The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Series Two of Six Scents ran on a single brief: Nature. Each of the six collaborating designers interpreted the theme their own way, and one of them was the designer Richard Nicoll. Rodrigo Flores-Roux was the nose assigned to translate Nicoll's vision into scent. The result was Nicoll No. 17, limited to 2000 bottles when it launched in 2009, part of a curated set that also included contributions from Phillip Lim, Henry Holland, Damir Doma, Henrik Vibskov, and Toga. The collaboration brought together fashion and perfumery under a shared conceptual umbrella, with each number in the series functioning as a distinct creative partnership.
What makes Nicoll No. 17 stand out is its composition around angelica root, fennel, and caraway, three materials that give the opening an herbal, almost medicinal cast. The first impression is grounded rather than effervescent, the angelica lending a rooty density that feels pulled from earth rather than squeezed from a peel. Magnolia and white iris soften the edges without sweetening them, the iris contributing a cool, slightly powdery veil that sits over the spice.
The evolution
The first spray lands sharp and vegetal, almost crunchy, like tearing into fresh angelica stems. Fennel and caraway arrive fast behind it, giving an anise-cool counterpoint that holds the early life of the fragrance before the sharper edges begin to soften. The heart reveals magnolia and iris, powdery but not soapy, the white iris especially keeping things cool and slightly chalky, almost like the dry side of a petal. Ivy threads through the whole arc, lending a low, persistent bitterness that prevents the florals from ever reading precious or overly pretty. As the composition moves into its later phase, it shifts from herbal-spice to something drier and more ambiguous, the fennel now reading almost nutty rather than anise-like, taking on a warmer, rounder cast.
Cultural impact
Six Scents Series Two 5 Richard Nicoll: Nicoll 17 arrived in 2009 as part of the brand's second numbered designer collaboration series, which paired fashion designers with perfumers. The project as a whole positioned scent as a creative accessory rather than a luxury commodity, releasing limited artist editions at accessible prices. Nicoll's contribution, composed by Rodrigo Flores-Roux, helped situate the idea of fashion-led fragrance within a limited-edition, artist-driven framework.
