Givenchy Comes To The USA

Justin has been the face of french fragrance Givenchy since the summer of 2008, but the USA has yet to get w whiff of the JT fronted scent. Well, the wait is over folks. WWD takes up the story in this recent article:

Justin Timberlake is in Play — that is, the Givenchy fragrance brand of that name, set to be rolled out in the U.S. this fall, following its debut in Europe a year ago. Timberlake is pulling double-duty as the face of this launch: two men’s scents — dubbed Play and Play Intense, respectively — are offered.

“We were looking for a man who’s recognized all over the world, someone new to the world of perfumery, and with great seductive potential,” said Pamela Baxter, president and chief executive officer of LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics N.A. and president and ceo of Christian Dior Inc. “Most importantly, we needed to find a man who could embody the modern elegance specific to the Givenchy brand as well as all the facets of Play.”

The scents will be available in about 1,800 department stores in the U.S., including Macy’s, Nordstrom, Dillard’s and Sephora, said Baxter.

Advertising, shot by Tom Munro and featuring Timberlake, will break in September fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines. An extensive Internet campaign is also planned.

But fragrance is far from Timberlake’s only project these days — his to-do list includes his ready-to-wear line, William Rast, as well as music-producing and acting projects.
Timberlake’s trick for juggling his myriad of projects? “Well, you appoint and employ people who understand the vision of each brand — and you treat each brand separately, like the rest of them don’t exist,” said Timberlake. “It’s the same as in entertainment. Doing a film is a completely different process than, for instance, putting a song together. They have their similarities, but at the root of it they’re polar opposites. So, I think you just treat everything accordingly and specifically.”

He’s also looking to help launch the careers of up-and-coming artists with Tennman Records, his venture with Interscope Records. “I have Esmée, we just put her single out in Europe,” he said. “I have a band from Memphis called Free Sol — like a rap-rock band, it’s really cool. And I also have an indie songwriter with an amazing voice, Matt Morris, and a girl named Bren from Staten Island. As far as music is concerned, my efforts are to focus in on that and get them off the ground.”

Unlike most of the rest of Hollywood, Timberlake said he hasn’t considered putting his own moniker on a fragrance bottle. “I could see doing a William Rast fragrance, but that’s as far as I think I’ll take it,” he said, joking that “there’s some level of narcissism you have to put in check” to do one.

“I don’t know that I would be completely comfortable with a my-name fragrance,” he added. “It feels like cheating, almost. It doesn’t seem like you’re creating anything.”