Fashion luxuriates branching into beauty certainly isn’t anything new (see Chanel, Tom Ford, Gucci, Giorgio Armani and Valentino). But the recent announcement that Off-White was moving into the category following the passing of founder and creative director Virgil Abloh feels especially poignant.

The initial capsule, called Paperwork, has launched exclusively via Farfetch (who recently debuted their beauty pillar) with four fragrances, and will expand to include six face and body pigment crayons, alongside stencils, and six nail polishes.

According to reports, Paperwork was created by Abloh before his passing last spring, and debuted posthumously on the Off-White A/W22 runway. As per Instagram, the “genderless, inclusive art form” functions as a beauty toolkit that “offers the freedom to customise your experience and create your own form of expression”.

The initial fragrance range was co-created with perfumers Alexis Dadier, Jerome Epinette, and Sidonie Lancesseur. The scents Solution No. 1, Solution No. 2, Solution No. 3 and Solution No. 4 are said to be inspired by ’90s nostalgia, bougie classics and natural earth elements.

  • Solution No. 1: An everyday fragrance inspired by the infinite textures, colors and smells of sand, with notes of Ho Wood, Sand Accord and Patchouli, symbolic of different cultures and seashores around the world. 
  • Solution No. 2: An energizing and surprising scent that pairs the freshness of Tangerine Leaves and Orange Blossom with the woodiness of Vetiver and Cedarwood to create an oddly addictive duality.
  • Solution No. 3: A unique modern take on the most classic fragrance, using luxurious rose absolute in excess to break established codes and create an evocative and nostalgic scent with its very own signature.
  • Solution No. 4: A fragrance created to bring nature into the city with notes of eucalyptus, lavender, wood and leather, intensifying the sense of the present to create total harmony with your surroundings.

The makeup component is said to be inspired by Abloh’s love for street art, street wear and tagging gestures — waterproof, smudge-proof and available in a wide variety of graphic colours and gritty textures.

While not currently available in Australia, it’s likely the brand will both expend its retail network, and that partner Farfetch will roll out the beauty offering to new regions. Until then, we’ll either find a shipping forwarding service or wait patiently until Off-White Beauty drops locally.