With a brand-new, innovative initiative, Fendi is making a comeback to the fragrance industry after more than a decade. The LVMH-owned Roman luxury business is introducing a line of seven ultra-expensive scents for the first time. As it gets ready to commemorate its centennial next year, it’s an opportunity to communicate the tale of its world and its past through an olfactory narrative. Each scent conjures up a certain persona, location, or significant moment in the family history, much like when you play cards with the seven families.
It all started in 1925 when Adele Casagrande and her husband Edoardo Fendi established a company in Rome producing fur and leather items. The enterprise grew to encompass the five daughters of the marriage in the post-war era. After hiring Karl Lagerfeld as design director in 1965, both the accessories and ready-to-wear lines grew. As the new century approached, the company’s 2001 admission into the LVMH galaxy helped to speed its growth.
The label spent two years working on this in-house scent concept, which was supported by the premium group’s perfume business. The seven perfumes conceived by Fendi’s creative directors were designed by nose designers Quentin Bisch, Fanny Bal, and Anne Flipo, “all three of whom were very present and involved in the entire artistic concept,” according to Fendi. These include Silvia Venturini Fendi, who manages men’s fashion and accessories, Kim Jones, who has been in charge of haute couture and women’s ready-to-wear since September 2020, and Silvia’s daughter Delfina Delettrez Fendi, who handles jewelry and represents the fourth generation of the family.
The scent collection presents the history of Fendi from an alternative angle, interpreting the brand’s identity in a novel way and using a foreign language. Silvia Venturini of Fendi stated in the news announcement, “At Fendi, we can now confidently state that we have employed every sense.” Everything has been carefully considered, even down to nearly all Italian perfumes’ expressive titles and the bottle’s subtle design of an arch, which is a representation of Roman architecture, with the house’s two FFs on the top.
The collection’s palette is mostly composed of extremely concentrated (18% on average) natural and handmade raw ingredients, such as vanilla from Madagascar, orange blossom from Tunisia, bergamot from Calabria, cedar from the Atlas highlands, patchouli from Indonesia, iris from France, and so on. The scents are situated at the premium end of the assortment. Starting on June 20, they will only be available for purchase at the brand’s e-store and boutiques, with each scent costing around 300 euros.
An assortment honoring Fendi ladies Women are the main characters in this family tale. Beginning with the scent Casa Grande (large home), created by creator Adele Casagrande, it represents “the link between Rome and the Bosphorus, where her husband Edoardo is from,” and includes notes of spicy myrrh, amber, vanilla, and tonka bean. Next, there is Dolce Bacio, which is a sweet kiss, and Perché No, which is a fresh scent with a hint of spice that is dedicated to Silvia Venturini. Anna Fendi is the first of the five fabled Fendi sisters and Silvia’s mother.
His two daughters, Leonetta Luciano Fendi with Ciao Amore and Delfina Delettrez Fendi with Sempre Mio (always mine), are honored by two more scents. Finally, the collection pays homage to La Baguette, the renowned Fendi bag designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi in 1997 and the inspiration behind the name of the scent, which combines gourmand vanilla with flowery, powdered iris notes in a “sensual, velvety leather” combination. Inspired by the aromas of her childhood in Africa, Kim Jones, on the other hand, has produced Prima Terra (First Earth), which has woodsy notes of citrus and rosemary.
