It smells mysterious, is considered sacred, entire ceremonies are dedicated to incense in Japan, the art of perfumery began with it in the Orient, and for Lenka Rundholz, it marks the beginning of her fragrance, a truly unique creation.
It was the intoxicating scent of the resin that inspired the designer. Do you know the aroma when the Greek priest walks through the rows of worshippers, swinging the smoking incense burner? Or when a tart scent fills the room during a traditional Indian Ayurveda treatment? Incense: so exotic and extraordinary that fashion designers Lenka and Carsten Rundholz chose it as the most important ingredient for their perfume. A fragrance that is as radical in its concept and composition as the fashion they have been designing since 1993. Clothing that does not follow trends, but rather a global attitude. One that works just as well on the streets of Tokyo as it does in Antwerp or New York. A look that has conquered the female creative class almost silently – their customers include artists, actresses, women who make a difference and shape the scene. The idea for a perfume that is mysterious, multi-layered and tells of creativity and dreams like its wearers was obvious, and the two designers had it seven years ago.
All that was needed was a trained nose, a visionary who knew about meaning, dreams and fragrant things: Arturetto Landi. An Italian perfumer who translated Rundholz's images and scents into a complex perfume.
The perfumer used incense as the base note, vanilla-scented heliotrope, which also attracts butterflies and can be found in Lenka's garden, as the heart note, and the fruity-scented lychee from China as the top note. ‘A distinctive scent with a lot of character and identity,’ explains Arturetto Landi, ‘a fragrance for extraordinary people.’
The joint development work took two years. Fragrance samples flew back and forth like little perfumed letters. A fragrance manufacturer in Grasse, France, brought the ingredients together and Landi's nose composed the fragrance. Lenka Rundholz tested the perfume for almost a year. ‘It caused a stir and never failed to make an impression,’ says the designer. The aroma lingers like a Fellini film: a rush of images, surreal, poetic, enigmatic. A perfume that does not reveal everything and remains mysterious. Just like the numbers that stand for its name: 03. Apr. 1968.
The packaging is also mysterious – deep black like a calligrapher's inkwell. ‘A perfume that is truly different,’ says expert Arturetto Landi, ‘a fragrance that is rare to find, that takes you on a journey. To the Orient or to the heart of its creators.’
