Venroy’s surprising foray into fragrance
He’s conquered Australian fashion, now Sean Venturi is taking his clothing brand Venroy into new territory.
Trudging the sunbaked cement Bondi-to-Bronte pathway on a 35-degree day while gazing out at the ocean, its blue-green spectrum of Pantone tones almost mind-defying, the smell hits you. A warm, salt-laden breeze; freshly mown grass from a nearby park; eucalyptus leaves that smell almost minty. Sweat mixed with sunscreen and Aerogard, and hedges heavy with jasmine. It’s the unmistakable scent of summer. You may not register it immediately, but in years to come similar smells will likely trigger flashbacks, evoking blurred memories of holidays past.
A spritz of a certain fragrance can deliver a similar kind of escapism – and conveniently on demand. It’s something Sean Venturi, the founder of Venroy, hopes the brand’s first fragrance Paradiso will do, encapsulating the scent of summer and embodying two of the places he feels most connected to – Bondi and Capri (minus the hordes of selfie-snapping tourists).
Over the past 13 years the Bondi-born label has become a vacation-wear stalwart, with its collection of men’s and women’s signature linen separates, breathable crochet knits, and light silks made for 40-degree days and balmy nights. At its core sits the concept of coastal escapism and the fragrance reflects that, with the 35-year-old’s overriding hope being that a bottle becomes a form of armchair travel.
“This scent’s transportive,” he explains from his Paddington HQ. “We’ve explored fresh notes reminiscent of Bondi, while carrying an undertone that’s a little heavier and evokes nostalgia. That’s the nod to Italy,” he adds, revealing his family comes from Brescia. “It’s my heritage.”
Australian fashion identities diving into the scent space has become a thing of late: from designer/AJE chief executive Adrian Norris’s Ikkari and it’s aromatherapy mists, to London-based former fashion consultant Yasmin Sewell and Vyrao, the fully fledged fragrance, incense and candle brand in which Estée Lauder recently acquired a stake.
Yet interestingly, Venturi insists that this foray into fragrance isn’t Venroy launching “beauty”. His preferred lingo? Holiday Wellness. “All part of the masterplan,” he says with a laugh, not yet ready to reveal what’s next. Body cream? Salt scrubs? Skin oils? “We’ve expanded in Australia, gone international with Capri and Montauk [both seasonal outposts], and it’s time for us to build out the framework we’ve been working towards. They’re items we think will elevate travel experiences.”
With fragrance houses busily churning out Amalfi-inspired unisex tonics post-pandemic, Venturi knew that for this debut he’d need a perfumer who thought about fragrance differently. Someone who would delve deeper than simply looking towards the environment for inspiration.
Enter famed nose Barnabé Fillion, a 42-year-old Parisian whose CV history documents stints as a fashion model; assistant to photographer Helmut Newton; homeopathic student; and the creative responsible for many of Aesop’s renowned scents, among others.
“I’d first read about Barnabé five years ago and was intrigued,” muses Venturi, explaining that Fillion has synaesthesia, a condition that allows one to experience more than one sense simultaneously. “He’s a multidisciplinary creative who works well beyond the world of fragrance, and has a unique ability to combine scent, music, architecture, and fashion. I particularly loved his own fragrance range Arpa, specifically Fosforo, a scent inspired by the waters surrounding Kyushu in Japan. He also did Le Labo Geranium 30, a unisex take on a floral scent. He’s amazing at working contrast and tension into a scent.”
The creative process has taken more than two years and kicked off with a meeting in Fillion’s Paris Pantin office. The perfumer later tells WISH: “I immersed myself in the brand, its culture and the product. I even wore the clothes to get a feel. We also had that magical element of distance, which is strange when you’re developing a perfume, but I really wanted this fragrance to create an ‘experience’. To create a ‘texture’ and [merge the] landscape of two places.
“To me, Bondi and Capri represent relaxed luxury, so I wanted to perfect that freshness of the sea and the sun, and here it’s the neroli that’s a touch of Italy and adds sparkle, while shiso gives it a greenness,” he adds.
Paradiso certainly delivers on the “dream” of both destinations. At first spritz it’s cologne-like, with the neroli coming through. But just minutes later it turns powdery, then musky, then mineral-like – zoning out with an incense-like vibe, leaving a trail. There’s an intelligence to it – and an ambiguity – a description I relay to Fillion that pleases him to no end. “I’m glad you said that; that mysterious intensity is its base,” he says. “Bondi and Capri both have a mystical element, so here Australia is represented with sandalwood and Italy with frankincense. The overall effect is of a sophisticated cologne. I felt that was important for the brand.”
With Venroy’s branding typography inspired by mid-century Italian ticketing and travel documents, Venturi wanted to weave that thread into the fragrance’s packaging with a minimalistic monochromatic look, so it’s something that would sit happily alongside the Le Labo, Maison Margiela and Byredo bottles in your bathroom cabinet.
Venturi’s also keen to explore branding the air you breathe when you enter a Venroy store. “For Paradiso, we’ll open a specially designed space in Bondi to introduce people to the brand. But also, since being on this journey with Barnabé, we’ve also discussed our instore experience, so expect a change coming to the stores soon.
“The addition of ‘travel wellness’ will introduce new clients to Venroy,” Venturi enthuses, “people who might not have been previously interested in our fashion. It will let us design and create experiences for our clients beyond just clothes.” And hopefully also inspire dreams of trips to come.
Venroy Paradiso, 50ml for $220, on sale November, venroy.com.au
This story appears in the October issue of WISH Magazine.