Colonia — A Subtle Repositioning
A fragrance as old as time.
At least that’s what some may think, with the golden yellow flacon and conical bottle silhouette a mainstay for as long as many can remember.
It’s a symbol of daydreams, wealth, success, Italian Summers and free flowing linen. It’s the scent of the sun descending into the sea after a lazy day on the beach. It’s a scent for the ages.
Since the brand’s inception in 1916 there have been many iterations of the now famed scent, but still none more popular than the original icon — Colonia. I tried to describe the scent to a friend who had never smelled it before, and following my rushed and meandering description, his reply was simply “So basically it smells like old money?”
Maybe that was once the case, but as with all things past that are discovered anew, the brand has transcended demography.
Gone are the days of the super-luxury brands being seemingly beyond the reach of any but a select few. Aspirational — yes, exclusionary — no. There is no better time for the brand to explore new visual iterations of visual design for the ageless scent inside, and no better person to perform that transition that Samuel Ross.
The A-Cold-Wall founder has been an integral figure in the transitioning portents of luxury and guided this change with an astute connection to what modern consumers are looking for – even if they did not know it themselves.
The start of a three-year partnership, this new limited-release Colonia bottle is designed by SR_A, Ross’ London-based, industrial design studio.
Exuberant and industrialist, multi-disciplinary artist and designer Samuel Ross looked to the architecture and attitudes of London and Milan as the foundation point for inspiration.
This new design carries the signature of Samuel Ross, combining Italian heritage with British modernism to create a new visual language for the brand. The colours are revived, tweaked and honed into a new modern palette, namely Sun_Rise_Yellow, Grass_Blade_Green and Ultra_Orange. Added to the design is a window, a convenient portal to admire the unchanged golden citrus jus within. The effect is subtle, but lures you in, beguiling you to focus on how the liquid changes in the light, in an almost meditative manner.
This outcome completes the circle, as the sun has ever been a pillar for the Acqua di Parma brand, and it was in fact how the vantage points of light glazed across the European landscape that informed Ross’ vision. The scent itself may be a classic, but the modern fascia breathes a new lease of life that makes it… well, not so “old money”.
Crafted in Italy, Acqua di Parma Colonia Limited Edition, designed by Samuel Ross will be released globally on March 15, 2023.
