Eau d'Italie - Interview with Sebastián Alvarez Murena

10/01/07 01:11:44

Tired and feeling a fatigue of every day's work and obligations, each of us for sure craves for moments of peace and tranquility, moments in which we could escape to a nice small coastal place somewhere in the south of Italy, sit near the sea, expose our faces to the Sun and enjoy the smells of the Mediterranean… the smells of the sea, southern fruits, and rich green vegetation… The good news is that it is not an impossible dream – there is now Eau d'Italie to make a part of our dream come true.

Eau d'Italie is a fragrance collection inspired by Italy. The four fragrances of Eau d'Italie have captured the scents of Italy – starting with the smells of Positano and Le Sirenuse, the collection takes us across the country to the city of Siena, the woods of Umbria, and the Paestum roses. Wishing to bring this exceptional collection closer to perfume lovers, we have got in touch with the creators of Eau d'Italie, Marina Sersale and Sebastián Alvarez Murena, who have in 2002 initiated the whole Le Sirenuse fragrant project. They started by creating the first of the four fragrances, Eau d'Italie, in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Le Sirenuse.

Now we have a pleasure of presenting our conversation with Sebastián Alvarez Murena.

Fragrantica: Eau d'Italie promotes Le Sirenuse Hotel and Italy, and therefore in that sense those two are inseparable. Which side of Italy is presented by Eau d'Italie?

Sebastián Alvarez Murena: I think the best way to reply to your question is by explaining what we looked for when creating Eau d'Italie Eau de Toilette. Our idea was to create an Eau de Toilette which would be an Italian contemporary classic. A fragrance that would represent Italy in its timeless elegance, whilst staying away from the "lieux communs" that identify Italy mostly with citric fragrances. That is why we worked around the idea of the smell of terracotta heated by the sun, a very unique and captivating smell immediately identifiable with summer in Italy, with terracotta tiles, vases and amphorae heated by the sun.

So to come back to your question, our feeling is that more than representing one side of Italy, Eau d'Italie embodies the spirit of Italy, made of a timeless understated elegance.

F: Are your fragrances classical, modern, or they belong to some particular niche?
What do they have in common with classical Italian perfumery style?

Sebastián Alvarez Murena: It is difficult, and sometimes also a bit of a limit, to put a label on fragrances. What I am going to say is perhaps obvious, but we must remember that what we consider a classic today was modern when it was launched, and perhaps even outrageously in contrast with tradition back then.
By their own nature classics already are and exist, and making "new" classic fragrances would both be an oxymoron and sort of unnecessary. There are some superb classics out there which needn't be reproduced.

So, coming back to our fragrances, I would say they are contemporary, and whereas to which niche they belong, I would say they fill a vacuum my partner and I felt there was: we created them because they are what we wanted and couldn't find anywhere.

F: Your newest fragrances are devoted to Siena in winter and the woods of Umbria. Could you tell us something about the inspiration and motives behind?
I assume that those are not only beautiful images of Italy worth seeing, but also your personal impressions.
Could you tell us what Siena looks like in winter, and what is so magical about the woods of Umbria?

Sebastián Alvarez Murena: Sienne l'Hiver and Bois d'Ombrie are two takes on autumn/winter in Italy. They are two extremely different fragrances, one extremely subtle and sophisticated (Sienne l'Hiver) and the other very powerful and direct (Bois d'Ombrie).

Sienne l'Hiver belongs the to sophisticated world of Sienna as a cradle of refinement literally for centuries. It's an intimistic fragrance which truly doesn't resemble anything I've ever smelled before. It represents a whole world, a way of living that may be consciously perceived or not, but surely exists: an old family house in the Tuscan countryside, a winding road with cypresses on its sides, the interior of a gentleman's dressing room. Sienne l'Hiver is the heart itself of understatement, the exact opposite of the modern show-off. I think that those to which it should appeal will understand it immediately upon trying it on skin.

Bois d'Ombrie, instead, represents the deep woods of Umbria, a region where both my partner Marina and I have lived in. The woods there have a nearly primaeval strenght and power, reassuring and at the same time imposing. Those are the feelings we wanted to capture in Bois d'Ombrie, which make for a bold statement, but with the gentleness implied in real strength.

Fragrance can be described in words only by comparison to other images or scents the reader already knows. But coming back to your question about the magic of the woods of Umbria, it would be a bit like the description of the development on skin of Bois d'Ombrie: it's a road that takes you by hand from powerful root notes, to the nearly golden depth of the leather that blossoms on skin some 30 minutes after having sprayed it.

F: Your second fragrance Paestum Rose is devoted to the art of old Italian perfumery in which 'her majesty' rose was placed on the royal position.
Could you tell us more about the ancient Italian perfumery and Rose Paestum?

Sebastián Alvarez Murena: The roses of Paestum were famous in ancient times, quoted by many classic authors, and it would be more the job of a historian to speak about ancient Italic perfumery. Our Paestum Rose doesn't want to be a recreation of that classic flower which, incidentally, has disappeared as a variety. Paestum Rose by Eau d'Italie is our interpretation of how we like to imagine the smell of Paestum and its roses, blended with the resins burning on the altars of the temples.

Starting from this idea, we created what is a truly contemporary unisex rose: we wanted a rose that wasn't in any way a classic opulent rose (again, why make what already exists? There are beautiful classic rose fragrances already on the market), and also, a Rose suitable to a man. I think we succeeded: once broken the barrier that makes some men thinking "rose? Not for me" and tried on skin, Paestum Rose is the sexiest possible fragrance on a man, while being very masculine. And at the same time getting rounder and more feminine on women's skin. That's the real magic of fragrance.

And as for all things related to perfumery, words can't describe the sensations: you have to try them on your skin and get to your own conclusions.

F: Could you tell us more about the bottles, which are obviously designed in a minimalist style, comparing to the luxurious and antique atmosphere of Le Sirenuse Hotel?
Why did not you choose a bottle design that would be more in line with the hotel image?

Sebastián Alvarez Murena: While being an 18th century palazzo, Le Sirenuse already has a very contemporary side like its fitness centre, designed by Gae Aulenti. So Eau d'Italie wanted to reflect this combination of contemporary and classic. Sorry if I repeat it but: today's classics were yesterdays' avant-gardes, one must never forget that. Otherwise there is no innovation and everything tends to end up looking the same. We wanted a clean design for our bottles, with a nice opaline-feeling to the touch (our bottles are glass, which we spray-paint white).

We wanted to stay away from all things gilded and baroque. All that already exists, why copy it? (And, by the way, where is the pleasure in doing something that already exists?) I think our packaging came to be what it is because we truly wanted it to be special . And I must say that the public's appreciation for it is the best possible reward we are getting.

F: What is your favorite fragrance of the Eau d'Italie collection?

Sebastián Alvarez Murena: I think the truth is each fragrance represents a different mood/time/moment. More than favourites, there are different occasions. And each of our fragrances is like a very much desired baby: we have nurtured it for long before releasing it. We could never, ever release a fragrance we don't personally love deeply, why should we?
This kind of freedom is very important to us: we realise we make fragrances which are not for everybody, but at the same time we do know we are going to be pleasing some people, who will understand it immediately.

Please visit the web presentation of Eau d'Italie

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