Introducing New Italian Perfumer Michele Marin

There is a new perfumer from Florence, Italy, who is promising to deliver the world a few amazing olfactive wonders. Michele Marin, creator behind the Infragranti Parfumeur olfactory creation brand, is responsible for two new perfumes just recently arrived to the market: Spectator's 179-001 Informal Scent and Castello di Ama's Iris Mater. In 2013 he started developing collaborations with important names in the worlds of hotels, fashion and furniture among which are Flair, Gini Fragranze, Stefano Bemer and Hotel Villa Cheta Elite. His first perfumes are the result of a passion I could testify was in his eyes as we spoke in his beautiful house in the heart of this Italian city.by: Miguel Matos

Michele Marin

Miguel Matos: When did you become interested in perfume?

Michele Marin: At the age of 13. A friend of mine called Elena, she wore Jardins de Bagatelle. When I smelled her it was a shock for me. It was a very green and sensual tuberose. I felt a great enthusiasm for this bouquet from Guerlain and I started recognizing this fragrance on other women as it became in fashion at that time. It really is important to me and it is a particular and unique perfume. My pleasure and passion for fragrances started there. Regarding my personal tastes and fragrances that I wear I can name Cerruti Pour Homme, Boucheron Pour Homme, Guerlain Vetiver and Habit Rouge ... These classical fragrances bring me a lot of pleasure.

Miguel: After realizing you loved perfume, did you immediately decide to work with perfumery?

Michele: Not immediately. I started studying theater, cinema, music and dance in Bologne and then I worked as an actor and later as an assistant director for the opera. I worked with Marco Bellocchio and Franco Zeffirelli, at Scala di Milano and Arena di Verona, etc. At the same time a friend of mine was working in a niche perfumery shop and I discovered Diptyque, L'Artisan Parfumeur and Serge Lutens. I decided to start creating something. I worked for seven years for Olfattorio-Bar à Parfums shop in Florence. Later I studied at Cinquième Sens, after I had an internship at Mouilletes & Co in Milan. After that I thought that making perfume was too complicated and I started creating compositions for candles. I wanted to do something simple for me, in a comfortable and safe area. I wanted to feel sure about what I was doing.

Miguel: You already have some candles in your portfolio. Which were the first ones you created?

Michele: The first three candles were for the chianti wine brand Castello di Ama in 2010.

Miguel: I know you've been working on candles and room fragrances for several brands and now a Korean brand, Spectator, comissioned your first perfume...

Michele: Yes. They got to know me during an art exhibition at Castello di Ama. They smelled my candles and they thought they were fantastic. So, they proposed to me to create a fragrance for them. Spectator is a male tailoring brand so it was great for me to do it. It's a minimalistic style, like Martin Margiela but younger in spirit. Very clean and informal clothing design. There is a new shop in Seoul where we presented for the first time my fragrance for Spectator, Informal Scent.

Miguel: And after Informal Scent you just recently saw the launching of your fragrance for Castello di Ama, called Iris Mater.

Michele: Yes, after the candles, Lorenza Sebasti Pallanti, the owner of Castello di Ama, wanted me to create a fragrance for her. She said she wanted to have a fragrance that spoke about her and she also wanted it to have iris. I started working with iris absolute and CO2 extract. I think the rhizome is very hard to work with. Lorenza, she prefered the iris flower smell. So we decided to create with root and flower. It's a very strong fragrance, like Lorenza herself, but with a very soft motherly aspect, hence the name Iris Mater. There is a chypre facet, to reflect the strong character of the business woman she is, but in an assertive way, not in a harsh manner. Elegance is a key word too, with a classical inspiration. Stylish but not too fashionable. I decided to mix the chypre notes, florals and iris. I also wanted to mix osmanthus, peach, rose, patchouli ... On the top there's a very fresh aspect with violet leaves, cyclamen and bergamot.

Miguel: It's very round and full-bodied and at the same time airy and fresh.

