Despite economic uncertainty, the fragrance market has had a strong run since the pandemic years (with an uptick in sales in 2025 alone). While an increase in options is a win for consumers, it leaves brands constantly strategizing how to stand out in the overcrowded space.
In April, Los Angeles-based fragrance brand Boy Smells decided to undergo a rebrand, unveiling a new look via updated packaging and reformulated scents. The Internet (read: PerfumeTok) wasn’t too happy initially, but the backlash has since settled, and the brand is beating its sales goal.
Photo: Courtesy of Boy Smells
Now, Boy Smells is taking it a step further to gain competitive ground: On Friday, it soft-launched its first-ever standalone flagship pop-up. (The grand opening will take place on Thursday, Oct. 10.) Located at 268 Elizabeth Street in New York City’s Soho, the pop-up further builds on the label’s new branding and allows consumers to fully immerse themselves in the Boy Smells world.
“We really wanted to create a space that embodied not only the pillars of the brand, which is an irreverent, quirky brand for the gays and the girls, but also for people to go and literally experience the full breadth of the product,” Boy Smells President Zach Weal tells Fashionista. “It’s really hard to give customers a full sense of the line unless everything is present, and I think that we really accomplish that at the store.”
Spanning the room are shelves filled with every SKU from Boy Smells’ core line of fragrances and candles, plus its recently launched body mists. The pop-up also features the brand’s limited-edition holiday collection of gift sets and festive-themed candles. To further incentivize shoppers to stop by, there will be store-exclusive fragrances unveiled each month, starting with its Big Apple scent, which is available as of October.
Photos: Courtesy of Boy Smells
A key component of the space was to take the brand’s duality — most of the fragrances boast subtle contrasting notes — and reflect that in the interior design. Faber/Hughes, a Brooklyn-based architectural, interior and furniture design studio, brought that mandate to life by mixing hard, brutalist elements with soft, delicate details.
A standout touch is the implementation of an interactive video wall, which allows shoppers to look through peepholes and watch voyeuristic videos that coincide with various scents.
“The design reveals the layered identity of the Boy Smells brand and its customer. It juxtaposes rough, industrial construction materials (concrete blocks, brushed aluminum) with softer, smoother textures (sheer curtains, and the glass of the fragrance bottles and candles),” Faber/Hughes Co-Founder Levi Shaw-Faber tells Fashionista over email. “The space is designed to slow visitors down, encouraging them to experience the depth and complexity of the brand.”
Photo: Courtesy of Boy Smells
Weal hopes that the pop-up’s interactive design, holistic olfactory experience and strategic location — Elizabeth Street is home to top fragrance competitors like Byredo, Scent Bar and Le Labo — tests Boy Smells’ community engagement and lays the groundwork for the brand’s future retail footprint.
“Sales are going really well, and we think that this retail expansion is going to help continue to drive the brand’s growth and awareness,” Weal shares. “We’re aiming for another four to five locations in 2026.”
Watch a full tour of Boy Smells’ new NYC pop-up below.
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Boy Smells’ pop-up is open at 268 Elizabeth Street.
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Source: Fashionista.com