More about Francesca Bianchi
"After graduating in art history in Florence, I discovered my passion for perfume creation through a book on natural perfumery and a handful of essential oils. At the time, I was also interested in alchemy, but it took a while before I made the connection with perfume making. Since then, I have learned and experimented a lot. I have lived in many cities – Florence, Berlin, Luxembourg, Amsterdam – while working in the art book publishing industry.
My perfumes are entirely conceived and handmade by me, from the initial idea to the bottling and packaging in my laboratory in Amsterdam. I focus first on the creation, but also on producing the concentrate, then I package each perfume by hand. The constant search for high-quality materials is not only crucial to the completion of the perfume, but also a permanent passion to which I am completely devoted.
Current circumstances, moods and intuitions – filled with a turbulent, sensual and spiritual meaning – are my sources of inspiration. They are my revelations. I am not interested in simply copying their scent, but in evoking them by expressing the emotional tension during these manifestations.
The creation of a perfume is a very long and complex process, and I live a hermit's life in order to devise a formula, which I then mix, holding my breath with every drop as if it were a sacred ritual. In these ecstatic and silent moments, I feel like an alchemist who, through transformation, gives birth to something new that is not just the result of adding different raw materials." – Francesca Bianchi