For nearly three decades, Ulla Johnson’s romantic designs—fusing artisanal craftsmanship with a modern, eclectic edge—have earned her widespread acclaim. Now, she’s expanding her world into beauty with the debut of her first fragrance line. On Thursday evening, the designer marked the occasion with an intimate garden fete tucked behind her West Hollywood boutique, hosted in partnership with Violet Grey.
“Scents felt like a space where we have a really unique point of view,” Brooklyn-based Johnson told Vogue. “With every endeavor we take on, there has to be a reason that feels very true to the brand. As a brand that aims to touch women’s hearts with ready-to-wear, scent felt like a very natural next step.”
The travel-loving designer drew on a deeply personal scent memory as the starting point for the perfumes, candles, and incense, which will be available to shop at Violet Grey from April 28. “It was a feeling I had as a kid, from the many years we spent on the Adriatic—at the end of the day, the warmth of the sun, the scent of pine, the sound of cicadas,” she shared. “That was really the origin story of our first fragrance.” The result is ULLA, developed with British nose Lyn Harris in collaboration with the esteemed French perfume house Robertet. As for the three scents, they come housed in 19th century Chinese snuff bottle-inspired curved glass.
Joining forces with Cassandra Grey’s Violet Grey for the evening was a no-brainer. “They’re such an incredible authority in beauty,” Johnson shared. “They always have a great curation of things that you might not find everywhere else, and I think that that sense of discovery is something that I always cultivate with what we do, and with our partners.”
Following cocktails inside the Kelly Wearstler-designed store, guests made their way to the garden to find their seats. The dinner felt quintessentially “Ulla”—with dozens of flowers cascading across an especially long table that was set with a dainty white embroidered tablecloth and matching napkins. Each guest received their own bottle of fragrance, something Olivia Wilde was keen to get her hands on. “I’m hoping that we get a whiff of them tonight,” the Don’t Worry Darling actress and director laughed during cocktail hour.
Ginnifer Goodwin was on the same wavelength; eager to spritz. The Something Borrowed star has been exploring fragrance more intentionally as of late. “I wore the same fragrances for decades at a time, and in recent years, I’ve enjoyed changing things up more often,” she said. “I remember Chloë Sevigny once told me that she assigns a different scent to all the characters that she plays. That’s what I love about scent—I feel like you can really put yourself in a different headspace.”
As attendees mingled over the dreamy tablescape, servers delivered plates of endive caesar salad and yellowfin carpaccio. Aurora James, founder of Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge, was busy planning a golf outing with fashion editor Amanda Alagem, since their friend group has recently taken up the sport. Nearby, styling duo and sisters Kara and Brit Elkin caught up about all things Coachella.
For the main course, clams with porcini rice, corona beans, and a saffron risotto with mascarpone were all the work of Bruce, a buzzy Los Angeles pop-up founded by former Horses chefs Brittany Ha, Hannah Grubba, and Alex Riley. Each guest was also handed a glass of Champagne to raise in a toast to Johnson. “This is an incredibly exciting moment for the brand—the fragrance has been a true labor of love. I’ve been working on it for, I think, three years. The narratives behind each scent are deeply personal touchstones in my life,” she reflected.
The evening ended on a sweet note—spritzes of fragrance in the air aside—thanks to a dessert of Eton mess with strawberries and citrus.
