In partnership with Jean Paul Gaultier

Some journeys begin with a ticket. This one began with a scent. A Belmond train departs Singapore, but this isn’t simply a route across Malaysia – it’s an immersion into Jean Paul Gaultier’s olfactory world.

Before the train even left Capella Singapore, fragrance became the passport. The newest addition to the Divine lineup, Gaultier Divine Elixir (launching on the 12th October) burned like the sun – creamy tuberose and magnetic tonka, a solar goddess in a golden corset. Le Male Elixir Absolu answered with fire – lavender laced in molten amber, a sailor of smouldering magnetism who draws every gaze. And then came Scandal Intense – cardamom, vanilla, leather and sage, as decadent as velvet against bare skin. Together they became companions for the journey ahead: characters in this unfolding theatre, riding the Gaultier Express.

When the train doors closed, the outside world fell away. Inside, time dissolved into velvet-draped dinners, flickering lights in the dining car, and laughter rising like incense.

Jean Paul Gaultier’s reimagined Gaultier Express transformed travel into a multi-sensory experience against the lush backdrop of the Eastern & Oriental Express, a Belmond train. Across four decadent nights of dining, parties, and immersive jungle excursions, guests indulged in the House's world of fragrance and fantasy.

Those aboard the Gaultier Express were a dynamic mix of Australian creative minds, each lending their own distinct energy to the journey: Elisha and Renée Herbert, Keiynan Lonsdale, Liam Swiderski, Oliver Cronin, Ash Magic, Selina Yang, Unice Wani, and Mahalia Handley. Collectively, the group reflected a blend of style, artistry, and individuality that mirrored the spirit of the voyage itself.

“The Orient Express had been on my manifestation board for years, and to ride it with Jean Paul Gaultier felt like a dream,” recalls Selina Yang.

“Experiencing Singapore while wearing Scandal and Divine was like stepping inside the very notes of the fragrances," she continues. "Bold, layered and decadent. Jean Paul Gaultier’s magic lies in their incredible ability in creating not just garments or perfume but experiences. What was once just a picture on my manifestation board now is an unforgettable memory I’ll never forget.”

Between conversations, there was the realisation that this wasn’t just travel – this was transformation. The rhythm of the train became a heartbeat, the scents a kind of second skin. With every turn of the track, what began as spectacle deepened into something more intimate: a meditation on how luxury and memory entwine.

“If I could bottle a moment from the trip, it would be partying in a carriage full of creatives and strangers turning into friends," Yang reminisces. "It would smell like pure adrenaline.”

For Liam Swiderski, that essence takes on a different form: “Scandal is the modern man’s signature. It's the scent I wear day-to-day, and makes a statement without saying a word.”

By day, the jungle called: sunrise above Taman Negara, sound baths in the forest, caves alive with fossils and myth. By night, the carriages pulsed with celebration, fragrances dissolving into laughter and music. That sense of connection threaded through the Gaultier Express.

Unice Wani tells RUSSH that it was “hard to sum up my time on the Jean Paul Gaultier Explorer through Malaysia in just a few words. It was so much more than a trip, it was a chance to connect with people, share laughter, discover amazing food, and celebrate culture and creativity in the most memorable way.”

And beyond spectacle, there was something grounding too. “The whole group has really bonded," Mahalia Handley reflects. "It’s kind of crazy to see how we’ve all been brought together on this incredible journey – and so many of us from different places in the world. Creatively, I feel so inspired but also (most importantly) deeply supported."

Like a moving salon, a dream vessel, a reminder that beauty is best experienced together, the fragrances lingered, yes, but so did the laughter. The unexpected intimacy of strangers-turned-friends, and the lush blur of landscapes seen through a window at dawn.

As the journey drew to a close, what remained wasn’t just the memory of fragrance or the decadence of dinners beneath chandeliers, but a sense of communion. To travel with Jean Paul Gaultier was to experience more than fashion, more than perfume – it was to step inside a world where every detail is theatre, every encounter an imprint.

Scandal Intense, Scandal Pour Homme Intense and Le Male Elixir Absolu are available to shop at Myer now. Gaultier Divine Elixir will be available from Myer from 12 October 2025.