"This partnership establishes Ourside as a true luxury, niche player and speaks to our NYC roots," said Ourside founder Keta Burke-Williams. "We are excited to partner with Bergdorf Goodman on this next chapter in our brand growth.”Ourside
The brand, which also retails at Credo, is Bergdorf Goodman's only Black female founded fragrance brand, though the retailer also offers the Black-owned World of Chris Collins.
The expansion comes at a good time for higher-priced scents. According to Circana, prestige fragrance sales grew about 12% in 2023, compared to about 4% in mass, per Circana.
Ourside will debut at Bergdorf Goodman with full sizes ($196/50 ml) of each of the brand’s scents: Dusk, Moon Dust and Nostalgia.
"This partnership establishes Ourside as a true luxury, niche player and speaks to our NYC roots," said Ourside founder Keta Burke-Williams. "We are excited to partner with Bergdorf Goodman on this next chapter in our brand growth.”
Global Cosmetic Industry reached out to Burke-Williams about the brand and the broader direction of the fragrance sector.
What can you share about the rate of Ourside's growth since relaunching last year?
KBW: Ourside has grown significantly since our launch in January 2023 in retail and on our D2C site. Our email community has grown 5x over.
Last spring (2023) we made our foray into retail with Credo Beauty, the leading clean beauty retailer across their stores in key cities like NYC, Chicago, San Fran, LA and Boston. Now we are excited to partner with the iconic Bergdorf Goodman to bring a new offering to their clientele.
We’re excited to see the enthusiasm amongst our loyal customers and new ones who continue to join our community. Media has responded as well and we’ve won awards like Cosmopolitan’s Holy Grail Award and Beauty Independent’s Beacon Award.
Who is the core Ourside shopper?
KBW: What we love is that there is no one Ourside shopper, which speaks to our ethos of building for those of us who haven't felt seen. Some things that our core shoppers have in common are their mindset and values. They are looking for a moment of self-care and self-expression, they value community, authenticity, sustainability and inclusivity, which resonates deeply with our brand ethos.
How would you describe the changing fragrance sector of 2024?
KBW: Fragrance has been about self-expression, but for many members of our community, what is new is that it's emerging as a way of finding community and finding your way back to yourself.
- Inclusivity is part of our brand DNA and one of the reasons we founded Ourside. Our customers and many customers want to feel included in the greater landscape of beauty, and an often looked over part of inclusivity is who is at the helm of the companies we support. Our fragrances bottle untold stories that have yet to be told, and share a new point of view in the industry.
- We are seeing a greater willingness to experiment with interesting notes and accords, and an interest in customers of going beyond the ordinary.
- Sustainability [is] driven by a growing demand for more eco-conscious options and ingredients that we feel good about. Ourside is prioritizing the fragrance experience, while also being conscious about how we formulate, and what we use to bottle our scents and pack them (FSC-certified packaging that is recyclable, using recycled glass for our bottles, and working with a local Bronx-based fragrance house and manufacturer).
