MILAN — Three years after their first foray into perfume, Bottega Veneta and Coty Global Markets are launching the Italian fashion brand’s second women’s eau de parfum. Called Knot, the scent is a breezy, floral departure from its leathery, chypre predecessor, and Bottega Veneta creative director Tomas Maier emphasized its long-term importance in the firm’s fragrance portfolio.
“This is part of our journey of scent.…Behind each fragrance, there is a precise idea,” he said, noting that for the new edp, inspiration came from an imaginary house on the Italian coast, with the smell of flowers and fresh laundry wafting through an open window. “What I’m working on is creating a world,” Maier added, emphasizing that each fragrance was an equally important, and timeless, piece in a larger scheme.
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Devised by Daniela Andrier of Givaudan, the fragrance kicks off with a clementine accord, mixing mandarin, limette, neroli and orange flower. Lavender is at the heart, while rose and peony provide floral touches to contrast the earthier musk and tonka beans at the edp’s base.
Knot expresses the quintessence of Bottega Veneta’s subtle but luxurious femininity, said Jean Mortier, president of Coty Global Markets, noting that Maier “has a definite vision, he knows exactly where he wants to go.…He has a great consistency over time, the product is at the heart of everything — which you can see in his handbags, fashion and perfume.”
The fragrance is conceived for a mature customer who appreciates craftsmanship over trends, Mortier added. “She buys a fragrance for herself, the pleasure is for herself,” he noted. “She’s not looking for status symbols; it’s a luxury she is choosing to give herself.”
The weighty, softly rounded bottle is topped with a matte gold cap in the shape of a knot — an explicit reference to Bottega Veneta’s best-selling Knot clutch. Meanwhile, the advertising campaign features Australian model Julia Nobis in a series of intimate, sensual but never over-the-top portraits by David Armstrong. “She has a certain modernity that I like,” said Maier of the model, adding that he also appreciated her intelligence and the mysterious reserve she communicates in pictures. The campaign will be exclusively print and digital, and will appear in stores, where special areas will be set up for sampling.
Mortier declined to discuss sales projections, however, industry sources said Knot could hit $40 million in retail sales in its first year on the shelf.
Distribution for the fragrance will remain selective, said Mortier, reaching about 3,800 doors when rollout is complete. “For now, we have no plans to expand distribution,” he noted.
Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman in the U.S. and Harrods in the U.K. have a late-August exclusive ahead of the international September rollout, and the scent will also be available in all Bottega Veneta boutiques. Key markets for Bottega Veneta perfumes include the U.S., Italy, Germany, the U.K. and the Middle East, with further development under way in Asia.
Knot will be available in 30-ml., 50-ml. and 75-ml. bottles, which will retail for $90, $125, and $160, respectively, in the U.S. A body lotion, shower gel and body cream will complete the offering.