The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
In 2014, Rabanne brought Iggy Pop back for a second collaboration, this time attaching his name to a Black XS flanker. The 'Be a Legend' edition marked the close of a year that saw the house release multiple flankers under the Black XS umbrella, L'Exces, L'Aphrodisiaque, Potion, each pushing the line in a different direction. The limited edition bottle dropped for the holiday season, 100 ml of EDT that carried a distinct character. The scent itself leaned into bold territory, combining citrus brightness with honeyed warmth and a smoky base that gave the fragrance an edge rarely found in celebrity lines. The bottle design echoed the bold aesthetic of the Black XS line, with its dark coloring and distinctive silhouette.
What makes the structure unusual is how cleanly it refuses to choose between sweet and smoky. Lemon and cinnamon open bright and spicy, that citrus-zest punch that demands attention, but the heart is pure honey and orange blossom, almost gourmand in its warmth. Then the base arrives: leather, cypriol (nagarmotha), and labdanum. Cypriol is the outlier here, an earthy, slightly animalic material. Labdanum adds a smoky, resinous quality that keeps the sweetness from becoming one-note. It's a composition that went somewhere more interesting.
The evolution
The opening announces itself immediately, lemon zest and cinnamon spice, bright and assertive. Within minutes, the honey arrives, softening the edges without erasing them. The orange blossom floats above the honey, adding a white floral lift that keeps the whole thing from settling into pure gourmand territory. The base takes over next. The leather is smoky, slightly animalic, bold in its presence. Cypriol and labdanum anchor the drydown, creating something that remains present on the skin. A warm, smoky residue develops, settling close to the skin as the fragrance progresses.
Cultural impact
The Black XS line launched in 2005 and expanded rapidly through flankers, L'Exces, L'Aphrodisiaque, Potion, each building on the original. The 2014 Be a Legend Iggy Pop edition arrived as part of a holiday-limited pairing, one of the house's most prominent celebrity collaborations. The fragrance's animalic base and honeyed sweetness make it stand apart from typical celebrity fragrances, offering something with more character and edge for someone who wants a scent that makes an impact.
The House
RabanneRabanne is a Paris-based fashion and fragrance house founded by Spanish-born designer Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo, known professionally as Paco Rabanne. The house established itself in perfumery through a partnership with Spanish fragrance company Puig, beginning with the 1969 launch of Calandre. The brand's olfactory identity draws from its fashion heritage: architectural construction, metallic materials, and provocative design language that challenged 1960s fashion conventions. Rabanne built a portfolio of over 85 fragrances spanning multiple decades, from aldehydic florals and aromatic fougeres to orientals and fresh aquatic compositions. The house's gold ingot-shaped bottle for 1 Million (2008) became one of the most recognizable fragrance silhouettes in global retail. Nadia Dhouib was appointed General Manager in April 2022 after serving at Galeries Lafayette, tasked with unifying the brand's fashion and fragrance voices and expanding audience reach. In mid-2023, the house rebranded from Paco Rabanne to simply Rabanne, completing that consolidation.
The Creator
Fabrice Pellegrin & Olivier CrespPellegrin's style often leans towards a bright, fresh feel, frequently incorporating citrus notes and clean musks. He's known for his skill in creating light and airy fragrances, yet with surprising depth and longevity.
