The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
The I Giardini Medicei collection draws from the historic gardens that shaped Renaissance Florence, and L'Iris was conceived as an olfactory tribute to the city's emblematic flower. When Gian Luca Perris returned to Santa Maria Novella in 2022, he approached this commission with an understanding of the house's apothecary heritage, seeking to create something that felt both rooted in tradition and contemporary in execution. The perfumer's challenge was to honor a flower that has been cultivated in these same Florentine gardens for centuries, finding a way to make it feel new without divorcing it from its origins. Perris turned to the iris's botanical reality, the rhizome's powdery character, the flower's fleeting beauty, to ground his interpretation in something tangible and sensory.
Perris chose neroli and galbanum for the opening because they echo the aromatic precision of the pharmacy, the same materials that would have been used in tinctures and remedies centuries ago. The Sichuan pepper adds a contemporary edge, a reminder that this fragrance was composed in 2022. The jasmine in the heart is deliberately indolic, honoring the flower's natural character rather than sanitizing it for comfort. Champa flower was selected to bridge the European garden with something more exotic, referencing the trade routes that once brought precious materials through Florence.
The evolution
The fragrance begins with neroli and galbanum establishing a crisp, botanical opening that echoes the house's herbal origins. Sichuan pepper appears as a momentary warmth, a spice that prickles without overwhelming, preparing the wearer for the floral heart that follows. Jasmine and geranium arrive tog ether, the former sweet and slightly animalic, the latter adding a green, almost medicinal quality that keeps the florals honest rather than romantic. Champa flower completes the heart with its exotic, slightly fermented sweetness, suggesting incense and temple gardens. As the drydown takes hold, iris emerges as the true protagonist, its powdery, slightly iron-like character softened by musk and given dimensionality by ambergris. The progression feels less like a journey and more like the unfurling of a single, continuous thought: from garden to flower to the earth that holds the rhizome.
Cultural impact
The iris has long been a symbol of Florence, celebrated for its beauty and significance to the city. Santa Maria Novella's L'Iris pays tribute to this heritage, creating a fragrance that reflects the flower's symbolic importance within Florentine culture. The perfume invites contemporary wearers to connect with the city's rich botanical traditions, offering a modern interpretation that honors the iris's enduring presence in Florence's identity. Through careful composition and quality ingredients, the fragrance captures the spirit of the city while appealing to those who appreciate both historical resonance and contemporary elegance.
