- Jan 19, 2013
I thought this might be a good moment to say a few words about the new Bogue Profumo fragrance, MAAI, and to rekindle discussion about this incredible line as there are a few other new projects in the works.
(Image courtesy of Antonio Gardoni)
I'm a huge fan of Antonio Gardoni's work, and for some time, I've found him to be one of the most important new voices running laps around what can only be described as a stagnant perfume industry. Like several others, Gardoni has taken it upon himself to salvage old ideas and give them a new lease of life outside of commercial restriction. Last year's Cologne Reloaded and Eau d'E were startling releases, albeit restricted due to the limitations of the vintage materials that they used. And whereas the bar was already set quite high with those two releases, he's really knocked it out of the park with MAAI.
MAAI is a warmly evocative and animalic chypre, but one that doesn't push the musks simply for the sake of being daring; they're absolutely present and central, but not obnoxiously so. My initial impression is that there's a castoreum / hyraceum combination at work, alongside a generous dosing of civet. Both the experience of Montecristo and MKK come to mind, but MAAI splits the difference and turns it down a notch—but only slightly. It's an animalic scent for sure, but in a much more classical vein.
Also, MAAI isn't as herbal as some of his past releases, but it maintains some of the old school form that he's so enamored with. In the past, I've found that his work feels more like a modern twist on vintage, but this one feels purely classical throughout. There's moss, some resins, what strikes me as a spiced lavender, and selection of other florals that are all finely integrated. It's smooth and refined with no sharp edges protruding—a totally baroque thing with a ton of drama. I get the impression of slightly plummy dried fruits, earthy notes, and some gorgeous musks.
Having chatted briefly with Antonio about the composition, the fruity notes that I perceived are actually part of the floral component—a green tuberose, jasmine, ylang ylang, rose. When combined, they feel less floral and more stewed to me—a sort of rich, candied series of notes that you'd expect from bygone perfumery. What spins it a little more fruity is the hyraceum, which lends real character to the overall structure. Although I find this aspect hard to isolate, the scent is structured upon old style aldehydes akin to early Chanel experiments. This is all built over a base labdanum and sandalwood with oriental incense infusions running throughout. It's extremely complex, but feels totally effortless.
MAAI had a soft release at the Smell Festival in Italy last week, and the scent should be ready for order in the next few weeks. For those of you who enjoy either evocative or classical styles—or were intrigued by last year's releases—this one is totally worthy of attention.
(Image courtesy of Antonio Gardoni)
I'm a huge fan of Antonio Gardoni's work, and for some time, I've found him to be one of the most important new voices running laps around what can only be described as a stagnant perfume industry. Like several others, Gardoni has taken it upon himself to salvage old ideas and give them a new lease of life outside of commercial restriction. Last year's Cologne Reloaded and Eau d'E were startling releases, albeit restricted due to the limitations of the vintage materials that they used. And whereas the bar was already set quite high with those two releases, he's really knocked it out of the park with MAAI.
MAAI is a warmly evocative and animalic chypre, but one that doesn't push the musks simply for the sake of being daring; they're absolutely present and central, but not obnoxiously so. My initial impression is that there's a castoreum / hyraceum combination at work, alongside a generous dosing of civet. Both the experience of Montecristo and MKK come to mind, but MAAI splits the difference and turns it down a notch—but only slightly. It's an animalic scent for sure, but in a much more classical vein.
Also, MAAI isn't as herbal as some of his past releases, but it maintains some of the old school form that he's so enamored with. In the past, I've found that his work feels more like a modern twist on vintage, but this one feels purely classical throughout. There's moss, some resins, what strikes me as a spiced lavender, and selection of other florals that are all finely integrated. It's smooth and refined with no sharp edges protruding—a totally baroque thing with a ton of drama. I get the impression of slightly plummy dried fruits, earthy notes, and some gorgeous musks.
Having chatted briefly with Antonio about the composition, the fruity notes that I perceived are actually part of the floral component—a green tuberose, jasmine, ylang ylang, rose. When combined, they feel less floral and more stewed to me—a sort of rich, candied series of notes that you'd expect from bygone perfumery. What spins it a little more fruity is the hyraceum, which lends real character to the overall structure. Although I find this aspect hard to isolate, the scent is structured upon old style aldehydes akin to early Chanel experiments. This is all built over a base labdanum and sandalwood with oriental incense infusions running throughout. It's extremely complex, but feels totally effortless.
MAAI had a soft release at the Smell Festival in Italy last week, and the scent should be ready for order in the next few weeks. For those of you who enjoy either evocative or classical styles—or were intrigued by last year's releases—this one is totally worthy of attention.
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