and today," says Wulff. "I wanted to combine the new and old—building the scent around the wood and tarred ropes of an old ship, and combine it with crisp, new mahogany and the marine notes of the ocean."

Robertet is known for their use of natural raw materials, sourced over the last century from every continent and ocean and then cataloged in their vast fragrance library in Grasse, France. "It is more complicated," he says. "But you will never get that long lasting, rich scent from a synthetic." After nearly 18 months of fine-tuning, they had the final formula and worked with another industry legend, bottle designer Pierre Dinand, to house it—in an ocean blue, wicker-embossed bottle with a retro bakelite cap. "We wanted it to be unlike any other fragrance out today," says Wulff. "People should be compelled to ask you what you're wearing." After our trial, we're apt to say they're on to something.

From $65, available today at Gant