Ferragamo’s New Fragrance Is as Versatile as a Pair of the Brand’s Iconic Shoes
On any given day, my job requires spraying various substances on myself. Maybe it’s a new refreshing face mist that smells vaguely like rose water. Perhaps it’s a hair perfume that smells like the inside of a honey jar. It could be a fragrance that smells like crème brûlée (stranger things have happened). All of this often results in me coming home feeling like a multi-layered cake.
When Ferragamo’s newest perfume, Fiamma, came across my desk, I chose to spray that on my pulse points and nothing else. When I got home, my boyfriend greeted me at the door and did a double-take. “What scent is that?” he asked, sniffing behind my ears. “You smell like old money.” I wore the fragrance to an industry event and got similar compliments.
Principal perfumer Clement Gavarry tells ELLE.com that the fragrance, created in partnership with DSM-Firmenich, was inspired by fiamma, or flame in Italian. The scent is a blend of pear, gardenia, and ambrox, a synthetic molecule that mimics ambergris, which gives fragrances a musky, woodsy quality. Pear is a slightly unusual fruit to weave into a scent, but Gavarry explains that “the pear brings brightness and light.” He continues, “The gardenia is more about femininity, woman empowerment, and strength. The ambrox is there to represent the warmth, the centrality of the flame.” The result is a cohesive yet surprisingly complex scent—it’s juicy at first sniff, and then mellows into something grounded and mysterious, with just a hint of fruity stickiness. Overall, the perfume smells warm and ambery, with the white floral and pear notes in the background.
Gavarry also says he was inspired by Salvatore Ferragamo’s craftsmanship. Consider a pair of Ferragamo shoes: They’re as functional as they are beautiful—elegant and avant-garde silhouettes are balanced out by heels that are made for walking. Fiamma is the fragrance equivalent. It’s versatile and feels welcome day or night, just like a roaring fireplace in the dead of winter.
Perhaps what makes Fiamma so enticing is how much it comes alive once you wear it. “You have to experience it, because a blotter doesn’t give it justice,” Gavarry explains. “It’s so much better to wear it, to live with it, because it becomes a second skin. The trail is quite outstanding.” Gavarry says it’s long-lasting, and I can attest—if I put this on in the morning, I can still smell it in the evening.
Ferragamo started creating shoes to make women feel comfortable, and Gavarry says that’s what he aims to do with fragrance, too. This scent achieves that—like slipping on my favorite pair of heels, a spritz of Fiamma makes me feel confident and put-together.