The city of Manhattan holds a singularly significant place in my heart, so it is only fitting that my first creation was an homage to the place where my story includes so many chapters. Having migrated from the Caribbean at the age of 12, I was overwhelmed by the culture shock of this strange new land, encountering life at a whirlwind pace. My immigration status was easily exploited and most of my childhood was spent laboring at the jobs so many others deemed unworthy of their time. However, throughout tough times, the magic of Manhattan was all-pervasive, shining especially brightly through the spirits of the many who treated me kindly, and encouraged me in a vision of a brighter future for myself. As I began to find joy in every day, one thing always elicited a sense of strength. Smelling good. Running deliveries brought in meager tips, but I remember saving up all I could until I was finally able to buy a bottle of Gucci Pour Homme 2. Smelling good was transformative. I felt important and worthy of my own dreams, and an understanding of the importance of scent began to develop.

When I was enveloped in that illustrious scent I could easily conjure visions of my future success, even as I headed to another below-minimum-wage job at whatever restaurant was hiring that day. The art and the magic of fragrance are such that through it one can feel awash in endless possibilities; a self-empowerment that drowns troubles away and intrinsically forces your head up high. This power is what I aim to encapsulate for the use of all City Rhythm clients. Manhattan is a scent of hope, possibility, and self-belief. Scent is a powerful evoker of emotion and provoker of memory and for me the best way to capture a feeling. Manhattan was inspired by that indescribable feeling I get when looking out at the Manhattan skyline. The juxtaposition of being surrounded by the tranquility of nature, while gazing at the perpetually kinetic lights of a sleepless city creates a sensation unlike any other.

This fragrance plays with the alluring and enigmatic aura of New York City. Bringing together the contrasting nature of a city of many faces, Manhattan melds freshness and intensity. Opening as brightly as a stream of headlights glinting off of mirrored skyscrapers and drying down to a dark, sensuous reflection of the city’s inner world. Manhattan, like its namesake, lends its energies to any season or event: fresh enough for summer evenings, its essence also cuts through the winter cold. The dichotomy between light and dark evolves on the skin to entice and intrigue the senses. Captivating bergamot at the top of Manhattan’s scent pyramid dances with notes of cinnamon before tones of incense usher in a subtle shift to the deeper end of the olfactory spectrum. As this fragrance transitions, the incense highlights rich shades of hearty tobacco leaf and comforting vanilla.