Alessandro Michele Wants To Take You On An Olfactory Journey Unlike No Other
PS: It could be an emotional roller coaster
The new Gucci Memoire d'une Odeur
Gucci Memoire D'Une Odeur Perfume Harry Styles
Did you know that the part of the brain that processes scents is also the part that stores memories? Alessandro Michele, Creative Director of Gucci, sure does. “Everything comes from my obsession with scents: my memory is primarily olfactive so, for me, my sense of smell is my memory. I thought that, deep down, perfume is that thing that even with your eyes closed, brings you to a precise moment in space and time,” Michele says.
The Concept
Michele understands how a scent enables us to relive a particular moment and causes intense emotions to resurface at the same time. Needless to say, Michele doesn’t plan on creating a fragrance that merely recalls a certain memory. Instead, his latest scent is fluid and unlimited to a certain moment in time. “I tried to imagine the recollection of a scent that couldn’t easily be identified; a hybrid scent that resembles memory as much as possible,” Michele explains.
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The Scent
Enter Mémoire d’une Odeur, Gucci’s latest fragrance. Working with master perfumer Alberto Morillas, Michele wanted the new scent to also be able to conjure the future. And it does just that with the introduction of a new olfactive family, called the Mineral Aromatic. A new chapter in perfumery is written, as the scent is unexpected, undefinable and comprises of an unusual mix of notes, including the airy, musky, woody and floral ones.
At the heart of this fragrance is the Roman chamomile. Although it is a widely known plant, it has always been overlooked when it comes to perfumery. Yet, it has a distinct aromatic scent with a sweet, fruity drydown. When paired with the rich Indian Coral Jasmine Nature Print, a Gucci-exclusive note, the fragrance is given an intoxicating facet with nuanced honey accents. And as the scent settles, notes of musks, cedarwood and sandalwood surface for a warm and sensual finish.
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The Gucci Memoire d'une Odeur campaigns featuring Harry Styles; the vintage-inspired fragrance bottle
Gucci Memoire D'Une Odeur Perfume Harry Styles
The Packaging
Michele was deeply inspired by a vintage Gucci fragrance bottle when creating the design for Mémoire d’une Odeur. More importantly, it was essential to keep the fragrance unrelated to any gender. The result? Its transparent light green glass flacon is grooved like an ancient column and features a shiny gold cap along with a printed gold foil label.
By paying homage to the past and future, Mémoire d’une Odeur is undeniably Michele’s way of exploring the power of memories as it brings back strong emotions from the past which we can relive in the present and project into the future.
Gucci Mémoire d’une Odeur is $115 for 40ml; $154 for 60ml; $195 for 100ml. Available at all leading departmental stores & Sephora, as well as on TANGS.com
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