Todd Snyder has basically done it at all. He worked for Ralph Lauren, then J.Crew, then finally branched out to start his own brand — aptly named Todd Snyder — which has stores all over New York, over in East Hampton and Connecticut and across the country in San Francisco and LA. He's designed suits and suede jackets, trousers and collaborative sneakers — even swimsuits and suitcases.
But he's never created a cologne...at least until now.
He's always carried them, mind you — either from Aesop, Musgo Real or D.S. & Durga. Snyder debuted the latter label in his Madison Park store in 2017. It appeared online shortly thereafter. Ever since, sales have increased year-over-year, Snyder says. That's why, when it came time to make his own custom fragrance, he went straight to D.S. & Durga founders David Seth and Kavi Moltz.
"I’ve always felt that the best men’s shops are the ones with the best edited and most unexpected collections, but also offer an access point of discovery," Snyder says. "D.S. & Durga is a best-in-class perfumer that offers exactly that — a sense of discovery the Todd Snyder customer is instantly attracted to. We don’t just curate the best men’s brands, we work with them."
Together, they crafted a cologne that referenced not the city streets Snyder has to gallivant to get to his stores, but the beaches he escapes to when they're closed (or at least out of mind).
"Coming to these beaches, it’s amazing how much it becomes a part of your life," he says. "And you suddenly become dependent upon it. It’s almost like safety in a way...I feel anxious if I can’t get to the beach."
For David Seth and Kavi, Snyder's dependence became a source of inspiration. Together, they crafted a scent that mixes the oceanic and herbal, the comforting and cataclysmic — ocean waves and cold sand dunes, early morning air and the muted sun.
"Todd wanted to make a fresh cologne that evoked our shared love of East Coast dunes," David Seth says. "The plants that grow there are of particular interest to me. It was easy to build out a classic cologne but switching the Mediterranean herbs for ones that grow wild here."
That lends this cologne top notes of verbena and citrus, heart notes of sage and sand and base notes of dunegrass, suede and musk. It's dry but herbaceous, all while being surprisingly refreshing — exactly like the early morning ocean.
Todd Snyder x D.S. & Durga Young Dunes
