Euroitalia
The legend of English perfumery restarts from Cavenago, which for two hundred years has bewitched the world, thanks to the energy of an enlightened Lombard entrepreneur.
Paid in cash. Signed Queen Victoria.
Unbelievable, especially in these times, if it were not documented by a volume that collects the turnover of James Atkinsons who in 1799 arrived in London on a fortune hunt with recipes for excellent perfumes in his pocket and accompanied by a bear on a leash. It is a priceless piece of memorabilia preserved in the vault of the archive of Euroitalia, a leading Italian cosmetics company based in Cavenago that bought it two years ago together with the brand, in the middle of the pandemic. Italian creativity will allow this historic brand, a milestone in perfumery, to return to its lost glories, when it was the supplier not only of Buchingham Palace but also of other ruling houses and of Napoleon, Sarah Bernhardt, Bismarck and the whole glittering world of the jet sets, nobles, artists, archaeologists and adventurers whose respective labels are preserved in an album. Anglo-Saxon glamor and Italian style for an international project that found its entrepreneurial feasibility in Lombardy.
“Twenty-three genderless references ready to conquer the olfactory market – explains Alessandra Re, product manager – and collected in three lines marked by as many themes: the historical addresses, or the fragrances with the name of the historic London boutiques of Atkinsons; the Bouquets, or creations for famous people such as the fragrance created on the occasion of Victoria’s wedding and the oud ones inspired by princes, lovers, legendary characters of the British Empire; finally the compositions that celebrate English culture, strongly British scents, with bouquets inspired by the traditional green spaces of golf and polo, picnics, greenhouse herbs or Tudor rose “. The most fascinating is undoubtedly 24 Old Bond Street which bears the name of another Atkinsons place of worship in London which since 1826, for about 150 years, has been the flagship store of the brand, as the sign on the wall still shows today. This absolutely contemporary fragrance is contained in the iconic faceted bottle enclosed in the orange box, a color that recalls the brick walls of buildings in Mayfair.
The emblem of the brand shows two bears, in memory of the bear who accompanied James Atkinsons along the road to success, while the purple ribbon is a tribute to Vittoria, a loyal and generous customer, and recalls the tiara that the sovereign wore on the day of the coronation.
“It still expresses the original concept of a fresh but woody cologne with hints of rose, complex, powerful and persistent – says Marina Mazzolari, a person who knows these things – It is an honor and a great emotion to hold the original bottle among the hands.
This is a real museum piece ”. And it is not wrong to think, as all perfume lovers hope, that this fabulous archive saved by Euroitalia with photographs, prints, jars of cream and grease, letters and portraits will soon be open to the public.