Heritage
A house, in its own words
Aquaflor Firenze opened its doors in 2009, reportedly founded by maitre perfumer Sileno Cheloni, who sought to revive Florence’s historic role as a centre of scent craftsmanship. The brand chose the Palazzo Corsini Antinori Serristori – a Renaissance palace that once hosted Medici gatherings – as the site for its laboratory, storage rooms and creative studio. This setting links the house to the ancient Florentine perfume tradition highlighted in scholarly accounts of Catherine de' Medici’s patronage of scent in the 16th century. Early years focused on recreating classic Tuscan accords, and by 2012 Aquaflor launched its first boutique fragrance, a tribute to the city’s iris fields. The 2015 collection introduced exotic notes such as Aoud and Myrrah, reflecting a growing interest in global ingredients while maintaining a local sensibility. In 2020 Aquaflor expanded into home fragrance, unveiling a signature blend built around iris and rose, the official flower of Florence and a motif seen throughout the city’s architecture. The 2024 launch of Zephyr marked the brand’s most recent milestone, offering a breezy Mediterranean composition that references the wind that sweeps over the Arno River. Throughout its evolution, Aquaflor has maintained a small‑batch production model, emphasizing hand‑blending and a close relationship between the perfumer’s studio and the historic palace walls. The house’s trajectory illustrates a continuous dialogue between Florence’s perfume heritage and contemporary olfactory storytelling. Aquaflor’s creative vision rests on three pillars: respect for Florentine heritage, a commitment to material integrity, and narrative depth. The house treats each fragrance as a chapter in the city’s story, using local flora such as iris and rose to anchor its scent language. It values transparency in ingredient sourcing, favouring sustainably harvested botanicals and ethically obtained amber and oud. The brand’s approach to perfumery favours small‑batch hand‑blending, allowing the perfumer to adjust each accord in response to the unique character of the raw materials. Aquaflor also embraces collaboration with visual artists, a practice noted in its partnership with women artists to create limited‑edition packaging. This philosophy translates into a measured pace of releases, each designed to offer a distinct sensory experience rather than chase market trends. By grounding its work in the historic context of Florence while remaining open to contemporary influences, Aquaflor seeks to craft scents that feel both timeless and immediate.