Pitti Fragranze 22 and Florence -Danu Seith-Fyr

Part 2 of my extensive Pitti Fragranze 22 experience and as I prepare to depart for Cannes for another perfume-filled days and nights I feel immense gratitude to part of this perfume world and to be able to share these moments with you all. (Part one here)

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Antonio Alessandria and Danu, Pluvia Sacra, Francesca Dell’Oro and Danu, Else perfume, Mendittorosa booth and Cristian Marianciuc – Danu Seith-Fyr Pitti Fragranze 22

After a few years absence with a booth, I was so pleased to see Antonio Alessandria, this year he was giving us a brief glimpse into his newest addition to an already spectacular collection. Perfumes inspired by memories, love, places and people close to his home and heart. There were two names for this new perfume and all the visitors at Pitti Fragranze 22 were invited to write down their choice.  Eventually the name chosen is Pluvia Sacra and I can tell you that initial experience was incredible, earthy and deeply entrenched in all natural scents we find revitalising, it also yielded up a eroticism, I am looking forward to its release. There is, of course a historical tale connected to Pluvia Sacra.  Antoinio also launched a perfume he created for KV by Kateryna Vel’menko, ‘A Little bit Hazelnutty’ – a delicious and wild romp through the gourmand notes. KV was one of the brands I didn’t make it too but I have every intention of exploring them.

I had been introduced to Francesca Dell’Oro at Esxence and had the chance to try the first 2 perfumes in a quartet of vanilla designed to wear at different moments of the day. So here at Pitti Fragranze 22 were the last two of the collection, Vanille 1800 and Vanille 24.00.  18.00 is inspired by the passing of routine day into twilight, the changing of cotton shirts for silken robes, an exhalation of honeyed florals. 24.00 is sensual and daring, under cover of night we embrace our more intimate selves. Both are a fitting conclusion to the ‘All Day Vanilla Collection’. I was completely bowled however over by the discovery of ‘Else’, inspired by Arthur Schniztler’s Miss Else and created by perfumer Michele Marin and won the Russian Fifi Award Artistic Niche Perfume in 2023, why did it take me so long to discover. An absolute gem, that is a classic in its own era, it will go down as one of the best of the 21^st century, a floral voluptuousness crowned in spices, just glorious. A devil-may-care infusion of many lives within a lifetime.

Jonathan Dufour- Spiritum Paris, Federic and Agapito of Naso di Raza, Lydeen Perfumes – Danu Seith-Fyr

I met with Jonathan Dufour, the charismatic founder of Spiritum Paris and following hot on the heels of the Masters Collection and 36 Jacob, is an upcoming release Tantricism, well the name denotes a clue, I shall comment more after its release, suffice to say it’s quite fascinating. See my review of The Masters Collection here.

Federica and Agapito always give me such a warm welcome to Naso di Raza, an Italian brand I have spoken of before with great admiration, ‘Use Black’ is something I wear often with great pleasure, they are the epitome of Italian elegance and charm as ever and they spoke to me of an upcoming release, hopefully by the end of the year, Graffio, which in Italian means ‘scratch’. Federica has promised to tell me more about why it is has such a curious name soon.

I made an absolute beeline for Lydeen, a Swedish brand formerly known as ‘Agonist’. In the past I had been an avid collector of Agonist perfumes, they were very modern and edgy, throwing shards of raw perceptions and giving me much pause for thought.  So, when I learned that Christine and Niclas Lydeen had rebirthed a brand, I was in a rush to discover them. I have had the chance to sample a lot of their collection some of which are based on the previous Agonist perfumes, but at Pitti Fragranze 22 I sampled the entire collection including upcoming releases not yet available and was able to meet their Sales Manager Zoe Lu. Some names to look out for and believe me I was once again smitten, Memory of Nobody, Liquid Aria, Indigo Land and Flamme Douce. A brand to watch most certainly

Stefania Squeglia of Mendittorosa and I have been kindred spirits for a good many years now so I was delighted to see her back at Pitti Fragranze after a long break, her perfumes are considered and rich in inspiration and crafted with time and grace, her booth an absolute haven of peace and calm interspersed with art and imagery to calm the senses that invited us to stillness with her latest creation, ‘Mauna’, a collaboration between Stefania and Perfumer Cristiano Canali. An ode to the stillness and the movement within silence, here is majestic sandalwood elevated to rarefied heights, in its noblest guise. A devotional chant without sound, uttered on immovable lips and rippling outwards to softly encompass humanity. In residence at Pitti Fragranze 22, quietly crafted in his signature style, numerous lotus flowers in origami was former Senior Contributor and artist Cristian Marianciuc, known for his beautiful perfume inspired cranes.

