Usher Throws a Gatsby-Sized Party—“Ralph’s Club”—to Fête His Fragrance Campaign
Usher’s chosen fragrance preceded him when he arrived at the Ralph Lauren women’s collection runway show on Wednesday. Amid illustrious names like Oprah Winfrey and Jessica Chastain, the unmistakable scent of Ralph’s Club New York lingered—and in its wake, Usher himself. The crooner has taken his role as the face of the brand’s newest fragrance seriously. Beyond the runway, he was seen with a metallic bottle of the eau de parfum in the Ralph Lauren suite during the U.S. Open men’s final, spritzing hosts on the talk-show circuit (hello, Gayle King and Stephen Colbert), and—on Saturday night in Manhattan’s Financial District—helping Ralph Lauren and L’Oréal, the brand’s fragrance partner, fête the official launch of Ralph’s Club New York.
“This is my first time ever endorsing a house, and being a part of a major brand—an icon, really—like Ralph Lauren,” Usher, in a jewel-toned purple velvet tuxedo, told Vogue. “All of the history that comes with Ralph gave me the assurance that I was partnering with the right team. I’ve found that music and fragrance aren’t really that different—you play with notes, and you try to make people feel something—so this was an opportunity to be creative with them.”
Inside the Beaux-Arts–style space that once housed the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank, guests were transported into the idyllic world of Ralph Lauren—just supersized. A new fragrance joining the family is a rare, auspicious occasion for such a pillar brand, and it called for a more-than-intimate gathering of 500-plus partygoers, including Tiwa Savage, Ashlee Simpson Ross, and Deacon Phillippe, as well as Ralph Lauren faces like Taylor Hill, Sam Hartman, and Noah Mills. Though the invitation called for cocktail attire, many followed Usher’s lead in tuxedos and ball gowns befitting this Art Deco–infused scene that might have doubled as a film set.
For brand historians in the room, the night whispered of the unforgettable “Ralph’s Club” runway show and celebration of 2019, a memory David Lauren recalled as he admired the scene before toasting with Usher. “He’s a cool guy, and he’s got great style,” Lauren told Vogue of how the partnership sparked. “We actually saw him at The Polo Bar—it was my dad’s birthday and his birthday the same night—so we struck up a conversation and had a great time together. Now we’re here!”
For the rest of the evening, the Grammy winner and Super Bowl headliner fielded praise—and plenty of selfies—from admirers and collaborators as he relaxed in a bank of banquettes alongside his wife, Jennifer Goicoechea. Near midnight, he took the stage for a Jay Gatsby–inspired toast with a dram of rare whisky, poured from a custom-engraved bottle of Glenfiddich Grand Couronne 26-Year-Old. “What they say is true: If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere,” he declared—prompting shower after shower of silver confetti to blanket the room.
It was a masterclass in Ralph Lauren’s singular talent for transport—through product and party alike—into a realm of carefree glamour and showmanship in short supply these days. As the streets filled with revelers plucking confetti from velvet lapels and bustled dress trains, the fictional club dissolved back into a fleeting dream—until next time.
Sansho Scott/BFA.com1/26Usher
