Nobody knows about Italian-made craftsmanship quite like Alessio Nanni! As the head of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA)‘s Fashion and Beauty Division, Nanni connects Italian brands across fashion, beauty, fragrance, and more to the North American market and beyond. This weekend, ITA launched a special insider event showcasing niche Italian fragrance brands with artistic perfumery event creator ESXENCE. At the special occasion at One World Observatory, we caught up with the always-fashionable Nanni on ITA and ESXENCE’s partnership and what makes Italian fragrances unique in the beauty market.
How did you start working with ESXENCE on this event?
We began with a strong partnership that we’ve built over the years, with Equipe Exibit, which is the organizer of ESXENCE. That is the leader of the trade show in Italy; it collects all the Italian producers and international fragrances and niche perfumeries. It’s a segment of the industry. Sometimes, it’s hard to promote this niche universe, so we built this partnership bringing retailers and influencers in Milan, where the show is. Then, [they] asked us, “Why don’t we create a nice showcase of Italian niche fragrances in New York?” We chose the One World Observatory. It [was] the perfect stage to spotlight these refined and iconic products.
ITA and ESXENCE’s event at One World Observatory
What was the process for choosing the 20 fragrance brands at the event?
They apply in Rome, so they need some criteria. The distribution, the ingredients, just to be classified as a niche perfume and not commercial. Once they did that, the committee accepted them, and then they would be part of the project. Most of the brands are exhibitors, so the collaboration with [ESXENCE] was very, was very helpful to onboard those companies.
What are some standout Italian brands we should be looking out for?
We have a lot of brands. It’s interesting because they’re very connected to the heritage and the territories in Italy. You can discover Sardinia, Tuscany, so it’s interesting to see how each region expresses their olfactory culture. WA:IT is a brand that takes inspiration from Japan, and it’s interesting because it has a holistic approach. You need to enjoy the fragrances with a touch of wellness. One fragrance helps you to relax, and want to explore. It’s very, very interesting. There are very old-fashioned Italian brands that have a nice reputation in Italy, so you can have a tour where you enjoy all of these brands and houses.
ITA and ESXENCE’s event at One World Observatory
What makes the Italian fragrance market unique within the wider fragrance market?
The hallmarks of Made in Italy are the culture, timeless elegance, and creativity. I must highlight the research, the continuous research of ingredients, new notes, and new ways of producing these kind of blends. This heritage, plus this creativity and innovation, make Made in Italy real different from the others. We are the third supplier for the US. Considering all the broader sectors of fragrances, we are the third suppliers—we explore $7.35 million in 2024 so we ranked as the third suppliers. Then the niche perfumeries, of course, are growing, so brands can find their space in the market. The sector is growing very rapidly because of this, because of the appreciation of American consumers for this craftsmanship and heritage of modernity. We are very happy.
What are some ingredients or notes that are signatures of Italian fragrances?
We created this activation, where we will choose your [fragrance] family notes, like fresh, floral, gourmand or woody. I would say [Italian fragrance signatures] are something related to the food, gourmand and very welcome fragrances.
ITA and ESXENCE’s event at One World Observatory
What do you hope people take away from ITA and ESXENCE’s fragrance event?
They will discover that Italy is famous not only for design and fashion and food, but even for beauty. Beauty is a sector that is performing very well. Among the consumer goods, it’s one of the best, and fragrance as well. They will discover how Italians can make very interesting fragrances, how they combine notes and how they present them. If you see some of the packaging, they are very interesting, with stones or very nice designs. We combine all the things that are the whole of Made of Italy in one product.
How would you describe Italian beauty or fragrances in three words?
Unique, timeless, and simple.
All images: Gerardo Somoza
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