The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Laconic. Less is More was launched in 2024 by KV by Kateryna Vel'menko, with Elia Chiche as the perfumer. The fragrance was conceived around a particular image: a woman with a strong personality and a dream job, wearing a smart-casual outfit and feeling focused, productive, and composed. Its design is unisex, and the composition reflects that restrained character. The notes support the brief with a measured mix of citrus, spice, powder, leather, and woods. Together, they create a fragrance that feels bright at first, then increasingly soft, dry, and woody as it settles against the skin.
What makes the composition interesting is the clean handoff between opposites. Tangy lemon and bergamot give the opening definition, while black pepper adds a dry, precise heat. Those bright facets quickly soften into orris, sandalwood, cedarwood, elemi, and leather. The result moves from clipped and alert to creamy and composed without losing its structure. Iris brings a cool powdery nuance, and white musk gives the drydown a polished skin-close finish.
The evolution
The opening arrives with a clean, citrusy snap, immediately complicated by the dry snap of black pepper. It feels awake, composed, and almost tailored. As the first minutes pass, the sharper citrus gives way to the powdery softness of iris and the creamy pull of sandalwood. Cedarwood and elemi add structure while leather brings a restrained, suede-like depth. White musk then settles everything closer to the skin, leaving a smooth woody trace rather than a dramatic afterglow. Over time, the opening provides the initial brightness, while iris softens the composition and sandalwood, leather, and musk shape its quieter middle and final hours. The result is controlled and layered, with each note moving in and out of focus.
Cultural impact
Laconic. Less is More expresses a composed workday portrait built around focus, structure, and understated confidence. The fragrance opens with citrus and black pepper, bringing a clean, alert edge to the composition. Iris and sandalwood soften that brightness with powder and cream, while cedarwood, elemi, and leather give it a polished, grounded character. White musk leaves a smooth woody trace close to the skin. The result is an invitation to discover how a restrained fragrance can still unfold through distinct layers, from its crisp opening to its quieter woody finish.
The House
KV by Kateryna Vel'menkoKV by Kateryna Vel'menko is a Milan-based niche fragrance house founded by Ukrainian creative Kateryna Vel'menko. The brand made its debut in 2024 with a collection of eleven scents that read like chapters from a personal diary. Vel'menko draws on her multicultural biography: Ukrainian roots, years spent living in the Middle East, and her present life in Italy. The result is a fragrance line where each release functions as an olfactory memory or emotional snapshot. Names like Not a Morning Person, Chilli Candy Crush, and She is Glowing suggest immediacy and autobiographical specificity rather than abstract perfume conventions. The brand launched at Art Parfums Milano on Via Santo Spirito and has since appeared at significant niche fragrance events including ESXENCE and Pitti Fragranze. While Vel'menko composes certain fragrances herself, the brand mission explicitly mentions collaboration with other perfumers, indicating a curated rather than single-nose approach to authorship.
The Creator
Elia ChicheChiche gravitates toward bright, translucent structures with a designer's clarity. She favors crisp citruses, crisp florals, and the sharper edges of woods and musks that let a fragrance breathe rather than overwhelm.
