When the perfumer's role is not to create a fragrance, but to give direction
In the world of perfumery, the figure of the perfumer is often told as an author.
A solitary creator. An artistic sensibility capable of translating emotions into formulas.
This narrative is fascinating. But it is incomplete.
In the project developed together with Raffaella, what struck us from the beginning was not the olfactory quality, which was already very high, but design lucidity With which he approached his role.
He did not ask us to “produce a perfume.”.
He asked us to Build a system that would make that scent understandable, defensible, and sustainable over time.
This distinction changes everything.
The starting point: not fragrance, but context
The fragrance already existed. It was strong, recognizable, technically flawless.
But a fragrance alone is not a project.
The first job was then to shift the question:
not “how good is it?”, but “in what context should he live?”.
We worked on:
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real (not aspirational) positioning
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sustainable price range
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concrete target audience
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channels compatible with that kind of language
Only after clarifying these elements did the fragrance begin to “work” outside the laboratory.
The role of design as translation, not decoration
One of the most delicate joints in the project was the design.
Not because they lacked ideas, but because the risk of over-interpreting the fragrance was very high.
When a fragrance is strong, design can:
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amplify it
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or betray her
We chose a definite path: the design had to translate, do not explain.
Each choice-materials, proportions, weight, finish-was evaluated on a key question:
Does this decision strengthen or weaken the credibility of the project?
We did not seek originality for its own sake. We sought readable consistency.
Production as an act of responsibility
In many projects, production is a technical phase. Here it was an ethical phase.
Each production choice had a direct impact on:
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marginality
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repeatability
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sustainability of the project
We worked to avoid two common mistakes:
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the “too ambitious” production”
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the “defensive” production”
The result has been a robust production system that does not put pressure on the brand at every reorder.
What Raffaella's project teaches
This project demonstrates one clear thing:
the maturity of a brand does not depend on the budget, but on the quality of upstream decisions.
Raffaella did not look for shortcuts. She accepted complexity. And she ruled it.
This is how a fragrance stops being a creative exercise and becomes a credible project.
