As previously reported, in June Coty Prestige unveiled the debut masculine fragrance from the house of Bottega Veneta, called Bottega Veneta Pour Homme (the full reveal was embargoed until today). It will be available globally from September.
The scent, composed by Bottega Veneta Creative Director Tomas Maier, in partnership with noses Daniela Andrier and Antoine Maisondieu, was showcased at a private dinner created and prepared by three star Michelin chef Massimo Bottura, held on the 31st floor of Milan’s Pirelli Tower.
The new Bottega Veneta Pour Homme fragrance and ad visual, with Zak Steiner In addition to journalists, the launch was attended by Maier, Bottega Veneta President and CEO Marco Bizzarri, Coty Prestige President Jean Mortier and the fragrance face Zak Steiner.
Like its feminine predecessor Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum – introduced in 2011 – quality, craftsmanship and innovative design are key elements of the fragrance concept.
The juice opens on notes of bergamot, pine and juniper, building to a heart of pimento, fir balsam and clary sage. The dry-down includes patchouli and a leather accord.
The curved, heavyweight glass flacon was inspired by Venetian glasswork and the traditional Italian carafe. It features a smoky colour-scheme and a faceted base etched with the house’s signature woven intrecciato texture. The cap, collar and signature screw which secures the leather strap adornment is said to reference the black metal used by the house on belt buckles.
The ad campaign features newcomer Zak Steiner. He appears in both the print and film campaign, the latter shot on location in New York City by Swede Axel Lindahl.
“Asian consumers especially appreciate [Bottega Veneta’s] luxury, classic approach. And they are not afraid of price points, if the product is well translated and they see the designer connection. But it’s important to capture what the consumer expects.”Markus Stauss
Marketing Director Travel Retail and Export Worldwide
Coty PrestigeThe fragrance will be complemented by ancillaries including an aftershave balm and a deodorant. The recommended domestic price points for the fragrance are €85 for the 90ml and €65 for the 50ml.
“The travel retail introduction will be in line with the worldwide launch, which is scheduled for 2 September,“ Coty Prestige Marketing Director Travel Retail and Export Worldwide Markus Stauss told The Moodie Report. “It will roll out in our current Bottega Veneta distribution, which is close to 200 doors. The launch will be selective, in key airports only.”
He added: “Asia, Europe (especially Italy and Germany) and the Americas will be key regions. Basically, you won’t see the men’s fragrance anywhere we don’t already have the women’s, as the two go together.”
But Coty does not consider the scents to be a master brand in the conventional sense. “They fit together, but we do not view the fragrances the way we view Calvin Klein Euphoria, for example,” Stauss replied. “What we are building here is signature fragrances, and that’s a different approach.”
Airport launch events will, however, take the same approach as that of Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum and Eau Légère. “What we want to do with such installations is to bring to airports a true reflection of the Bottega Veneta boutiques,” Stauss explained. “Tomas Maier is involved in every single detail of the project, and everything must fit together perfectly and reflect the brand’s DNA.”
Stauss confirmed that the ultra-prestige designer segment was still a “driving force” for Coty Prestige. “Asian consumers especially appreciate its luxury, classic approach,” he noted. “And they are not afraid of price points, if the product is well translated and they see the designer connection. But it’s important to capture what the consumer expects.”
Stauss added: “What’s also important is how different all our ultra-prestige designer brands are – which brings us different consumers. The Bottega Veneta consumer is different from the Chloé consumer, who’s different from Marc Jacobs.”
He concluded: “We think Bottega Veneta is unique; modern in a traditional way, which is an interesting mix. It is discreet in the sense it doesn’t need big, bold logos. It stands for craftsmanship of the highest quality, which is why so many consumers are attracted to it.”
Bottega Veneta, bottled
The brief for Bottega Veneta Pour Homme was beautiful but unusual, according to both the noses. “It was very special,” acknowledged Andrier. “Tomas Maier wrote a [letter], an entire page about the atmosphere of this fragrance, and what the scent should be reminiscent of.
“He said it should call to mind a farmhouse in the Dolomites, with pine wood walls and a leather sofa.. The window was open, so there was a cold breeze. There was also a fire – and a plum tart. So it was very detailed, which is always helpful. Our challenge then was to evoke all those things he had written about, but in a Bottega Veneta way.”
Above left: Tomas Maier with fragrance face Zak Steiner; right: Marco Bizzarri and Jean Mortier 
Three star Michelin chef Massimo Bottura“The aromatic freshness element is important, and for this we used Calabrian bergamot,” Maisondieu continued. “This was teamed with juniper berry, pine tree, clary sage and pimento, all of the highest quality.
“We created a leather core, but added patchouli, cedar wood, fir balsam and pine wood. Cistus (also known as labdanum) was another very important ingredient. It’s very old, and has been used in perfumery for a long time. It gives the fragrance a lot of signature.”
While there are obvious parallels with the debut feminine fragrance, Andrier explained it was not a direct influence. “We did not try to replicate the codes; we simply followed Tomas Maier’s brief,” Andrier noted. “As he is the artistic director for both, there is a link with the leather, but the leather [notes] are not the same.”
While the brief for Bottega Veneta Pour Homme was very precise, it was not restrictive, Andrier explained, something which reinforces her opinion that the men’s market in general is more interesting and open to experimentation. “In the women’s arena, it’s getting more and more narrow,” she asserted. “There are more and more launches, but it’s the same [sort of scents]. Because there are fewer men’s launches, perhaps, there seems to be more differentiation and direction.”
Given the investment involved, both noses acknowledged the need for brand owners to make a profit – but lamented the effect this had on craftsmanship and variety. “The consumer is in a hurry, and they have to choose very quickly,” concluded Andrier. “So the people who create for them try to attract them with something that is familiar, because it’s an easier choice. In general consumers have less confidence to seek out fragrances which are different.”
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