Antonio Alessandria: A Tale About Passion

Written by Kristina Kybartaite-Damule

Wandering through the historic streets of Catania, Sicily, one can stumble upon a hidden gem known as Boudoir 36. Nestled within this quaint, cozy boutique are an array of notable niche perfumes, including fragrances crafted by the founder himself – Antonio Alessandria. I recall visiting this enchanting establishment two years ago, an experience that etched itself deeply into my memory.

Antonio Alessandria / Photo: from personal archive

Upon entering, I was greeted warmly by Antonio Alessandria. It felt as though I could have listened to him for hours, regaling tales behind his creations – each one bursting with creativity, uniqueness, and vivid imagery. Close your eyes, and you'll envision a lively feast in Catania, with bustling crowds, street vendors selling sweets, and the tolling of church bells. Or picture a night in Catania, illuminated by the fiery glow of Mount Etna's eruption, painting the city skyline in hues of crimson and gold.

Antonio Alessandria agreed to share more about his inspirations, Boudoir 36, and his journey as an independent perfumer with PlezuroMag.

Antonio Alessandria / Photo: from personal archive

How did your fragrance journey begin? Did you always know you wanted to be a perfumer?

My story is a tale about passion. I discovered the art of perfumery only at the age of about 30, when I was already an electronic engineer and I was working for a big company. I have always been passionate about senses: I like eating sophisticated food, drinking fine wines, appreciating pieces of art and listening to good music. Meanwhile, since I have memory, I’ve always used body fragrances, starting from a cologne I used to “steel” to my father, to lot of fragrances I personally used to choose from a perfumery close to my home.

But when I came across artistic perfumery was a sort of revelation: I wanted to know as much as possible about niche brands to deepen my knowledge in this amazing field. But self-training wasn’t so much satisfying and I decided to attend some professional courses starting in Italy at Mouillettes and Co and after in France at Cinquième Sens.

Before delving into creating your own perfumes, you launched Boudoir 36. How did you go about selecting the brands you wanted to feature in your boutique? Did your experience there inspire you to create your own fragrances?

With Boudoir 36, my niche perfumery boutique, I wanted a place to talk about my passion and to spread the artistic perfumery culture. I opened Boudoir 36 in 2005 and at that time niche perfumery was not so much diffused in my home town, Catania. I always tried to select the brands following above all two principles: quality and creativity. With time and experience I added a third principle: coherence, above all between story telling and olfactive proposals. If you have a strong story telling, but it isn’t coherent with the perfume, it becomes only low level marketing.

I’m sure my experience at Boudoir 36 influenced my taste and creative path, but in a subliminal way. If you smell everyday beautiful creations it’s obvious your taste get refined.

Boudoir 36 / Photo: from personal archive

Is it challenging to run a perfume shop in Sicily, considering there are relatively few of them? Are Sicilians interested in niche or indie perfumes?

Yes, it’s challenging because your work is not only about selling fragrances, but also about spreading their culture. At the same time if you are alone it’s highly likely you become a reference for people interested in the field.

Sicilian people are opened and curious about art and novelties… So they are also interested in niche and indie perfumery.

What led you to establish your own brand, and what obstacles did you encounter as an independent perfumer?

I think that every creative process starts in the same way: there’s a voice inside you that tell something and you can’t avoid to spread this voice. I haven’t start thinking about my fragrances as a business, but rather as the need to express my point of view on artistic perfumery. I was a true outsider, so it was very difficult entering this very confidential world. Above all, as an independent perfumer, it happens frequently that you could feel “alone”. If you work inside a company you have access to a huge base of knowledge that helps you a lot. An independent perfumer has to struggle to find informations, raw materials and tips about them.

Knowing the obstacles working as an independent perfumer, have you ever considered working for a company instead? And what stopped you from that?

I never considered working for a company because I started as an outsider and I think I'm old to start working inside a company. Otherwise I think that a period inside the industry companies could be very fruitful in terms of technical and personal skills.

Antonio Alessandria / Photo: from personal archive

Each of your perfumes tells a story – where do you draw inspiration from, and are they often based on your personal experiences?

When I want to compose a new fragrance I always start from a story and I choose raw materials that could tell the story in olfactory terms. If I can’t find a raw material that tells a detail of the story I try to compose an accord telling the same detail. As regards my own brand, inspiration is nearly always related to my personal story, to my culture and heritage.

A different path could be established when I work for a customer, that could be a brand or an individual who wants to develop his own perfume. But also in this case I always try to stick to a story. Otherwise I fell lost.

Could you elaborate on your latest creation, Amado Mio, and its backstory?

Amado Mio tells the story of my grandparents’ first encounter. One day, my grandfather Sebastiano decided to officially declare himself. Wearing his Sunday suit, armed with courage, he lovingly chooses a rose from the florist and reach Giuseppina, my grandmother. She pretends not having understood and turns quickly towards her house. While chasing her, he catches up and offers her the rose. She smiles and stealthily scans her suitor in all directions, to snatch some details that could say something more about his nature and his condition. The gaze lingers on the breast pocket of his jacket, from which two small cigars stand out carelessly.

Thanks to that romantic encounter Giuseppina and Sebastiano got officially engaged, until their love was crowned with marriage. Later in time, when Giuseppina wanted to lovingly provoke her husband, she would bring up the story of their first encounter, saying that Sebastiano had been as loving in offering her a rose as he was incautious in carrying his cigars, overwhelming with their scent, the delicate smell of the rose. At that point Sebastiano always countered by saying that it wasn't possible, because he wasn’t smoking cigars, but above all he had carefully chosen the best smelling rose for her!

Basically Amado Mio is a new balance on two different points of view: rose and tobacco.

Which perfume notes do you particularly enjoy working with, and is there a note you're eager to explore further in the future?

As already said, I choose raw materials for their expressive power, so they are my tools to tell my stories, like words for a writer. I try to construct a balance among them to make them sing all together, like in a choir.

I’ve never worked with oud. I respect the preciousness of this raw material, but at the same time I’m afraid to try it in a composition because in the last years it has became overused and misused and it could be dangerous because it’s easy to fall into obviousness. Meanwhile I think there’s a great culture about oud in the middle east and I’d rather prefer living a full immersion in that culture before working with this raw material.

Antonio Alessandria and Kristina / Photo: from personal archive

You’ve also collaborated on perfumes with Nobile 1942 and Der Duft. Can you provide more insight into these partnerships and what you found fulfilling about them? Are you open to collaborating with other brands in the future?

Every collaboration has its own story and creative path. With Nobile 1942 there is a long term relationship and we share a common language, so we understand each other also with few words.

With Der Duft was completely different, Anselm left me complete freedom even if I asked for a direction several times. When I was almost finalizing the scent he gave me the name and, luckily, I found a perfect link between the story around which I composed the fragrance and the name!

I’m surely open to collaborate with other brands.

Could you share any current projects you're working on, and can we anticipate any new releases soon?

I’ve just finished working on a fragrance for a new brand that will come in the next months, but I can’t say anything. I’m also working on two other projects for other brands, but both are at an early stage of development.

As regards my brand I’m still looking for something that touches my soul and stimulate my imagination…