SETCHU Special Guest at FRAGRANZE for the launch of SETCHU Perfume

SETCHU Special Guest
at FRAGRANZE
for the launch of
SETCHU Perfume

News

Edition 23

10.07.2025

A set of five olfactory creations where East and West come together to evoke familiar scents and profound experiences

Satoshi Kuwata, founder and creative director of the brand SETCHU, will be the Special Guest of the upcoming edition of FRAGRANZE (September 12-14, 2025).
Following his appearance as guest designer at Pitti Uomo 107 (January 2025), the Japanese designer – winner of the 2023 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers – will unveil SETCHU PERFUME, his first perfume collection, at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence.

A set of five fragrances, created in collaboration with Julie Massé of Mane, one of the most talented noses in the world of artistic perfumery. Each scent reflects the distinctive style of Satoshi Kuwata, whose creations blend East and West into a uniquely harmonious result.
With this launch, the designer enters the world of fragrance, bringing a unique background rich in atmosphere and inspiration. Each formula evokes familiar aromas and deep memories, celebrating the beauty of simple, meaningful experiences.

I wanted to capture that intimate, profound scent that accompanies each of us in the ritual of personal hygiene, when there's time and no rush. Something moving and pure, fresh, crystalline, immaculate, that evokes childhood. I set out to find the scents of both Eastern and Western bathing rituals, to bring back those sensations tied to care and nurturing. I thought of Sunday mornings, of a slow and fluid time, of the quiet joy of parental care. To each element, I associated a day of the week.

— Satoshi Kuwata

In Japanese, the term SETCHU defines a point of balance between Japanese and Western culture, two different worlds that Satoshi brings together and sets in dialogue, that he composes, first in fashion, and now in fragrance.
His fragrance collection evokes, through both its names and olfactory notes, the rituals of everyday life, familiar gestures filled with emotion and nostalgia: for a stream, a piece of wood, or a fish. Each scent is linked to a moment in the day, to an act of care or pleasure. Sensual, romantic, mature, childlike, abstract, tactile – beyond gender. This is the spirit behind SETCHU’s compositions, capable of harmonizing opposites into a singular, unified experience. With SETCHU, we are launching a series of presentations dedicated to the intersection of artistic perfumery and fashion design.

— Francesca Tacconi, Special Event Coordinator of Pitti Immagine

The inspiration draws from a blend of elements that reflect the connection between time, space, and environment. Each fragrance carries in its name a day of the week, a moment in the day, and a symbol of Japanese tradition.

The packaging is equally evocative, inspired by the iconic tea box – an impenetrable chest designed to protect delicate tea leaves. A perfect cube: minimalist, inimitable, and as precious as the fragrance it carefully holds within.

Here is a small glossary curated by Satoshi Kuwata:

Genmaicha: Green tea blended with the delightful aroma of toasted rice.
Yuzu: An ancient Eastern citrus fruit, intensely aromatic and refreshingly crisp, traditionally used in both cooking and ceremonial baths during the winter season...
Ayu: A freshwater fish that lives in clear, cold rivers. It feeds exclusively on a specific type of algae that grows only in pristine waters, giving it a delicate, almost fruity flavor, reminiscent of melon. Fished during the warmer months, it is a symbol of summer and holds a special meaning for me, a fisherman at heart. It reminds me of being immersed in nature, in a time that isn’t about waiting, but about presence.
Tatami: A symbol of home, it carries the scent of fresh grass and evokes intimacy, warmth, and cleanliness, yet remains sensual. The tatami is present in every one of my expressions, a solid foundation on which the entire story of my world rests.
Hinoki buro: Proactive start to the day - a bath that purifies both body and mind, blending fresh aromas of hinoki wood with the serene sensation of Western marble bathtubs.

About Satoshi Kuwata

Born near Kyoto, he studied at Central Saint Martins in London and trained at the Huntsman & Sons tailoring house on Savile Row. He worked with Gareth Pugh, Givenchy, Edun, Kanye West and Golden Goose before founding his own brand in 2020. He was among the winners of the talent-scouting format Who is On Next? and won the prestigious LVMH Prize in 2023. He held a runway show in Florence during Pitti Uomo 107 at the Biblioteca Nazionale, presenting a collection that fused institutional tailoring with the intricate repetition of origami. He also showed in Milan this past June as part of the official Camera Moda calendar.
He is launching his first perfume collection at Pitti Fragranze.