Meo Fusciuni – Giuseppe, Danu and Fede – Danu Seith-Fyr.

A brief encounter with my dear friends Giuseppe Imprezzabile and Federica Caste – Meo Fusciuni, its always so lovely to see them and to hear the latest news of a new perfume, Buio – meaning Dark. I will be meeting with Meo and Fede in Cannes to be introduced to this new adventure.

Yousuf Al Qanai and Soul Of Makeen, Flavius Calaj and Danu, Husen Baba – Azman – Danu Seith-Fyr

I had been fortunate enough to meet with Soul Of Makeen founder and creative director, Yousuf Al Qanai at the wonderful Paris Perfume Week last March and now at Pitti Fragranze 22 I had the opportunity to spend more time with him and the collection. He is an orator, knowledgeable in history, legend and stories, woven into all the collection which has deep meaning and profound insights. Every detail is rich in symbolism. Makeen means ‘King of Dreams’ the 3 collections, The Love Collection, The Caravan Collection and The Royya Collection. I learnt much and found another to whom the harmony of beauty is all.

Its always wonderful to meet up with Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp of Akro, (again I hope to see him in Cannes), I had the chance to try ‘Glow’, the newest release, brimming with chic confidence and ‘Smile’, a perfume of happiness. Flavius Calaj of Calaj Perfumes is an infectious human, in the sense of his dynamism, vitality and warmth, it is always my pleasure to reconnect with him. After a year in which he has changed the bottles of his collection, sleek and elegant and the release of the singularly divine Delizia Oscura, an intoxicating chocolate and violet, Flavius hinted at a new gourmand release coming soon, more gourmand than gourmand if that’s at all  possible.

I had a meeting with Husen Baba of Azman to get my nose on ‘Naked Forest’ by Prin Lomos. A spectacular immersion in nature shot through with all the nuances of green and earthy tones. Here is not just a walk in forests but a deep dive into its very fabric, it works its way under your skin and there is no more separation. Read Ida Meister’s review here.

Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp and Danu – Danu Seith-Fyr

It’s always wonderful to meet up with Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp of Akro, again I hope to see him in Cannes, I had the chance to try ‘Glow’, the newest release, brimming with chic confidence and ‘Smile’, a perfume of happiness.

Caroline Pelissier- Racyne, Perfumer h – Saddle and collection, Bilan Besen and Regalien – Danu Seith-Fyr

I was happy to see Caroline Pelissier again, founder of Racyne present here at their first Pitti Fragranze 22, I along with many others are picked out Racyne at Paris Perfume Week as a new brand to look out for. Unassuming and with a Parisian chic, no need to shout when you have such beautiful perfumes.  Committed also to vegan, clean and ethically sourced packaging, Caroline has curated a line of very interesting, minimalist perfumes. Personal favorites are Verdeur, Quelque Part – an extraordinary musk and La Terre, La Nuit.

Before I move on to events inside and outside Pitti Fragranze 22, moments to share of perfume brands new to me, and of connecting with old friends.

I had been part of a development process a few years ago with Jorum Studio from Edinburgh, Scotland called Psychoterrica, Euan McCall and Chloe had released these 3 perfumes earlier this year, under new names, in very limited quantities. I was able to smell Monolith, which was an instant hit with me for its smokiness and peaty quality which I am drawn to so much in single malt whiskey and Opaline a musk, with diaphanous facets that throws off mirrors and reflections. Hopefully these may become available again in the near future. Plus, meeting Chloe each time is always an opportunity to smile.

A repeat encounter with Giuseppe from Perfumer H was a pleasure, we had met in the Paris store and now at Pitti Fragranze 22.  He kindly introduced me to the new perfume, Saddle, not a leather as you might expect but something far more nuanced and the scent of the feeling of that high quality glove sitting next to your skin, moulded tightly to each finer exaggerating its slender points and fine form, can you imagine that? I wish Guiseppe all the best as he moves to other fields which I can reveal at a later date.

