Back in 2022, while attending the Exsence conference in Milan, I came across a booth that stood out from the others. It’s dark, moody decor as well as the striking presence of perfumer/ founder Meo Fusciuni, dressed all in black with a long black beard and dark matching hat caught my interest. My first thought was that this was an authentic artist, not someone who was playing a part or creating a formulated vibe. His lovely and welcoming wife Federica, guided me towards the fragrance display and I proceeded to smell my way through these unique creations. To my surprise, when I lifted the scent strip to my nose that had been sprayed with the fragrance Varanasi, I was overcome with a deep emotion that brought me softly to tears. After regaining my composure, I continued to smell the creations of Meo Fusciuni, and knew that these were fragrances that I wanted to share with our Fumerie patrons as well as selfishly, to have in my life.
Each consecutive year that I attended Exsence, I made sure to carve out time to visit with Meo and Federica. I realized that the fragrances were not the only thing drawing me towards their wonderfully conceived booths. Meo is one of those rare beings whose kindness and presence is impossible to deny. I felt a kinship with him that inspired me to approach him with the idea of creating a collaborative fragrance between us that would be exclusive to Fumerie. I expressed to Meo that he take the time to consider this proposal and get back to me at his convenience. Instead, Meo broke out in a smile and said, “Of course I will do this project.”
Through various forms of telecommunication, we discussed what this fragrance would signify to us both and a general idea of the materials and tone that would comprise the creation. Meo and Federica had joined us previously at Fumerie for a wonderful event that was a very special evening for all involved. Meo expressed how much he loved Portland and his experience at Fumerie. We decided to build on that and focus on the connection between the two of us in its various forms. Our kinship with each other, the confluence between Italy and Portland, and the excitement around creating something that could express that olfactively.
When the first few mods (variants on the fragrance) arrived at the boutique, I was overcome with excitement to unveil how our ideas would be expressed through Meo’s art. Some of the specific notes that we discussed were evident, but it was the atmospheric tone that he had captured that took my breath away. It takes an extremely skilled artist to take an abstract idea, such as connection, and translate it into a fragrance that evokes such an emotional response. Once we had mutually agreed on the final iteration, the next leg of the journey commenced.
Meo’s wife, Federica Castellani, is the design genius behind the Meo Fusciuni fragrances. It is she who decides on the visual aspects of presenting different fragrant works from the brand. It was such a privilege and pleasure to collaborate with Federica in the creative process as well. She opened my eyes to the amount of detail and care required to conceive and realize a new fragrance. She patiently walked me through the endless options of bottles, atomizers, lids, labels, font options....etc., and was generous with her expertise and experience regarding decisions to be made. I was impressed with how quickly she grasped the Fumerie aesthetic and was able to weave that into the direction we took in each step of the process.
Now that the the material elements of the production had been resolved, it was on to the challenge of choosing a name that would capture our vision. Several options were thrown into the ring, some terrible and some passable but needed to be worked a bit further. The name Ponte Etereo eventually prevailed as it was able to convey a variety of layers that we hoped to express. The name in Italian translates to “ethereal bridge.” This perfectly signified the bridge between Meo’s world and mine, both the distance and connection. The city of Portland played a role as inspiration for this fragrance as well so we chose to honor “bridge city.” During the creation of this fragrance, Meo chose to listen to music by Portland musicians, including curated recommendations from our staff and myself, and even wrote a poem partially inspired by his time in Portland, the intersecting aspects of our mutual lived experiences, and his feelings around his visit. I feel that the fragrance itself does a beautiful job of conveying meditativeness, introspection, sensitivity, love, and a touch of funk.
Both Meo and I are thrilled with the final result of our combined vision brought to life. It is an honor to share this with all of you and we hope that this fragrance stirs in you something special.
To explore Ponte Etereo click here
To explore our previous Q & A with Meo Fusciuni click here
