Pitti Fragranze: an edition beyond expectations
 
News
Edition 19
23.09.2021
The international community of artistic perfumery and lifestyle returned to Florence. 1,100 international industry professionals from 40 foreign countries, for an edition that went beyond expectations: enthusiasm and extremely positive feedback from all members of the trade, for the quality of the attendees, the novelties presented, and the great desire to return to substance, after the long break from in-person fairs.
The Pitti Immagine fair that presents the world’s best artistic perfumery proposals, the latest ideas in beauty and well-being, and the most exclusive skincare lines ended at the Stazione Leopolda on Sunday (Florence, 17-19 September 2021), after thee intense days of business and the desire of all operators in attendance to once again return to in-person meetings. 
 
“The return of Fragranze was a rendezvous eagerly awaited by the international community of high-end artistic perfumery and beauty”, says Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine. “In these days, it was something we all perceived: by speaking with our exhibitors and buyers who arrived at the Leopolda from Italy and from numerous foreign countries, the feedback that emerged was very positive, and I would even go so far as to say enthusiastic. Among the stands, a great number of innovations were presented by established brands but also by many new brands and those at their debut, thanks to meticulous scouting efforts, with the section of Spring representing the high point. Those who came to Florence did so with a great desire for substance, and in order to place orders and cement new business deals. Likewise, great appreciation was shown for the special events of Pitti and the presentations organized by the brands on the calendar – the retrospective on Ralf Schwieger curated by Chandler Burr, the presentation of Mane dedicated to Enfleurage, the Gurìn Talk on freedom in Error, the encounter with the extraordinary participation of Maestro Roberto Capucci, to name just a few – which make Fragranze a unique observatory onto new sector trends and contemporary olfactory culture”.
 
Discovering the novelties of a selection of about 140 maisons and brands - over 70% of which were from abroad – were around 1,100 members of the trade, from 40 countries worldwide.
The number of foreign buyers arrived at a total of 300 visitors: France once again topped the ranking of Pitti Fragranze’s key markets followed by Spain, Switzerland, Russia, Lithuania, Germany, Netherlands, Ukraine, United States, Romania, Poland, United Kingdom, Turkey, Austria, Saudi Arabia, and Portugal.
The fair was covered by over 120 journalists and media operators who participated to discover the latest proposals of this edition.  
 
Feedback from some of the buyers:
 
The organization was excellent: everything went smoothly, and the timing was perfect. Fairs are usually quite stressful for buyers, but I realized that everything would go well even before arriving in Florence. The fair was an incredible discovery for me: everyone seemed excited, I had interesting exchanges and conversations with industry professionals, and I felt I was working in total safety. And I also discovered many exciting brands, even with affordable price ranges. It was exactly what I was looking for: it's the new trend, niche collections that people can afford.

— Amance Galinou, chef de produit Beauté – PRINTEMPS (France)

Beautiful atmosphere, you could feel the will to restart. I booked all the events in the programme: for those attending for years, the most important aspect is the meetings, the talks, the retrospectives, which at Fragranze are always of the highest quality. We often don't have time to keep up with each other throughout the year, and the fair is an unmissable moment to stay up-to-date and discover future trends

— Luigi Correra, titolare NARCISO - Verona (Italy)

When lockdown ended, I thought: I'll go to Fragranze! For me, it is now like a family, always gathering influential buyers with whom I can have pleasant conversations. A brand needs three things to be successful: an incredible look, an original story, and a new perfume, different from any other. It is not easy today, the market is crowded, but I found several interesting brands at the fair. Together with an excellent calendar of events, really of the highest level.

— Frank Weckesser, Aroma Company – Langen (Germany)

If other fairs are business, to me, Fragranze is the soul! It is an event close to my heart, like coming home to family. I found many new products presented by creative brands and a great international scope. And then a nice atmosphere, which has increased the connections between us buyers and exhibitors.

— Cristina Balan, managing director ELYSEE - Bucharest (Romania)

It was an enjoyable experience for me. In the times we are living, it is definitely nice to meet again: despite the big crowd, I felt safe thanks to compliance with anti-Covid regulations. The fair is an opportunity to browse, discover new brands, keep up-to-date and at the same time make yourself known. The calendar of events was also really interesting.

— Deborah Materno, PROFUMERIE MAZZOLARI - Milan (Italy)

Really excited and happy to be here! At Fragranze, I felt a positive, truly energetic atmosphere: you could tell that people wanted to meet again. The fair offers an ideal mix of well-known brands and emerging names; it is very well organized, and visiting is easy and insightful.

— Tanja Deurloo, Perfume Lounge – Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

The world of e-commerce, which has undoubtedly saved us in the last two years, cannot give us the experience that the physical fair offers: presentations, meeting people, smelling the samples of new perfumes, all priceless experiences, and there are details that one must live in person. I like Fragranze, the character of the fair, so intimate and personal: for me, it’s like being home. An excellent event, well organized. At each edition, I discover new interesting brands. And having the opportunity to hear from the likes of Ralf Schwieger is truly remarkable.

— Marta Tamayo, LE SECRET DU MARAIS - Madrid (Spain)

I am thrilled to be back! As always, the fair is well organized, slightly smaller in size than previous editions - for obvious reasons - but I must say that it was almost better because I had more time to learn more about the brands that interested me. Today, it is not easy to launch a sophisticated brand original in content, but the Spring section dedicated to emerging talents featured several interesting options.