Michele: Yes, it's an intense eau de parfum and for the most part is natural ingredients. It's very earthy because it represents Tuscany. I think Iris Mater is an example of my personal expression in fragrance.

Miguel: You like the earthy smells, at least I can feel it, too, in that powdery vetiver of Informal Scent.

Michele: Yes, absolutely. And I also like musky notes. As for the vetiver in Informal Scent, it's Brazilian vetiver from Mane, rooty but different, not so smoky. I was searching for a sweeter vetiver to make it a classical fragrance with a contemporary twist.

Miguel: It reminds me of vintage Carven Vetiver but sweeter ...

Michele: Yes, I can see that. In the top I put elemi to make it fresh/citric and in the base notes there are different kinds of musk.

Miguel: Do you plan to launch a perfume line with your own name?

Michele: Not at the moment. I have such satisfaction when someone asks me to do a perfume that comes from their images, ideas and dreams ... Not only for a brand. I like to do personal fragrances, too.

Miguel: Are you working on new perfumes?

Michele: Yes, I am doing two leather scents for Stefano Bemer, the bespoke shoemaker from Florence. They should be ready in 2015.

SPECTATOR 179-001 INFORMAL SCENT

Top notes: bergamot, lavender, rosemary
Heart notes: geranium, Brasil vetiver, Haiti vetiver
Base notes: Sandalwood, Virginia cedarwood, ambroxan, styrax, musk

I am not a lover of vetiver fragrances but after Michele gave me a sample of Informal Scent I found myself wearing it frequently with huge pleasure. It is impossibly elegant and contemporary but also timeless and ageless. It is a very transparent vetiver with sweet undertones and a subtle smoky quality. The woods complement the vetiver in a delicious way, along with the creamy musk base. One of my jobs is in a very perfumophobic office and even there I got compliments from this. Two of my female colleagues were hovering above me all the time when I was wearing it. They even asked me to wear it more often and they tried it on themselves. Everyone around me loves this fragrance. I also experimented spraying it on a friend in order to know how it smelled on other people and I can tell you it smells sexy and classy at the same time. If you are a vetiver lover you will fall in love. If you are a vetiver hater you will be surprised and you may even be convinced. Imagine a fresh, woody, sweet and powdery vetiver. This is it. I risk calling it perfection.

CASTELLO DI AMA IRIS MATER

Head notes: bergamot, cyclamen leaves, violet leaves
Heart notes: osmanthus, Damask rose
Base notes: Iris absolute, Iris extract co2, sandalwood, musk

This year iris is the star of many fragrances like Houbigant's Iris des Champs,Salvatore Ferragamo's Tuscan Soul Viola Essenziale and Viktoria Minya's Hedonist Iris. Iris Mater is a classical take on iris, with a very intense buttery vibe. It's also very earthy and aquatic (you can almost imagine pulling bits of dirt from the bottle), but yet with the obvious powdery iris facet. Very unisex, very classic and sensual. It has a vaguely green smell which I associate with lily of the valley even though this is not mentioned in the composition. Michele Marin wanted to portray a hug from a strong and loving mother and this is indeed a strong scent, dense but also clear. Powdery, buttery, dewy and earthy, it's not an iris for everyone but an iris you will never forget. Think of an iris garden surrounded by ancient stone walls on a spring morning after the rain and you get the idea.

After smelling Informal Scent and Iris Mater you can begin to understand Michele Marin's style of perfume making. He balances contrasts very well, such as powdery and transparent, fresh and rich ... It's an almost Guerlainesque attitude. A very comfortable approach to fragrance. These two perfumes share the same preference for earthy, high quality raw materials, and they never go the thick road of too much intensity. They are breathable and they breathe on the skin. They are lively smells and somewhat carnal. I am very enthusiastic about these two first perfumes from Michele and I expect to be positively surprised in the future, for he could be the next big thing to watch and smell.

Learn more about Michele Marin on the Infragranti Parfumeur website