In clear contrast to the screeching lemon and the rather dull ginger in the Lemon&Ginger-Acqua Colonia of the traditional brand 4711, which I actually appreciate, the ginger in this Zara Cologne appears fruity, pleasing with minimal pungency and medium sweetness, like candied ginger: delicious. By available, I mean that it can be found in any Zara shop, and the one I suspect Zara won’t discontinue for a long time to come, as it’s with a lot of their other perfume offerings.

The leather accord is barely there, and if it wasn’t listed as an official note, I doubt anyone would detect it. As for the official notes, they get you an idea of what the fragrance should smell like, but don’t tell the real story. The scent opens up a zesty combination of bergamot, lemon, and sweet lime. Normally, I’m done with all the clone perfumes, being the cheapies or expensive variations on the popular DNA. Yet, Vibrant Leather from Zara is such an affordable scent that I had to give it a fair chance at least. Aventus and all of its clones can be worn by men and women. Now easier than ever before, citruses and musks and widely acceptable as unisex creations. I did receive compliments here and there, by wearing this perfume, and I guess the compliment number would be higher if the fragrance projected more. Vibrant Leather Eau de Parfum was created by Jerome Epinette and was launched in 2018 by Zara. This release was the turning point for the brand, often ignored in the fragrance community until then.What made this release different from others in the Aventus clone genre such as Montblanc Explorer and Armaf Club de Nuit Intense Man was the fact it was the first one that’s widely available around the world.

I love the heavy, transparent, well-proportioned glass flacon. And the blue suction tube as a functional eye-catcher seems to me to be exemplary modern: Here, Renzo Piano & Richard Rogers have convincingly transferred the Centre Pompidou principle, which emphasises the functional tube, into the world of flacons. The solid plastic cap only slightly clouds this excellent external appearance. I had this perfume a couple of times now, and with other perfumes in the same genre I currently own, I still get pleasantly surprised with Zara’s take.

They build, they brew & churn out cheap and occasionally pretty good fragrances for the fashion company Zara! All of this combined, yes, you are reminded of Aventus, but in a more watered-down reinterpretation. The fragrance itself wears more like a light Eau de Toilette, rather than Eau de Parfum. Some of the big names such as Acqua di Parma of Montale are yet to be implemented. The perfumer behind this creation is Jerome Epinette.

Vibrant Leather is one of those versatile and modern fragrances that fit into any scenario and season. No complaints here, but I would avoid the extreme heat and cold since the composition is fresh and wears light.It is probably obvious that Zara has ventured here very close to Dior Homme Cologne. Maybe even so close that it's just legal. I can very well imagine that Demachy and Epinette are smirking about it, but that the Parisian fashion house Dior has very well considered taking legal action against it. But let's put the conjecture aside.