You would be forgiven for thinking Romano Ricci was a rockstar. His rebellious spirit is one not often found in the world of perfumery, though his desire to disrupt is what catapulted his brand, Juliette Has A Gun, to spectacular success. The great-grandson of Nina Ricci and grandson of Robert Ricci, Romano Ricci has blazed a trail for himself in the industry with best-selling fragrances of innovative formulas – Not A Perfume, for example, made waves when it hit the market as it featured just one singular note that plays off of – and adapts to – the wearer’s scent. MOJEH sat down with Ricci during his recent visit to Dubai to discuss fragrance, creativity and sticking to your guns.
What was the inspiration behind the name, Juliette Has A Gun?
I wanted to mix romanticism with something which has a little bit of affirmation. I felt at the time that there were only very positive messages – la vie est belle – that felt cheesy. I wanted to speak about women and relationships but make it more concrete, so we used the metaphor of Shakespeare’s Juliette. Perfume is part of her character: she plays with it, she intimidates with it. However, you cannot actually say there is a Juliette, nor is there a gun, because it is a metaphor. Juliette can be a little bit of everyone, and her weapon is seduction.
Did you have any hestiations about going ahead with this name? Were you worried about people raising their eyebrows or did you hope to get that reaction?
I guess it’s part of my personality, too. I’m a Taurus and so I am a little bit radical. I remember asking my sister and she told me not to do it. Nine out of ten will tell you it is a bad idea because it goes against the rules. All of the fun things do!
Was there ever an idea you had that was a little too rebellious that you couldn’t bring to life?
A lot! I could have gone into perfumery and said ‘Hi, I’m Romano Ricci, great-grandson of Nina Ricci’, and known that we would be successful. But it is not enough for the consumer because you have to bring something new. That felt like a challenge to me because I grew up in the world of perfumery. That’s why Juliette Has A Gun still feels new and modern even after twenty years.
Would you ever execute them in the future?
The ideas I have now are much more radical than before. With fragrance I have become more polished because the brand has become much bigger and we have to think about the consumer. I remember when we released Calamity J when we first started and it was full of patchouli because I was very fond of patchouli at the time. With Not A Perfume we challenged the idea of what a perfume actually is and said that it didn’t have to have top, base and mid-notes but can just be one. It can be linear and can be modern, too. That was a good idea!
Lately I wanted to create ‘the worst smell on Earth.’ It was a challenge and I was told that maybe it was not a good idea. It was going to be something more for social media-friendliness rather than being sold to be worn. It would be an experience. I still love the idea.
Is there a note that is particularly sentimental for you?
Scent has always been part of my life, for sure. I tend to use a lot of ambery notes in our compositions because it brings modernity to otherwise heavy compositions. It has become one of our signatures with musk.
I think my grandfather used to wear Signoricci and it smelled so strong on him. Fragrances have the ability to make you travel back in time to specific moments and this one is one of them, for sure.
Fragrance is a huge part of Middle Eastern culture. If you had to build a fragrance that was the Middle Eastern woman in a bottle, what would it smell like?
Well, I think the Middle East has a long culture about strong scents, and I would see it being a bit woody, intense and with a huge sillage: something probably unbearable for the European customer. It would have a lot of character and I would put roses in it.
What do you feel the difference is between customers in the region versus Europe or other nations?
This is a great country for us and for perfume lovers. Sometimes, like in the United States, they look at perfumery like toiletries. The commonality between France and the Middle East is that there is a passion and interest for the olfactive dimension of yourself. Here, it is even more intense and it is always fascinating for me to come and meet people here. The nose is more developed here than in other countries.
Layering is something that doesn’t happen with Europeans or in France. However, meteorologically speaking, the atmosphere is also very different. You need very powerful fragrances in extreme heat because it evaporates so fast, so you can’t wear citrusy notes; you need heavy molecules like woods, musks and amber to stick to your skin. Europe is more delicate and the Middle East has more character and uses fragrance as a statement. Shop now
