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october 24, 2017 - Mazda

Mazda - The SOUL OF MOTION fragrance

KODO’s energy and emotion applies beyond automobiles, as #mazda continues to prove with “SOUL OF MOTION”, an eau de perfume born of a collaboration with Shiseido


A designer’s job often entails exhaustive work on very specific details. At #mazda, this can mean spending countless hours to form a perfect door line or fender indentation. The chance to not only think outside the box but literally leave it and experiment with something different can be quite a valuable experience. Stepping back occasionally and viewing the world from a broader perspective is important, since it helps the artist invigorate their powers of expression.


#mazda views its cars as forms of art. This art is guided by the company’s #kodo - #soulofmotion design philosophy, which is about breathing life into vehicles by infusing their forms with the dynamic energy and vitality of living creatures in action. #mazda strives to continually refine KODO’s inspiration by working beyond the realm of vehicles, amplifying the experience by collaborating with artisans and designers from other fields. And at the same time surprising the world by demonstrating how many different ways #kodo can appeal to the senses to enrich people’s lives.


This is what brought the world the “Bike by #kodo concept”, which won the Parts & Accessories category at the German Design Council’s #automotive Brand Contest in 2015. The street racing bike and other creations, like the “Sofa by #kodo concept”, “Table by #kodo concept”, #kodo Chair and KODO-inspired outfits, have been on display in recent years at events like Milan Design Week. #mazda designers believe these forays into the broader creative world have enormous benefit when they go back to building automobiles.


In 2015, #mazda decided it was time for something new and unexpected. Having adapted #kodo in two and three-dimensional forms, creative minds at the carmaker wanted to go further than sketches and sculptures, adding a “fourth” dimension - the sense of smell - and thereby expanding their means of articulating #kodo.


“I wished to take this idea to a new domain and broaden our potential modes of expression,” says Ikuo Maeda, Mazda’s global head of design. “I knew the stimulation would be useful when designing our next cars.”


#mazda therefore contacted #shiseido, a Japanese company with a long and rich tradition in personal care products. The mission was to come up with something entirely new: a #kodo fragrance. Here is the story.