The history of Acqua di Parma is a great Italian story. It all began in 1916 in a small essential oil workshop in the heart of old Parma where Carlo Magnani, a man of great elegance and refinement, heir to a noble family of Parma, created a fragrance which was unusually fresh and modern and which reflected his lifestyle. It was the first real Italian cologne. Colonia by Acqua di Parma. A new classic destined for timeless success. The composition of Colonia, still unchanged today, is gaining ever greater popularity. In the 1930s, it became the “perfume” of the era. Its art deco inspired bottle with its classic black stopper in Bakelite was born during these years and immediately affirmed itself as a real style icon. In the 1950s, Colonia attained international success. Hollywood actors, invited to Italy by the great masters of Italian cinema, discovered its intimate and refined notes in the historic bespoke tailors’ shops where a puff of Acqua di Parma’s fragrance would be squirted by the tailor before handing over a made-to-measure suit. A tradition which has connected Colonia from its birth to the world of men’s bespoke tailoring and makes it a must-have accessory. In the 1960s, fashions changed, but Colonia continued to exert an immutable appeal and proved to be the preferred fragrance of an international elite of connoisseurs, remaining as such until the 1990s when, due to three well-known Italian entrepreneurs united in their passion for Colonia, Acqua di Parma gained new strength, giving rise to new creations. A style was born, a way of living, a philosophy of life which inspired clear social references. Refined, cultured men, and elegant, sophisticated women found in Acqua di Parma the expression of a luxury that is not showy, a search for the most prized materials, the heritage of a brand which drew from the experience of Italian craftsmanship, deriving its own value from it. The world of Colonia is enriched with new creations intended for the home – a collection of exquisite sponges, ambiance sprays and perfumed candles of unrivalled quality – the expression of the most refined Italian art of living. In 1998, the first historic boutique opened in Via Gesù in Milan, and the following year, alongside the world of Colonia, characterised by the unmistakeable Parma yellow of its iconic boxes, Acqua di Parma launched the Blu Mediterraneo range. A world of fragrances which contain the energy, the sun and the colours of some of the most symbolic places of the Italian Mediterranean and conveys the style of leisure time that is sophisticated and exclusive. In 1999, Profumo was born, the brand’s first fragrance for women, an Eau de Parfum as precious as a gem, a great Chypre dedicated to a woman who is discerning, innately stylish and who, in her luxurious boudoir maintains the traditions of the best quality perfume. In the 2000s and the entry of LVMH – group leader on a global level in the production and distribution of luxury goods – a new chapter opened in the history of Acqua di Parma and the brand’s unmistakable style gained ever greater strength and international renown. In 2003, the legend of Colonia evolved, was embellished and was completed. Colonia Assoluta was born. A new classic, a sensory portrait of an eclectic and creative man, the expression of instinctive refinement, original and contemporary. New offerings followed on with success. In 2003, the international renown of the brand led to the launch of the new Hotel Line, which gives guests in the world’s most luxurious hotels the pleasure of the fresh and light fragrance of Colonia. In 2006, the Collezione Barbiere was born, a collection of products and accessories for shaving devoted to the rituals of masculine refinement and, in the same year, Acqua di Parma’s feminine world was enriched with a new and elegant collection of fragrances inspired by the flowers that are most symbolic of the great aristocratic Italian gardens. With Iris Nobile, the iconic fragrance of Acqua di Parma’s feminine universe, Le Nobili were born, exclusive fragrances dedicated to an aristocratic and sophisticated femininity which would be enriched over the years by other extraordinary creations: Magnolia Nobile in 2009, Gelsomino Nobile in 2011 and finally Rosa Nobile in 2014. A different and unique fragrance each time, selected for its noble femininity, for its refined perfumed essence and for the sublime quality to which the Acqua Nobile range is added – Iris, Magnolia, Gelsomino and Rosa – fragrances as precious as the fountains of Italy’s most aristocratic gardens. Even the world of Colonia is evolving and in 2007 it was enriched with a new, charismatic creation, Colonia Intensa, followed in 2010 by Colonia Essenza, a collection of fragrances dedicated to the world of masculinity and made to measure, like tailored suits, in the different styles of the contemporary gentleman. And finally, in 2015, Colonia Club was born. A fragrance which expresses a whole world and is already a statement through its name. Reserved for a world of men who share the same values and the same attitude to refinement, who love finding themselves in their sports club and practising noble disciplines, dressage above all. In 2012, Acqua di Parma started adventuring towards other olfactory regions, approaching cultures and environments near and far. A journey of fascinating fusions during which Colonia, Acqua di Parma’s iconic fragrance, encounters and