Besides a pilot, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone as well-traveled as Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. From the winding streets of London and the cobblestones of Paris to the glittering sands of Jamaica, the New York-based fashion editor and stylist — who made history as the first Black woman to style the cover of Vogue — has amassed a lifetime of memories, experiences, and, naturally, scents from the destinations that have shaped her work. Getting there, however, hasn’t always been smooth sailing — or flying.
“It’s difficult to exist sometimes in marginalized bodies,” says Karefa-Johnson, “so when you’re in this kind of like, rarefied air — as some might call first class — it can feel alienating, like there are eyes on you, like you’re not supposed to be there.” One thing she’ll never do? Shrink. “Or camouflage,” says Karefa-Johnson. “I’m going to be me wherever I am, and I think that that’s why I feel so comfortable in these places, because I bring myself authentically.”
London — in particular the eclectic melting pot that is Brixton — is one such place where she can truly be herself, with the surrounding scents creating memories that linger long after the vacation ends. But beyond the powdery, soapy blend of cashmeran, musk, and patchouli that makes the iconic Rosewood Hotel’s pillow mist so unforgettable, it’s the city’s everyday food smells that stay with her most: “Think fish and chips all wrapped in a newspaper, so you have that paper smell,” says Karefa-Johnson.
Ultimately, though, nowhere smells as good as home. “I want to be smelling like — honestly and truthfully — my mom,” says Karefa-Johnson. “I haven’t seen my mom in a really long time [but] I want to go back home to hug her more. I want to be around her enough for her brilliance to rub off on me. And I want to prioritize being with my family that is all in LA; I miss them dearly.” So what does that feeling of comfort smell like? EOS Vanilla Cashmere 24H Moisture Body Lotion, Body Wash, and Body Mist, of course.
Listen to the full podcast episode, where Karefa-Johnson joins Nose Dive host Asia Grant — an NYC-based independent perfumer and creative director — for a conversation about taking up space and being unapologetically herself, the best-smelling London hotspots, and the scents she’d avoid wearing on a plane.
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JoJo On The Scents That Shaped Her Life & Career
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