— Eric Sogomonian, Cosmotheca – Mosca (Russia)

The perfumery sector is growing. Our customers often ask us what is new, they want to be updated, and Fragranze represents an ideal opportunity. I am here to compare myself with other names in the sector and look for new brands with a strong personality, and I can say that the fair has satisfied my every need.

— Hugo Banha, Profumeria Otro – Lisbon (Portugal)

I am very happy to be here again. Fragranze is an unmissable opportunity to meet again with colleagues and industry insiders I have not seen for two years now! I found an exciting selection of brands and calendar of talks, another asset of Fragranze.

— Borut Mihalic, director TOP – Zagreb (Croatia)

Feedback from some of the fair’s exhibitors:

 
The will to be and do business all together again is undoubtedly of the feelings that will stay with us after this great edition. The physical edition is extremely important to communicate an intangible and ephemeral product such as perfume at its best. Explaining the different fragrances by letting people try and appreciate them live ensures that the experience has a different emotional meaning and result than what can be achieved online. We were hoping to get in touch with many Italian buyers, and the expectation was satisfied and exceeded since I was pleasantly surprised by being able to interact with many international visitors. I am also enthusiastic about the Pitti Connect platform, which allows us to contact the buyers who could not attend the fair.

— Valentino Di Liello, owner of Campomarzio70

An edition that has certainly exceeded expectations. We have seen a great turnout, both Italian and European, a lot of general and widespread enthusiasm, also due to the good performance of our sector.

— Roberto Drago, KAON

After the two years we have lived, Fragranze marks a sort of Reinassance, of rebirth. People are happy to meet, there is great enthusiasm: it is a sign that everything will be back to normal again. The international presence was decidedly strong, and as always, the organization was perfect.

— Pissara Umavijani, DUSITA PARIS

I have been taking part in the fair since its first edition, and for me, it is the only professional reference in the sector. The rigor and research of Pitti Immagine are unique. This year was a fundamental edition because we had been waiting to see each other for two years, and as always, Fragranze proved to be the number one appointment. There was a huge audience who came to do business. The Chinese market, whose representatives could not be present, also sent their local contacts. As well as the very important Arab market and the American one, both were present. A great desire to meet again and discuss: I really want to thank the organization for this experience.

— Laura Tonatto, ESSENZIALMENTE LAURA DI LAURA BOSETTI TONATTO

The atmosphere was great, and we were all happy to be able to meet people again—a lot of positivity in the air. The physical edition of the fair is irreplaceable because it has a stronger emotional impact than dealing with people remotely, which also impacts the business. I love what Pitti Fragranze has always offered, a space to exhibit in which exhibitors are selected. The presence of a specific type of bloggers and influencers allows for an important online resonance that increases visibility.

— Francesca Bianchi, founder of Francesca Bianchi Perfumes

I chose to launch my brand at Fragranze and I must say it was an incredible opportunity! I met a very high selection of Italian and international buyers, and I'm planning to be here at the next edition. See you soon then!

— Hyun Hei, HUNQ

The edition went very well; we did even more business than the last pre-Covid ones. The fair is an opportunity to return to meet old customers and launch new collaborations: Fragranze is the reference point for the indie artistic perfumery brands; people come here to discover names they would not find at any other fair.

— Barbara Loddo, AQUACOSMETICS

After several editions as visitors, it is the first time that we exhibit at Fragranze. We have had many visitors, many buyers and journalists interested in our products. We got a lot of contacts, pre-orders, met many Italian and international people, such as Swiss and Russians. I didn't have any places to share my creativity in Italy, and after the fair I will!

— Aistis Mickeviciu, FUMparFUM

We didn’t know what to expect, but in the end, it went very well, so we are very happy. We were aware that some people from abroad wouldn’t be able to come, but we met many European buyers and the usual number of Italians. We made orders, we got some new distributors. There was much interest in our products so we couldn’t be happier about this!

— Celina Foertsch, PARFUMS CIRO (CIRO - LINARI)

There were more visitors than I expected, despite the pandemic. And I like the intimate atmosphere of the show, and the quality of the visitors is very good. Among the international ones, we met a lot from Russia, Lithuania, and Ukraine.

— Natalia Outeda, FRASSAÏ

Fragranze was even better than expected. The family atmosphere is what makes the fair different, and even the digital dimension is very interesting.

— Luc Gabriel, THE DIFFERENT COMPANY (CHERIGAN)

It's fun and exciting to be back and reconnect with customers. We had many Italian visitors and new buyers from Russia, South Africa, and Europe in general. We have closed several orders and made new contacts. This edition was important because people still want to discover the products in person: after all, we work in the world of fragrances, to participate, to be here, is really essential.

— Anne Meslier De Rocan, LES PARFUMERIES FRAGONARD

I have had many exciting feedbacks, the communication was very efficient, and I already found some partners. I rate this year’s Pitti Fragranze as excellent. We saw both Italian and international visitors, especially from the Baltic region, and the Ukrainian and Russian market. We enjoyed great attention from the Pitti community.

— Tsovak Voskanyan, VOSKANIAN PARFUMS

This edition marked a restart: it was important to participate and send a positive message. It went very well, with a solid international presence. Fragranze is an important platform, and I also find the digital version on Pitti Connect very well structured.

— Simone Andreoli, SIMONE ANDREOLI – DIARIO OLFATTIVO