selects the rarest, most unusual and evocative ingredients. To reinterpret itself and formulate innovative olfactory blends, always maintaining its own character intact and fully recognisable. From this, a collection is developing which is like a travel journal. Ingredient Collection. The first two chapters tell of two different but equally intriguing destinations. The East, with Colonia Oud which knows how to gather the sensory wealth of those lands, intertwining it with the wholly Italian freshness of Colonia in an unexpected union. And, returning to Italy, a stay in fabulous Tuscany, in the historic tanneries where you breathe that intoxicating smell of leather which gives off images of an elegance that is all masculine and which inspires Colonia Leather. And if the most fascinating journeys take place along the coordinates of time as well as space, now Colonia is turning towards the distant past, to the origins of the history of perfumes, and so arrives in Venice, among the luxury of its refined nobility. To explore other worlds and other knowhow and increase the horizons of the present. Colonia Ambra is born. Acqua di Parma has expressed its unmistakable style even within the context of travel. Created in 2000, the collection of bags and accessories in leather has been enhanced over the years by exclusive recommendations dedicated to the world of travel and business. A range made wholly by hand in prestigious calf and buffalo leather by Italian master leather craftsmen. Acqua di Parma is a lifestyle brand, a way of living which always offers its admirers unique and complete experiences, creations and places dedicated to whoever knows how to appreciate its exclusiveness. With this philosophy, the first Blu Mediterraneo SPA was created in 2008, an oasis of wellbeing in the extraordinary setting of Porto Cervo, within the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. An intimate and refined place where you can relive the deep and regenerating pampering of a day spent on the shores of the Italian Mediterranean and from whose exclusive formulas, used for treatments in the changing room, is born the Italian Resort line of products for face and body. A universal age-defying range which gives skin the intense energy of the Italian Mediterranean. Porto Cervo was the first spa. The last one set up, in 2013, the Blu Mediterraneo SPA in Venice, was created within the Gritti Palace Hotel. Another iconic place, rich in history loved by the most sophisticated travellers from all over the world. A cosmopolitan audience to whom the brand has been dedicating ever more personalised services over the last few years, exclusive spaces and opportunities to meet privately. In 2012, the new Boutique in Via Gesù was opened which has become Acqua di Parma’s noble residence, an exciting space in which
you will find all the label’s worlds, values, ambiances and style. A few months later, in the old heart of the Marais, in Rue Des Francs Bourgeois, it opened its new Paris Boutique and, in 2014, the Rome Boutique in the splendid setting of Piazza di Spagna, and this is only one more step in its success story, new chapters of which will be written. Found in Europe, Asia and the United States, Acqua di Parma continues to celebrate Italian excellence, offering small masterpieces of craftsmanship, which anchor its roots in ancient knowhow, to a very discerning and cultured public.
ACQUA DI PARMA
A WORLD OF VALUES
Acqua di Parma. A historic brand, guardian of timeless values kept constant since its inception, almost 100 years ago. Acqua di Parma made its debut in 1916 with Colonia, a fragrance that was immediately acclaimed as an icon of style, elegance and discernment: unmistakably Italian. Colonia became the signature fragrance around which the brand subsequently developed, always adhering to the same values – constant high quality, attention to detail and inimitable Italian craftsmanship. All of Acqua di Parma’s products are entirely handmade at small individually chosen Italian laboratories where the secrets of the trade are handed down from generation to generation. In the spirit of ancient Italian craftsmanship, each product is made using only the very best, most exclusive materials, with unfailing attention to each finish and ever y detail. Acqua di Parma caters to a sophisticated, demanding public, who appreciate the refined, understated and distinctive style of the brand. From the outset, the image of the brand and the packaging of the products have been distinguished by Acqua di Parma’s signature color yellow and its’ royal crest. Yellow to recall the elegant historic Palazzi of the city of Parma, and the crest of the Duchy of Parma to remember the city in the era of Maria Luigia who guided it to its maximum glory. Two elements that together reinforce the aristocratic character of the brand and its strong link with the city of Parma, home to the most noble, illuminated Italian culture. The discrete but unmistakably classic graphic designs echo Acqua di Parma’s personality and ensure recognition of the brand.Today, Acqua di Parma is a lifestyle brand on a high profile luxur y market, characterized by its classical but always modern products. A true ambassador for authentic Italian savoir-vivre: a culture forged by the ability to interpret and deploy the most firmly entrenched values of exclusive quality, elegance, and refinement.
A legacy carefully safeguarded by Acqua di Parma.