‘They bought me
Seven handfuls of soil in seven bags
And a blindfold. “Now braggart,
Prove your boast and
Show us which is the earth that bore you.”
And they paled when
I murmured “Scotland” and was
Right…’
From Scottish Soil by Stuart McGregor
On the 25th
April this I received an intriguing e-mail from one of my dearest perfume
friends Ermano Picco, writer, fragrance specialist and creator of the
influential blog La Gardenia nell’Occhiello,
which translates as gardenia boutonnière.
Ermano asked if I would consider being a judge for the 2017 OSA! Outsider Scent Awards, a
competition he had established in Bologna in collaboration with the Smell
Festival, an already well-known olfactive cultural event in the city.
Ermano is one of the
few people in the perfume world whose opinion I genuinely value trust. Behind
his expert dandyism is an astutely gathered aromatic intelligence, made all the
more lovely for his modesty.
 |
| Ermano Picco |
In 2012 Andrea
Rubini launched Fundamental, one of
the most compelling perfumes in recent years.Strange and enigmatic, Fundamental used beeswax, the Soave
grape, leather, iris, vetiver, Calabrian bergamot and tangerine to create a
perfume of astonishing, dirty, time-worn beauty. It mixed vintage brothel vibes
with modern day chilled down booze to illicit an amazing collision of emotions
and effects.