It’s a big deal when a major fashion house releases a new fragrance—let alone five, all at once. Yet that’s exactly what Matthieu Blazy, Bottega Veneta’s creative director, has done. The collection of fragrances spans the day of a very sophisticated—and fortunate—wearer. For early in the morning, there is “Come With Me,” a bright and light pick-me-up; “Acqua Sale” is inspired by the feeling of seawater on skin; the orange-based “Colpo de Sole” evokes a sunny summer day; “Alchemie” and “Dejà Minuit” cap things off with more powerfully seductive evening scents.
Blazy spent two years working on the fragrances, and not just because he strove to create the perfect juice. It was essential for him that all the ingredients be completely natural—something that is not at all the norm in the world of high perfumery. As Blazy pointed out, the organic ingredients react differently with everyone’s skin, making the fragrances truly personal—like a soft Bottega Veneta bag, which molds over time to the owner’s body. Equal attention went to the creation of the bottle, a sinuous glass flacon evocative of rippling water, which sits atop a marble pedestal and is topped with a wooden cap. For travel, it can be stored in a woven leather pouch.
To toast the launch, Blazy, together with François Henri Pinault, invited a select group of friends that included actors Sigourney Weaver and Jacob Elordi to arrive by gondola to a cozy dinner in a Venetian Palazzo. The evening was intimate, chic, and easygoing—a fitting celebration for a designer who prizes a personal touch above all else and has quickly positioned himself as a leader in elevated craftsmanship.
Olympic runner Dina Asher-Smith at the dinner.
Photograph by German Larkin
