King Baby – warm and woody and alluring

Photo: Permission of King Baby

I discovered King Baby jewelry many years ago. I’m drawn to silver jewellery, especially well-designed pieces that have a presence, and many of the pieces from this California-based biker-inspired line suit me perfectly. I’m not a biker chick, so while the skull, dagger, and handcuff motifs don’t appeal to me, the heart, crown and rose designs from the Queen Baby collection do.

King Baby was started by jewellery designer Mitchell Binder in 2000. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, he moved to Los Angeles in the 70s, where he apprenticed as a jeweller. Soon he began designing and making his own silver jewellery. His bold, unique hand-made pieces quickly made him the go-to jeweller for the Hollywood set. Simply put, the man is an artist.

Here’s another thing about Mitchell Binder: He loves Musc Ravageur from Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. He really, really does. So much so that he created a unisex fragrance inspired by it called – wait for it – King Baby, which he launched in 2016. This EDP quickly became a go-to fragrance for me.

King Baby opens with a bitter, tart note of bergamot, softened by sweet, juicy mandarin. A note of fragrant clove warms the citrus fruits, creating an opening that’s fresh and warm. It's the perfect gateway to a heart of cinnamon, patchouli, vanilla and rose. The cinnamon amplifies the warmth of the clove with its spiciness. I love patchouli as a heart note, and here the cinnamon is like a hot breath blowing over the dark earthy patchouli, giving it a sensuous Siren call. A note of plush rose adds romance and sophistication. But it’s the vanilla that stands out on me. It’s sweet, yes, but combined with the patchouli, it’s more complex and has a gentle, earthy and woodiness. The vanilla lingers and lingers, and that’s a good thing because the more I smell it, the more I want to smell it even as it settles on a base of rich, creamy, woody sandalwood; warm, powdery benzoin; cozy, warm, sweetish amber; and musk.

The drydown is rich, without being deep, dark or cloying, and refined with an alluring sweetness that is pitch perfect.

I don’t get a whole lot of Musc Ravageur in King Baby. That’s OK by me. Musc Ravageur is one of my desert island picks, so I’m not interested in a copycat version of it. Besides, Mitchell Binder is a creator, not a duplicator. There's always room on my top shelf for a well-made, easy-to-wear, stunning fragrance like King Baby

On the King Baby website, Binder says: “What I love about jewelry, it becomes a very personal piece to whomever wears it. That’s one of the things that just does it for me. It gives it meaning, it’s very fulfilling and it gives people some sort of identity as well. That’s the gift. That’s the specialness. That’s what I want to hang onto.”

Substitute the word ‘jewelry’ for ‘perfume’ in the quote above, and the same ethos applies to King Baby EDP. And really, isn’t this the philosophy behind all niche fragrances?

Check out King Baby in our Shop.