Soon you may be able to smell like a Texas Longhorn.
UT is in talks with Masik Collegiate Fragrances to develop a school scent that could be released by the end of this year. Masik markets cologne and perfume lines for 10 universities in the U.S. including Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma and Penn State. The company also recently released a line with Waseda University in Japan.
The UT Office of Trademark Licensing declined to comment because an agreement with Masik is still in the works as the company goes through the University’s licensing process.
According to the company’s website, Masik looks at various aspects of a university when developing its scent – such as colors, traditions, architecture, and college town atmosphere. Katie Masich, the company’s founder and president, said although UT’s scent is still in development, she and her perfumers have already started looking at what smells should be included in the UT line.
“If you could bottle burnt orange and white, what would that smell like?” Masich said. “We looked at aromatics like orange, mandarin, ginger, orange blossom, vanilla, something to capture that burnt orange quality.”
Masich said bluebonnets and leather may also influence the fragrance.
Masich said her company will produce several different options for the UT scent. During the fall semester, she plans on meeting with a focus group at the University to help select the winning scents for the cologne and perfume lines. Masich said that students will be included in the selection process.
Although UT’s fragrance is still in the works, Masik is preparing to release new lines with seven more universities in August, including Texas A&M. Shane Hinckley, interim vice president for marketing and communications at Texas A&M, said he is excited for the Aggie line to hit the shelves and believes the UT community will be satisfied with its final product.
“I think it’s great for UT,” Hinckley said. “I think there will be a lot of Longhorn fans that will buy it.”
Masich hopes the line will be ready in time for the holiday season.
Follow Jacob Kerr on Twitter @jacobrkerr.
