Are you part of the BLT community? Have you tasted the rainbow? What about sniffing it? Well, in the words of Marc Jacobs, it’s yours to try. I can’t quite believe I am writing this, but as Pride season continues to swell, the brand has decided to take a scented rainbow on a tour of the UK, with Southbank’s Observation Point acting as its inaugural base, before heading up to Manchester for the city’s late August festivities. 

For all you trolls – sorry, leprechauns – a pot of gold will emerge in a fistful of tiny bottles, each one containing a tester of the brand’s Perfect Marc Jacobs fragrance. At this point, we all know that perfection is a slippery concept, and that’s no more prevalent than within fashion, which prefers to smooth over all of our rough edges. Marc Jacobs, however, has lived life unabashed in his honesty, talking candidly about his struggles with addiction, surgery, and sex, even if it has led him further into public scrutiny. With the word “perfect” tattooed on his inner-wrist, the designer’s perfume speaks to a belief that we, too, are all perfect – albeit through notes of rhubarb, daffodil, and cedarwood.

“Pride is not acceptance or tolerance,” the designer says, “it’s self-love. It’s an appreciation. It’s self-respect. It’s allowing myself to feel everything and allowing myself to be all the things that I am. Sometimes, it’s just feeling the joy of having that self-love.” The installation also marks the beginning of a partnership with the non-profit organisation akt, which supports the disproportionate number of LGBTQ+ young people who have been rendered homeless. Alongside the launch of a brand new Perfect Marc Jacobs TikTok Pride filter, the event will spotlight all the work the charity has been doing to find safe housing for 16-25 year olds in the community.

With kick-off on July 1, guests should sign up using this Eventbrite page for a chance to attent the VIP Perfect Pride Hour, which will be soundtracked with a live set from Jodie Harsh. Otherwise, the Perfect Marc Jacobs rainbow will appear on July 1 and July 2 at the Southbank Centre’s Observation Point in London, and August 26 and August 27 in Canal Street in Manchester.

#PerfectPrideMovement @marcjacobsfragraces