SCENTS OF PLACE

For Fendi, a major move into fragrance meant looking inward.

-  Adrienne Gaffney

Like most things Fendi does, the brand’s approach to fragrance has family at its center. Silvia Venturini Fendi, a member of the family’s third generation and the artistic director of accessories, menswear, and children for the company, is gathered with her daughters Delfina Delettrez Fendi and Leonetta Luciano Fendi at I Casali del Pino, a bucolic family property just outside of Rome, when the final result of a long-in-the-works project—Fendi’s first major fragrance launch in years—is presented to her. She sniffs approvingly. The line includes seven perfumes, each conceived with a loved one in mind. Casa Grande, a leather scent with hints of cherry and incense, is an ode to Adele Fendi, who cofounded the company as a fur and leather goods store in 1925 with her husband, Edoardo; while La Baguette, which smells like bread with sugar and butter, was inspired by Delfina’s six-year-old twin sons. When the bottles are lined up together, they form a color gradient, each one relating to the ones beside it.