BOLOGNA — Italian fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo is looking to widen its consumer base with its new signature women’s fragrance, Attimo, meaning “a moment.” And the goals are twofold: to raise awareness — and customers — for the Ferragamo name, and to enlarge the reach and distribution of the company’s fragrance arm.
The family-owned fashion house, which reported group net revenues in 2009 of 620 million euros, or about $759 million, is upping its game with Attimo, reflecting the Italian company’s strategic growth plans through a new consumer demographic. Whereas the company’s Incanto fragrance story was aimed at a young consumer in her 20s, and predominantly the Asian market, Attimo will be pitched at a hipper, more contemporary fashion customer ranging in age from 25 to 45 — with an emphasis on the lower end of the range.
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“We are looking to get in touch with the younger crowd with this fragrance,” said Michele Norsa, chief executive officer of Ferragamo Parfums, at a party for the fragrance in New York, noting that the face of the scent, Dree Hemingway, was chosen for her “sweet, natural qualities — she epitomizes the spirit of the fragrance.”
Unlike Incanto, Attimo will have more premium pricing. “Our benchmarks are Hermès and Bulgari in terms of positioning and pricing,” said Luciano Bertinelli, ceo of Ferragamo Parfums.
“The vehicle of fragrance is more powerful than what you can do in the fashion world.…It’s a way to spread the name around,” said Ferruccio Ferragamo, chairman of Salvatore Ferragamo, underlining the strength of fragrance in magnifying visibility for the house.
And spreading the word is exactly what Parfums Ferragamo, the brand’s fragrance division, is doing. Established in 2000 following the dissolution of a joint feature with Bulgari, the fragrance arm currently accounts for about 7 percent of Ferragamo SpA’s turnover, recording total wholesale sales of 55 million euros, or around $67 million in 2009. “Our dream is to reach a 10 percent share of the company, and we have the potential to reach this,” said Bertinelli. “This fragrance must live for the next five years, and I want it to grow every year.”
Attimo is slated for a preview at Bloomingdale’s in the U.S. from July until September, and is expected to reach 125 doors in the U.S., including the brand’s boutiques. Globally, Attimo is expected to reach 12,000 doors in 60 countries within six months. Bertinelli noted that key markets for the brand initially will include the U.S., Italy and Russia, with Brazil and Mexico also representing good sales opportunities. According to industry sources, the sales target for Attimo is expected to represent 15 to 17 percent of the total turnover of Ferragamo’s 2009 fragrance business — from 8.25 million euros, or $10 million, based on 2009 wholesale figures — by the end of 2010.
Attimo, created by Jean-Pierre Bethouart and Annick Ménardo of Firmenich, has top notes of nashi pear, kumquat and lotus flower with a heart of gardenia, frangipani and peony and is rounded out by base notes of soft musk, cedarwood and patchouli. The scent’s curvy, transparent flacon is embellished by gold strips featuring the Attimo name in Ferragamo red and was created by artist Sylvie de France. The eau de toilette will be available in three sizes: a 30-ml. bottle priced at $58, a 50-ml. version for $75 and a 100-ml. size for $110. A $44 body lotion will be offered, as will a bath-and-shower gel for $40.
The fragrance’s print ad shows Hemingway, the great-granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway and daughter of Mariel Hemingway. Photographer Craig McDean shot a seductive-looking Hemingway lounging on a bed in a pair of the brand’s signature red stilettos, unwrapping a gift box containing the scent. The story will be played out in a TV spot. At the time of press, Italy was confirmed in the media plan. The campaign will also be broadcast in some Latin-American countries and in Singapore and Korea via cable networks. According to Bertinelli, a men’s version of Attimo is in the pipeline for 2011, while 2012 is slated for a new addition to the Incanto fragrance collection.
For her part, Hemingway is a longtime Ferragamo fan: “I bought my first pair of vintage silver oxford Ferragamos at a vintage store in L.A.,” she recalled at the New York launch party. “They were a size 7 and I wear a size 9, but I bought them anyway. They were that beautiful!”