The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Hema is a collaboration, and that matters. When Dutch institution HEMA reached its 100-year mark, they didn't commission a safe anniversary candle. They called Bram Niessink, the Amsterdam nose behind Fugazzi. The result is Hema by Fugazzi, released in 2026, a limited composition that treats a centenary celebration with a wink and a generous pour. The name itself carries a play, HDP, a nickname tied to a Dutch phrase that frames the release. It's heritage meets a young house willing to push the formula. A department store that built itself on accessible Dutch design, paired with a perfumer who refuses to play it safe. What runs through this one is Fugazzi's instinct for narrative, treating scent as something meant to evoke rather than just decorate the skin.
What makes Hema interesting structurally is the restraint underneath the sweetness. The opening pairs pear and bergamot, a combination that could slide into candy territory fast. But Fugazzi redirects the energy with green rose and a saffron-nutmeg heart that adds friction. The base leans on Akigalawood paired against sandalwood for creaminess. It's a short pyramid. Six notes, no padding. The formula wears with presence, holding its shape across a full day without thinning out or losing definition.
The evolution
The first fifteen minutes belong to pear. Not a shy fruit note either, it's present, slightly green, with bergamot pulling brightness through it like a draft through an open window. Rose sits underneath, almost hiding, adding a soft floral undertow that keeps things from feeling like a hand cream. Around the twenty-minute mark, the fruit steps back and the middle arrives. Saffron arrives with quiet authority, that specific leathery warmth that saffron does when it's handled well. Nutmeg joins it, not sweet, more like the dry heat of ground spice on fingertips. This is the phase that surprises people. The opening suggested something simple and crowd-pleasing. The heart says otherwise. After about two hours, Akigalawood and sandalwood take over. The Akigalawood is the backbone, giving the drydown a dry, faintly woody character that never goes sweet.
Cultural impact
Hema arrived in 2026 as part of a centenary collaboration between Fugazzi and Dutch retail institution HEMA. The format itself is notable: a hundred-year-old chain choosing to mark the occasion with a fragrance from a relatively young house. That choice says something about how the collaboration came together. HEMA built its identity on accessible Dutch design, the everyday charm of a store that most Dutch people grew up walking into. Fugazzi brings a different register, compositions that aim to feel like more than just pleasant background scent.
