The essence of Rocky's 1996 is woody, aromatic and musky, and Adventure is fresh, light and citrusy |
The first barbershop in a mall established in 1996 comes up with another industry first—an exclusive line of fragrances for men.
After celebrating its 20-year anniversary in 2016, the pioneering Davao mall based, one-stop men’s grooming venue introduces Rocky’s 1996.
“It’s about the finer side of Rocky’s,” said Kay Gempesaw, the marketing coordinator of Rocky’s Barbershop, “The initial product introduced are the Rocky’s signature fragrances.”
“We thought of developing a fragrance line for Rocky’s Barbershop because we wanted to offer a more holistic grooming experience to our customers. We wanted them to look good, feel good and smell good,” shared Kay.
Rocky’s services have grown to include hair spa treatments and color styling on barbershop menu. The introduction of the exclusive fragrances will bridge the aesthetics with the sensation of freshness seamlessly for a total Rocky’s experience.
“For the fragrance, we wanted a scent that embodies the “Rocky’s man,” someone who is confident in his masculinity, strong, fearless, open- minded and optimistic. Based on these characteristics, we developed two scents, 1996 and Adventure.”
To formulate the two scents, Rocky’s approached Charabot, a French fragrance company.
“As Rocky’s recently turned 20 last year making the mall-based barbershop chain the oldest in Mindanao, we have decided to team up with a fragrance house with a heritage similar to our company. Thus we have decided to work with Charabot, a company that has withstood the test of time. Founded in 1799, Charabot is the oldest fragrance house in the world.”
“In addition, Rocky’s and Charabot are both family owned companies. As such, Rocky’s decided that both families collaborate in the development of the exclusive line of fragrances.”
It took more than a year for Rocky’s and Charabot to produce the right formulation for the ideal scent Rocky’s wanted for its specified imagery. From the said imagery, Charabot started to develop fragrances.
They initially had to weed through different scent profiles, running a market study to confirm if they were reaching the target market, tweaking the formulation until they reached the right composition that embodies the image of its clientele.
The essence of Rocky’s 1996 is woody, aromatic and musky. It exudes the classics; and Adventure is fresh, light and citrusy. It ignites excitement. |
After numerous submissions, Rocky’s was able to shortlist two fragrances; 1996 and Adventure.
The signature fragrance is 1996, a name selected as a tribute to the year the first Rocky’s branch in Victoria Plaza Mall was opened.
Classic and traditional is what the 1996 perfume exudes. It is woody, aromatic and musky with lemon and lavender on the top notes, tarragon and thyme for the middle notes and patchouli and musk for the base notes.
“The 1996 will come in two variations—perfume and aftershave. The aftershave will be the in-house, after grooming splash of Rocky’s.”
Adventure is the second fragrance and targets the younger, daring and modern “Rocky’s Man.” It bears a light and fresh citrus, woody marine fragrance with lime and bergamot for top notes, cedar wood for middle notes and grey amber and musk for base notes.
“The scent of Adventure perfectly embodies the young, “ Rocky’s Man”. It is fresh and full of optimism.”
Both 1996 and Adventure perfumes will be available in all Rocky’s branches in Davao City- Victoria Mall, Abreeza Mall, GMall, SM City and SM Lanang Premier.
It will come in 50ml. bottles and will be sold at Php 350 only.
“Yes, the selling price of the Rocky’s perfumes is very affordable considering that the fragrance oils are of the highest quality and are sourced from France, and since it’s perfume, the scent lasts longer on the body,” shared Kay.
”In addition, the packaging is done locally, and since we put the products from the manufacturer straight to the barbershop shelves with no middleman, it allows us to sell our fragrances at a low cost, which we know our clients will appreciate.”
Rocky’s Barbershop managing director, Tom Gempesaw, and Marketing Coordinator, Kay Gempesaw, with JT Tionko, Charabot Country Manager |
“Through the years, Rocky’s is lucky to have gained the loyalty of the men in Davao. In fact, Rocky’s has become a tradition for a good number of families in the city passing the men’s grooming practice from one generation to the next. We are hoping that with Rocky’s 1996 and its fragrances, it will become a tradition as well. We are looking forward fro Rocky’s 1996 to grow beyond the fragrances in the future to include an exclusive line of men’s grooming products.”
Excellent service and excellent products, these are what Rocky’s can offer to its clients.
It’s time to discover the essence of Rocky’s, the spirit of tradition, the thrill of the exploration.
Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com. For more lifestyle & travel stories, visit www.ofapplesandlemons.com & www.jeepneyjinggoy.com
Also published in the SunStar Davao newspaper.