Fendi Uomo

30 years have passed, and only now have people started to forget Fendi Uomo, the famous leather fougère from the 80s. It was supposed to repeat the success of the women's fragrance Fendi by Fendi, so no expense or effort was spared in its creation.

The Fendi Uomo bottle and all promotional materials were designed by Mark Rosen. He chose a simple shape - a rectangle divided into three equal parts. The edges of the bottle are made of colored plastic, and in the middle there is a strip of transparent glass so that you can see the liquid level.

Fendi had two signature colors: golden beige, which they called palomino, and black. But Rosen wanted to take a charcoal black-gray with mica inclusions, not a dull black. Both options looked very impressive, and the Fendi sisters made an expensive decision to release two Fendi Uomo bottles in different colors.

They did not skimp on the premiere either. The launches in several major cities in America and Europe cost about half a million dollars at 1988 prices. The owner of the Harrod's department store, Mohamed Al Fayed, was persuaded to hang Fendi flags around the perimeter of the building, and the Fendi sisters were brought to the presentation in a carriage. In New York's Bloomingdale's, the entire perfume floor was covered with carpets with the logo. In San Francisco, the Fendi Uomo premiere was combined with the start of the opera season to gather all the stars for a party at the theater, and in Los Angeles, the bet was on movie and TV stars, who were entertained at an Italian-style villa, and even an ermine coat was raffled off among them. Plus, spectacular corners were equipped in large stores, and a host of magazine publications took place.

All the investments paid off. Fendi Uomo was so popular that until recently it was impossible to catch it at auctions even for three prices. What is special about it? I would say freedom. Among the strong, but already washed and cleaned glasses of the 80s, clamped with ties, Fendi Uomo is distinguished by its unrestrainedness and directness.

Sharp in its first movement, it explodes with aldehydes and soap foam, the bitterness of green citrus fruits and the astringent bitterness of cumin. In its heart is a black night, and over a black T-shirt - an old biker jacket, soaked in the stench of tar and the sweet smoke of fruit tobacco. The jacket keeps traces of all the adventures of our handsome man and smells of floral women's perfume, liqueur, testosterone and black greasy earth. It smells powerful and long.

I admire him, but I understand that now such complex guys are not needed by anyone. Leather jackets no longer bear traces of vice, and a man's desire to loosen his tie is indicated by the choice of a fragrance with a dashing oriental oud.

Fendi Uomo, 1988

Lemon, bergamot, lavender, cinnamon, cloves, cyclamen, patchouli, vetiver, cedar, musk.

Photo background: pages from Mark Rosen's book "Glamorous Icons".

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