A new fragrance has arrived in Chicago! True Blooms Chicago, from Tru Fragrance, a Chicago based fragrance manufacturing company developed, organized and oversaw this community initiative with the city of Chicago to transform the city’s public and neighborhood green spaces into growing spaces. The project culminated natural and locally grown distinctive flowers for a limited edition perfume, called Tru Blooms Chicago, which was launched in October 2012.
The program is a collaborative effort of generous partnerships between the company, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Botanic Garden, Growing Power, Cook County Sheriff’s Boot Camp, Growing Home, NeighborSpace, Windy City Harvest, and Water Tower Place.
The Tru Blooms neighborhood garden partners provided opportunity and valuable skills such as the Cook County Sheriff’s Boot Camp program, which provided inmates the opportunity to tend gardens of prison property and gain urban farming skills. The Green Youth Farm program, offered students the opportunity to learn all aspect of organic farming. The Growing Home gardening program provided transitional employment and training to city residents who have experienced numerous barriers to employment. This garden is located in the Englewood neighborhood. In additon to, NeighborSpace, coordinated volunteers to maintain neighborhood gardens throughout the city, thus fulfilling the mission of sustainability, urban beautification and job creation.
The perfume gardens are located in public parks such as Grant Park, Peoples Garden of Chicago, North Lawndale Youth Garden, Washington Park Green Youth Farm, Garfield Park Conservatory, and the Water Tower Place. These small plots of land are lovingly nurtured by neighborhood people. Tru Blooms Chicago is the first ever fragrance made from indigenous-sourced ingredients grown by the residents for whom it’s created.
The Tru Blooms Chicago scent is a bright floral fragrance composition of damask rose, lavender, white oriental lily and violet, which is the Illinois state flower. These notes were grown in the neighborhood gardens throughout Chicago this past summer and harvested in August for a fall production of the fragrance. The perfume is available for purchase at retailers in the Chicagoland area and online.
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