ONEOFTHOSE – An Olfactory Design Project
Alex Rückheim
oneofthose is an Italian fragrance brand with probably one of the most intriguing conceptual approaches towards perfume creation that we’ve come across so far.
Founded by Alberto Borri, the Italian brand creates artistic fragrances based on the elements in the periodic table; think Oxygen, Helium and Sulphur for example. In collaboration with master perfumers such as Evelyne Boulanger, Antoine Lie and Nicolas Bonneville, oneofthose develop fragrances inspired by the origins of the cosmos. The result is a captivating collection of olfactive interpretations created to invoke a sense of human origin, cosmic memory and personal expression.
It is not only the brand’s underlying philosophy that feels unique, but also their packaging: the perfumes are sealed in a hermetic polystyrene shell, which must be broken in order to reach the bottle.
2016 saw the release of Curium [96Cm] – the latest addition to the brand’s collection of fragrances. Curium is one of the earliest radioactive elements discovered; and is named after Pierre and Marie Curie, the scientists who discovered and isolated the element in 1944.
Evelyne Boulanger, the nose behind ‘Curium - Obsessive Caress’, explains that she tried to capture Marie Curie’s unique personality with this perfume: “I was inspired by a brilliant mind, strongly accurate yet vivid, joyful and imaginative. A creation which could be an enveloping force, a concentrate of emotions, able to push the boundaries of conventional thought…” What you can expect is a radiation of ambrette seeds and colourful traces of pepper, cinnamon and red berry (top note), contrasting with trails of iris and violet (middle note), and rounded off with notes of deep vetiver and bright musk (dry out).
The Italian perfume house oneofthose marries family tradition with conceptual, innovative thinking, and is doing an impressive job in capturing the essence of the elements they intend to call upon.
