Roberto Ugolini – scents from a Florentine shoemaker's workshop

Behind the Roberto Ugolini fragrances is Herbert Stricker, a fragrance connoisseur and long-time client of the Florentine bespoke shoemaker Roberto Ugolini. The workshop sits on Via dei Michelozzi, right by the church of Santo Spirito – his great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all shoemakers, and since 1995 Roberto Ugolini has made only bespoke shoes there, entirely by hand. Herbert Stricker drew his inspiration from this workshop and its world: the first fragrances appeared in 2019, composed by perfumers including Maurizio Cerizza and Cristian Calabrò.

The scents carry the workshop in their names: Oxford, Derby, Blue Suede Shoes and High Heel White are named after shoes, 17 Rosso after the workshop's street number, Via dei Michelozzi 17 R. Marzocco is the lion from Florence's coat of arms, Giardino di Boboli the great Renaissance garden across the Arno. The bottles pick up colours typical of the city and come with hand-punched leather labels and horn caps – much like a good pair of shoes. Alongside the Eaux de Parfum there are extraits such as 4 Rosso, Patina and Limonaia.

What we love about Roberto Ugolini is that Italian feeling – Florentine gardens, lemons, leather and a little dolce vita in every bottle. We also love the idea behind it – a fragrance line inspired by a shoemaker's workshop in Florence, with leather labels, horn caps and names like Oxford or Derby. And each scent starts out familiar, then holds a small twist: Oxford wakes up with grapefruit and pepper, Limonaia surprises with mint and artemisia.