Swedish luxury mouth-care brand Selahatin has joined forces with none other than Rick Owens, releasing a collection of oral wellness products that fuse Owens' brutalist yet elegant universe with Selahatin's heavenly olfactory blends. Below, all you need to know about the collaboration set to be snapped up by fashion and beauty fanatics alike
Many of us move through our daily oral care routines on autopilot – like the morning commute to work, or that instinctive reach for your phone to scroll.
Since its establishment in 2016, Swedish luxury mouth-care brand Selahatin has been redefining oral wellness, elevating it from a mundane routine to an immersive ritual. Now, its artisanal products – packing potent purifying power infused with sublime scents often described as a spritz of high-end perfume for the mouth – have received the Rick Owens treatment, as the brand unveils its hotly awaited collaboration with the revered American designer, featuring four oral-care essentials.
“There’s a contrarian streak to both brands. Rick and I have similar aesthetic preferences and we both gravitate towards darkness. We’re hardcore about ritual and where we meet is in the act of transformation,” says Kristoffer Vural, founder of Selahatin, of what makes the duo a perfect pairing. “Selahatin begins in the intimacy of the self – as a private ritual of taste and renewal. Rick Owens extends into the public sphere – as a ceremonial uniform that alters presence and silhouette. Together we form a continuum: the inner and the outer, the personal and the performative.”
Photo: Rick Owens
It all began – quite fittingly, given Owens’ razor-sharp eye for details – with a font. “I wrote a story about my daily life in a magazine where I said, ‘I brush my teeth with Selahatin toothpaste because I love their font,’ which was true,” Owens recalls. “Then on Instagram, I suddenly see a Selahatin ad with my blurred face and that quote splashed across it. I thought it was bold. I reached out to them and complimented them on their cheekiness. I said, ‘We should do a collaboration!’”
For Vural, the moment was nothing short of disorienting – in the best way. “At first, I assumed he was furious and wanted the ad taken down. I immediately told my team to remove it,” he says. “But it turned out to be the complete opposite. To realise that someone I deeply admire also sees and values my work… it was humbling beyond words.”
Throughout the process Rick urged, ‘Go harder. I smoke cigarettes, drink coffee and gin – I need something stronger’
Kristoffer Vural
Housing a comprehensive line-up of mouth-care products, the collaboration features a whitening toothpaste, mouthwash, Eau d’Extrait Oral (mouth spray), and a handmade horn toothbrush. Selahatin is renowned for its distinct, divine olfactory blends – think palates like honey, eucalyptus and cardamom coupled with menthol and peppermint – with Vural concocting a special ‘Rick Owens Aroma’ for the collection. “To me, Rick Owens is primitive elegance and I wanted the aroma to encapsulate a brutalist grace. I wanted it raw and uncompromising with beautiful contradictions,” he explains. “The aroma notes are unconventional and unheard of in this realm, yet the moment you try it, everything falls into place.”
The unorthodox notes in question include top notes of verbena, Madagascar vanilla and Sichuan pepper, followed by juniper, dark citrus and rosemary. Meanwhile, the base notes comprise black pepper and peppermint. “Throughout the process Rick urged, ‘Go harder. I smoke cigarettes, drink coffee and gin – I need something stronger,’” Vural says. “Everything I created was made better by his hand. I was struck by his kindness, intelligence and depth of knowledge in a multitude of domains. Most of all, he and his wife were very encouraging to what I’m doing, which really meant a great deal to me.”
Rick Owens showing the new collaboration to his cat, Pixie. Photo: Rick Owens
Owens echoes these words, highlighting his admiration towards Vural and Selahati, which was born after Vural suffered a stroke that altered his mind, causing scents and tastes to appear as colours. “During his recovery, he wanted the most essential things around him to be magnified. I also believe in the idea that you don’t need to have many things, but that essential things should be made special,” the designer says.
Incredibly proud of the collaboration’s outcome, Vural reflects on loving the products from the first try. “The toothbrush is exquisite and the aroma is beautiful,” he muses. “I felt joy and a sense of wonder because of how well-crafted everything is, and I hope we can convey that to others.”
The Rick Owens x Selahatin collaboration is now available for purchase on selahatin.com