Kelly Rutherford and Veronique Gabai Launch Limited Rose Première Fragrance

Veronique Gabai had a specific moment in mind when she began developing Rose Première: the early morning hours in the fields of Grasse, France, during the May harvest. "It's a very special moment when the sun is gentle on you, if you feel still the earth and the dew on the flowers, and the flower is fresh, it's sweet, fresh, bright, joyful, all at once," she said. That field trip became a fragrance.

In her latest fragrance launch, the beauty and fashion veteran honors her friend of 15 years, Kelly Rutherford, and their shared love of the South of France. Having first met as co-chairs at a gala for Lycée Français De New York in 2011, it was only a matter of time before Rutherford and Gabai teamed up to pay homage to the place they both call home. The geography of that friendship is pointed: Gabai noted, "Everything I do is inspired by the South of France or contains an ingredient that comes from the South of France. It's interesting because [Kelly's] American, obviously, but now she lives in the South of France, and I am from the South of France, and now I live in New York."

The inspiration for the rose scent stemmed from Rutherford's own infatuation with the flower. "Kelly always loved the scent of a simple rose. She always wanted something pure and simple. And I said, 'Kelly, if you love the rose, why don't we go together to do the harvest in Grasse in May.' She's like, 'Oh, yes, let's do this.' And so it all started there. We went on the harvest. She loved it, we smelled a lot of things together, and from one step to the next, we created the fragrance," said Gabai.

Rose Première is built around the precious Rose de Mai from Grasse, harvested in the dewy mornings of May when its fragrance is most potent. While mass-market fragrances often rely on synthetic approximations of rose, true niche creations showcase the authentic, multifaceted character of the real flower, with Rose de Mai representing the pinnacle of this authenticity. According to Fragrantica, which classifies the scent as a Floral Fruity Gourmand, top notes are bergamot and mandarin; middle notes are praline and rose; base notes are cedarwood, amber and musk. While Rose de Mai is the star of the show, it is not alone. "We married the fragrance with some citrus, so it will give you that feeling of happiness, and then we go immediately into something much more sensual," Gabai added.

For Rutherford, the composition carries a specific kind of statement. "Femininity today isn't about perfection. It's about authenticity. I love that this scent feels polished but still human, joyful, sensual, alive," she told WWD. Gabai frames the ingredient itself in similarly emotional terms: "the natural ingredient of rose is to bring you the feeling of love, whatever kind of love you need."

Before Rose Première by Kelly Rutherford enters Gabai's permanent maison collection, it will debut with 2,000 limited-edition bottles featuring Rutherford's signature and the tagline "Everything meaningful starts with love." The edition is available to order at veroniquegabai.com.

Rose Première is not the only luxury venture Rutherford has pursued recently. Among her current projects, she also expanded a collaboration with jewelry brand The Twentyfour Six, which will debut in a limited run before joining the brand's permanent collection. WWD reported that the jewelry partnership, which began last year, has now moved into 18-karat gold diamond-set earrings and a sterling silver necklace.

For a fragrance built on friendship and a specific patch of French earth, the 2,000-bottle ceiling is less a marketing strategy than a natural constraint: there are only so many mornings in May in Grasse.