Heritage
A house, in its own words
10 Corso Como traces its origins to 1990, when gallerist and publisher Carla Sozzani opened a space at the address that would become its name in Milan's Via Tortona district. Sozzani brought credentials from the magazine publishing world, having worked in editorial positions that cultivated her eye for emerging talent and cultural movements. The store originally combined a bookshop, gallery, and cafe alongside fashion selections, creating what became known as a destination for discovering designers before they achieved broader recognition. The 10 Corso Como name itself references the street address, a practice that grounded the brand in its specific urban context rather than aspiring to universal branding. According to sources including Wikipedia and MilanoStyle.com, the founding year appears in some accounts as 1991, though 1990 is more commonly cited. The Project Room, an exhibition space within the store, became a site for collaborative projects and installations. Over time, the concept expanded internationally, with additional locations in Seoul and Shanghai, though the Milan flagship remained the spiritual center. The fragrance collection emerged as a natural extension of the retail environment, allowing visitors to carry a sensory memory of the space home with them. The 10 Corso Como approach to fragrance rejects the conventional product launch model in favor of something more intimately connected to the retail experience. Rather than positioning scents as standalone commodities, the brand treats them as artifacts within its broader cultural ecosystem. This philosophy manifests in the unexpected note combinations, where rose meets rubbery oud and smoky incense finds itself alongside raspberry and dill. The brand's Olfactory Signals project, developed in partnership with London creative agency System Preferences, further demonstrates this curatorial approach, using scent as a medium for communication rather than commerce. Each fragrance acts as a signature of the physical space, inviting wearers into the world that Sozzani constructed around art, design, and fashion. The limited nature of the collection, with only two main flankers spanning decades, suggests selectivity over expansion. Rather than chasing trends or market demands, the brand releases scents on its own timeline, informed by the creative impulses of the moment. This patience reflects the gallery owner's background, where exhibition timing follows artistic logic rather than commercial calendars.