Why smelling good is no joke for Shane Warne
Buoyed by the success of his sell-out debut scent, Shane Warne has returned with a new fragrance – and he’s ready to win over naysayers and fragrance snobs all over again.
Shane Warne surprised just about everyone – except himself – when his first fragrance, SW23, became an overnight hit.
“I do love my fragrances and it’s always been an interest of mine,” the cricketing legend says.
His debut fragrance flew off shelves at Chemist Warehouse stores after its launch in August 2020.
And now he is about to follow up with a second fragrance, SW23 Sport, to be released in Australia in September.
Created by esteemed perfumer Gil Clavien – the same nose behind fragrances for Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Elizabeth Arden and Vera Wang – SW23 Sport is described as an aromatic clash of contrasting, sensual scents with a top note of mandarin spritz, middle note of iris and a Tonka bean base note.
“When we were developing the second fragrance, all the samples came from New York and then I picked my favourites and wore them out, getting feedback along the way,” Shane says.
“People stopped me on multiple occasions to compliment me on the fragrance … they’d ask me what I was wearing so they could buy it for themselves or their boyfriend.
“And I loved that, you couldn’t ask for better feedback.”
Finding fans with fragrance
No one gave the spin king’s first fragrance venture a more glowing review than Melbourne comedian and actress Froomes (aka Lucinda Price), whose hilarious video critique of SW23 went viral.
View this post on Instagram
In a tongue-in-cheek video viewed almost 85,000 times on Instagram, the comedian joked the scent instantly transported her to his former nightclub, Club 23, and was a “good scent to cover up the smell of cigarette.”
The self-confessed superfan has made no secret of her desire to meet Warne, even using a billboard ad in an elaborate attempt to get his attention.
“Yes, I’m familiar with her,” an amused Shane says.
“One day I’m going to have to do something with her.”
Asked whether he would appear in Froomes’ next fragrance review, he doesn’t exactly knock it back: “Good thinking; maybe that’s something we could do.”
View this post on Instagram
For her part, Froomes says she has admired Warne for a long time.
“To collaborate with him on any project, big or small, is the dream,” she says.
“I would love to create a spin-off women’s version of the SW23 fragrance.
“If that’s too ambitious, I’d be honoured to model in his next campaign.”
Leading the way on male grooming
Shane is always acutely aware that his commitment to grooming has raised eyebrows.
But he has learned to brush off criticism and see the funny side.
“I’ve always taken pride in my appearance, whether it’s fitness, the way I dress, my hair – all of that – and if people want to call it vain, that’s fine,” he says.
“I used to cop it quite a bit for caring about my appearance, but now everybody’s caught up and it’s not such a big deal.
“I think it’s good that we’re now at a time where male grooming has been destigmatised.”
Not that he has much free time to let things get to him anyway.
Living in the UK while coaching London Spirit, the former spin king is also juggling his gin business, SevenZeroEight and his kids’ cricket program, Cricket Star Academy.
He is also working on a medicinal CBD oil range, a potential Hollywood movie depicting his life story and a documentary, which Shane hopes will shed light on who he really is.
More on fragrances
Written by Charlotte Brundrett.