Baruti Perfumes, Hot Cotton, Mono_no_aware and Laurakimou – Danu Seith-Fyr

It was great to see Dr. Spyros Drosopoulos of Baruti perfumes and to be able to sample again his new releases from Esxence, two of which are standouts for me, Hot Cotton, completely familiar yet so compelling and Mono No Aware, a Japanese inspired gourmand with signature Baruti style and panache.

New Discoveries at Pitti Fragranze 22

Bilan Besen the co-founder of Regalien from Turkey, created in 2016 gave generously of his time to introduce me to the brands extensive collection, several of which I found immediately seized my attention. I am looking forward to exploring further.

Sora Dora Perfumes and founder Quentin Dorado

 Sora Dora was quite a revelation; their collection included some quite unique and frankly surprising perfumes. I am in contact with Founder Quentin Dorado as there is much, much more to explore. Of note, Sora Dora, a family brand with Portuguese and Provencal roots that go back over a century, launched in 2021.   It’s no wonder they hit the mark with so many of their collection including the Jovoy Paris exclusive, RED, Jany, Mallow, Broceliande and Kamal Oud immediately took my interest.

An aside, a skincare collection that deserves a mention for the purity and authenticity of its product but also of its founder, Alexandre Styker. La Reine Capricieuse works with natural components and especially honey and bee products.

Installations and Events

The Sound of Fragrance Installation – Noise and Silence – Danu Seith-Fyr

The immersive installation this year at Pitti Fragranze 22 was on the theme of The Sound of Fragrance, of Noise and Silence. Light, music and perfume created the sensory landscape.  Tunnels filled with red tones of pulsating lights ushered us into the room of Noise, Resonessence perfume created by Cristiano Canali and then into another tunnel immersed in blue tones, the perfume SSSHHH, Le Parfum Parle by Sonia Constant. An interesting voyage of sensory overload in opposing directions.

Osmoart and OZparfum – Pierre Benard Segu and Veronica Granatiero, the voice of Lilith perfume – Danu Seith-Fyr

An event with Perfumer Pierre Benard Segu of Osmoart and OZparfum and soprano Veronica Granatiero, ‘Listen to the Scents – Breathe the Music’.  Pierre presented us a multitude of connections between scent and sound. Pierre also introduced his latest creation, Lilith, a singularly evocative and sensually addictive, powerful tuberose elixir that beguiles and entices, Veronica interpretated this liquid invocation with a powerful intonation, a beautiful voice lost in an ecstasy that arose out of Lilith posed on her wrist, certainly a perfume of great power and a transportive voice to match. It was my honour to purchase a bottle of Lilith, the porcelain vessel a sensual as the essence within. It is a 21^st century masterpiece.

Friday evening saw the cocktail event in the outside courtyard of Pitti Fragranze reinstated for the welcome of the brand Ajmal into the fold of Kaon Distribution and to celebrate Kaon’s presence at Pitti Fragranze for the last 22 years. Music and cocktails finished off this first day nicely.

Cocktail event at Beast Gallery, Florence to celebrate launch with Michele Marin Essenza – Danu Seith-Fyr

Michele Marin held a cocktail party and event at Beast Gallery in Florence, an opportunity to mix and mingle, share the interesting installations for Michele’s new collection, Michel Marin Essenza and to congratulate him on this wonderful new venture.

Ermano Picco,  Karen Marin, Pissara Umavijani- Parfums Dusita, Angelos Balamis, Romain Sanchez – House of Helios Danu Seith-Fyr

Meetings with Pissara Umavijani of Parfums Dusita along with Karen Marin of Essencional, our very own Editor Ermano Picco at various talks and after events, Meo Fuscuini – Guiseppe Imprezzabile and Federica,(to be continued in Cannes), chance moments with Francesca Bianchi, Luca Maffei, Romain Sanchez of House of Helios, Angelos Balamis from Angelos Creations Olfactive, a brief encounters and fascinating conversations with perfumer and architect Antonio Gardoni (who composed OOOH for ÇaFleureBon’s 10th anniversary in 2020, Perfumer Cristiano Canali, Piotr Romanski and Viktor Wilk from Wolf Brothers. Shared moments of pleasure with Angela Ciampagna, Enrico, Angela Ciampagna and Label and David Mencey – Kiliquia and Sriman Subramanian from Sasva Parfums.

My thanks again to the organizers and to all the team of Pitti Fragranze for such a wonderful 3 days, to all the brands and perfumers, my gratitude also for samples received.

Danu Seith-Fyr, Contributor