Pitti FRAGRANZE 2015: A Personal Overview

by: Miguel Matos

This year Pitti Fragranze had again grown in exhibitors and brands, so any impressions one tries to express in words are bound to be very subjective. It's impossible to have an exact idea of everything new and exciting, with so many lines and houses present in Florence. That's why Fragrantica always moves in a small group of colleagues in order to cover as much as possible. It was another opportunity to reunite with people who are my “fragrance family”. Not only Zoran, Elena, Evgenya, Julietta, Svetlana, Serguey, Sandrina and Raluca, but also a lot of friends from the perfume industry. After all the confusion, hustle and bustle, I'm now missing the chaos and feel kind of a void. But that's just my Portuguese vein of “saudade” speaking.

This year was, to my eyes, a bit crazy, with censorship hovering over the artistic brands, people arriving late to meetings or simply not showing up and most of all a proliferation of non-niche brands invading the space, as well as niche brands offering commercial scents. But the final math was very positive, for I saw the rise of a new trend that I started to see emerging at Esxence: the new animalics. I couldn't be happier with this and it's interesting to see that it's not just a revival of materials like castoreum, leather, styrax, civet or hyraceum. It's a new use of these ingredients. I shall write a full report on this trend. For now I just want to highlight my personal favorites.

I will start with Maria Candida Gentile's Elephant and Roses. A great surprise that goes against the usual style of this perfumer and a wonderful combination of animalics and roses. It really smells like an elephant washed in rose water. You think it's strange? No, it's mesmerizing and yes, a bit scandalous.

House of Sillage presented HOS N.001, a sweet and sexy tobacco-hued scent of strong tonka bean with gourmand hints against a woody base. The mechanism of opening the bottle is surprising in itself and the scent is warm and easy on the nose.

Frapin goes into the mainstream field with Orchid Man, a very forgettable perfume that does no justice to the glory of most past editions in the line. Can't remember what it smells like, to be honest.

Andy Tauer expanded his Tauerville collection with Incense Flash and Vanilla Flash. Not as striking as the superb Rose Flash, but still very interesting and honest scents. He also presented Sotto la Luna Tuberose, a killer floral with explosive sillage, for the fans of this narcotic flower and deadly to the ones who are sensitive to its power.

Bruno Acampora launched a flanker of the hit Musc, with the edition of Musc Gold, in two different concentrations. A bit spicier and airy, but also more diffusive.

Carlos Huber was an eye-magnet as always, attracting men and women with his elegance and good looks. But his novelty for Arquiste is also a thing of beauty. Nanban started as an inspiration from the galleons sailing to and from Japan, but ended up as a woody-spicy scent with a deep drydown. There is also a candle based on the same notes, but in different proportions. Anima Dulcis and The Architects Club also gained a candle version.

Maison Incens has a masterpiece that proves you can do a superb perfume without hundreds of ingredients. Tabac Licorii is a tobacco-tea wonder that convinced me in seconds, leaving a very elegant trail on the skin. It's not new, actually. It was launched in 2014, but I smelled it for the first time in Pitti.

Another safe edition came from Parfums de Nicolai (now Nicolai Parfumeur Createur).Ambre Cashmere Intense is a traditional amber scent with a sweet character. The first minutes it seems to be just another pleasant amber fragrance, but after an hour we understand the quality of the ingredients and the elegant touch that makes it special.

Spanish house Santi Burgas presented Eau Dada, which was the reason for the censored piece of art, reminding us of Marcel Duchamp's “Fountain”. Leaving behind the controversy, the scent is oudy and seems to be a softer version of Oud de Burgas.

Santi Burgas

Another one of my big loves: Antonio Alessandria's Fleur et Flammes. Now this is really a work of art that plays with Antonio's childhood memories, while surprising us with contrasts, dynamics, movement and a vintage twist. Green, floral, woody, spicy and above all, absolutely original. Antonio is one of my favorite perfumers, I have to say.

Antonio Alessandria

Meo Fusciuni continues to expand in their quirky style with the dangerous and seductive witchcraft scent of Odor 93, an animalic rendering of narcissus and tuberose. I just have to clap!

Tiziana Terenzi always delivers very honest scents with high quality ingredients selected by “politically incorrect nose” Paolo Terenzi, one of the most friendly persons you can meet at these events. This is a sexy and comfortable oriental edition calledAl Contrario.

Olivier Durbano follows a cohesive style of incense-y creations, this time without the actual incense, as a first. Chrysolithe is an uplifting and deep perfume that smells just like its color. By the way, Olivier is also a charming man with a spiritual side that makes him a great friend for a nice conversation. Oh, and I discovered that besides jewelry, he also makes amazing scarves you can wear with the perfumes.

M Micallef travelled far away from it's usual style with Akowa, a most unusual scent based on a very special kind of oud from a secret origin. Fresh at the top, woody at the base and absolutely intriguing.

Finally, Pour Toujours is a new brand that delivers oohhs and aaahs while still being subtle and elegant. Beautiful bottles and surprising combinations of elements like pear and vetiver in Pyrus, the most realistic depiction of the Brazilian cocktail caipirinha in Tudo Bem, and hyraceum used in a wonderful animalic oriental wonder calledKhamsir.

I'm sure I missed a lot of good things and I feel I needed an extra day to get a better grasp of all the good perfumes Fragranze had to offer this year. Until next time, your faithful nose happily reporting from the trenches of niche!