Style

In a continuation of their ongoing collaboration, Mary Katrantzou, the queen of prints, takes an olfactive journey with Bvlgari. Fans of the Maison will be delighted to learn of the new flanker to the Omnia universe—as interpreted by the Greek fashion designer herself. 

This uplifting fragrance is created with none other than Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas, the nose behind the original Omnia itself. If you are one to judge a perfume by the bottle, then you just might be correct this time. The scent is both vibrant and joyful, just like the rainbow which inspired its creation. 

The sparkling top notes consist of mandarin essence and fig leaf accord, resulting in an energetic wave. For the heart notes, Mary’s favourite flower, the gardenia is married with notes of Mediterranean Orange Blossom, and anchoring it all together are the musk accord and blond wood notes, embedded in the base of this perfume. 

The outcome? A heady white floral scent that’s counterbalanced with the splash of citrus. 

In a conversation with Mary herself, we spoke about her experience crafting Omnia by Mary Katrantzou. 

Why did you choose to interpret the Omnia collection? 

I was inspired by the joyful spirit and the exuberance of the Omnia collection. I always use colour as a wellness tool, and Omnia’s universe is known for its brilliant colours, so it felt natural to craft Omnia by Mary Katrantzou. My initial brief to Alberto was to create a fragrance that is inspired by the phenomenon of synaesthesia and to find inspiration in the rainbow as a symbol of positivity.

Share with us the creative process and inspiration of the fragrance and the collaboration with Alberto Morillas.

Alberto and I first talked about my initial brief which was to distill rainbow into a scent. I wanted to apply this idea to create an interplay between colour, smell and emotion. We envisioned together every emotion as its own universe of colours and olfactive notes. When we met, he presented me with two different directions. It was at that moment that we decided to blend both worlds: his alchemical exploration of the rainbow and the smells that are drawn from my childhood memories. 

Can you walk us through what memory inspired the creation of this fragrance?

My favourite memory is the scent of gardenia. When I was growing up, we had a beautiful gardenia tree in our garden and my mother always used to cut fresh gardenia blooms for our bedside table. It’s the first scent I remember waking up to and the scent that accompanied me to sleep. It always reminds me of my summers in Greece. 

How have fragrances played a role in your life? 

Fragrances are very personal. Each scent I have worn in my life takes me back to a specific memory. For this Bvlgari fragrance, I wanted to create a scent that focuses on the spirit of inclusion and positivity. Although this scent is personal too, I wanted women to create beautiful memories that this scent will remind them of in the future.

Did you always know that you were going to craft a scent one day?

The perfumery world has certainly been one that I have desired to explore! With OMNIA, there is design integrity and a daring quality from the design of the bottle, to the choice of colours, to the scent itself.

The creation of this fragrance happened during such a turbulent time for everyone. What was that like?

Our entire collaboration was unorthodox, as it occurred in the middle of the pandemic. I had only met with Alberto once in London before the lockdown, and during this time we defined the direction of the scent. We talked about my childhood memories, my favourite smells and discussed my initial brief: to distill the rainbow into a scent. Doing everything entirely remotely, I think you take most decisions on instinct and fragrance by nature is very personal. It really heightened all our other senses that guided all the decisions around this collaboration.