CORNY is the metaphorical kernel (the perfume holds no corn-based ingredients) at each of our souls, that affords us our uniqueness and its beauty. The perfume takes its name from the AAVE adjacent to and ironically co-opted with ballroom slang to control culture through critique and maintain the status quo.
 
Compared to SNAPPED and FAVE this is a brighter, juicier perfume that belies an underestimated sharpness when perceived. This mirrors the ways society tends to carve a narrative for what it does not understand, and the ways in this has led to the growth in political and cultural partisanship.
 
My intent for CORNY is designed to stand out on purpose- to remind the wearer to be unapologetic and keep showing up where you’re deserving yet unwanted. On the flipside, CORNY dissects the identity politics and identitarianism that forbid diverse and divergent expression.
 
Design intent
CORNY is what it can mean and take to be the centre of attention. This is in relation to the culture of shame and fear that exists within stan culture and its intersection with cancel culture. I was interested in how cancel culture is used to justify parasocialism, how this culture can be selective, and how this culture generally selects for the existing status quo while co-opting black/brown and queer cultures rooted in liberation and resistance.
 
My intent for wearers was to provide a distinctive and marmite perfume that would affect their decision to wear it if not buy it- because what will people say? CORNY does not have an actual corn motif, instead a key ingredient is pineapple. This is an inside joke and allegory; perennial debate of pineapple on pizza- note how quickly some people move to ridicule those who like a pizza topping they don’t and how quietly many who do will often defend their secret love.
 
I made CORNY to question whether stan culture is harmful to community. While stan culture can foster fun and connection this too often veers into obsession. At best, this can violate even beloved public figures and brands. At worst a sustained harassment campaign, unnecessary firings, the target doubling down in response, violence and death, and the desecration of a grave. The bad faith comes from who profits (monetary or the proximity to drama) and that public perceptions tend to change with no public accountability.
 
Scent memory // actually smells like
CORNY is a rejection of the boxes people put us in to control and maintain the status quo, knowing there will always be those committed to misunderstanding and misrepresenting us. CORNY blends the ordinary with the distinct to show there’s space and beauty for both, and to explore the perspective of your nose and point of view.
 
CORNY opens with a tropical, spicy and almost irritatingly bright blend of pineapple and pepper that refuses to be shamed or drained of joy by the haters. Dry down leads to a rich and aromatic heart of bay and amber reflecting an expansive inner world, then a warm and earthy base to show the grounding individuality demands.
 
Hoped impact & legacy
When people wear CORNY I want them to feel proud of their uniqueness and to take that feeling forward even when the bottle lies empty. I also want them to question how they (and society as a whole) respond to the uniqueness or divergence of others, even though they disagree with or dislike, and ask whether this is constructive.