Francesca Bianchi - ENCOUNTERS
Accords: Iris with Oudh facet, Spicy Woody Oriental
Mood: Assertively hedonistic, Mysterious and Luxurious
A voluptuous and dirty Iris.
Where East meets West: the fascinating point of contact between different cultures, where diversity produces a new language. Iconic materials from East and West – Oudh and Iris – blended into a new mysterious and voluptuous creature.
The fascination of contaminations
I have always been fascinated by contaminations from different cultures, giving birth to new forms – called syncretistic, eclectic: to me, a new deviant marvel.
I remember my enchantment for the exotic and mysterious Pseudo-Arabic scripts in the halos of some Renaissance painting focused on a quintessential character of Christian culture and yet contaminated by a reference to the Arabic culture.
Or the incredible syncretistic forms such as Greek or Roman temples transformed into Christian Churches, or the Indo-Islamic architecture, merging two cultures in a new language.
Encounters, the fragrance
I wished to render this obsession of mine with Encounters, thanks to a combination of two iconic ingredients from East and West, Iris and Oudh – a moment of contact from whom a new creature originates.
You will find the sophisticated refinement of Iris butter, with its soft and mysterious powderiness; a material which develops in the soil to then generate the most lyric among flowers.
And you’ll find Oudh, a material born out of an infection of the Aquilaria trees, which then produces one of the most mesmerising and complex odor in the perfumery range of ingredients.
Iconic material: Iris Butter
The Iris is an iconic flower in the Western culture. It is the symbol of the city of Florence – in the countryside of whom one of the most important areas for the cultivation of this flower has developed.
The Fleur de Lys has also been a symbol for the French Kings since the 12th century.
And countless times you can find iris in paintings throughout Western History.
Iconic material: Oudh
Oudh is an iconic ingredient of Eastern culture due to its crucial significance. Derived from an infection of the Aquilaria tree, it’s native to South and South-east Asia, and parts of the Middle East.
Used for spiritual and religious purposes, it is believed to help elevate the spirit and create a sense of calm and connection to the Divine.
Considered one of the most precious material in perfumery for its intense and complex aroma, it’s woody with leathery, animalic and smoky facets.
Pyramid:
Bergamot, Orange, Cassis, Lavender, Coriandre
Iris Butter, Rose, Angelica, Cinnamon
Ambergris, Castoreum*, Oudh, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Benjoin, Peru Balsam
*No animal-derived ingredients have been used
Because of the high costs there will be in each ordered sample only a few sprays.
