The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Viktor&Rolf built Good Fortune around a belief, destiny is not a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice. Part of their Spiritual Glamour Haute Couture Collection, this fragrance is an olfactive manifesto for self-potentialization, not decoration. A name that had to smell like something. Nicolas Beaulieu and Anne Flipo answered with jasmine, vanilla, and an unusual green opener that keeps you paying attention. The green note arrives unexpectedly, almost medicinal in its clarity, yet somehow clean and inviting. It cuts through the sweetness that might otherwise overwhelm, creating an unexpected tension that makes the jasmine and vanilla feel earned rather than inevitable.
Fennel and gentian are rarely center stage in mainstream perfumery. Their co-distillation here creates an aromatic, slightly bitter lift that arrives like a sharp inhale before the rest of the composition breathes out. That initial brightness is the tell, this isn't just another jasmine-vanilla. The jasmine itself is a Superinfusion, a concentrated material designed to carry more nuance than a standard absolute. And the Bourbon Vanilla, ethically sourced from Madagascar, is less a dessert note than a skin-warm anchor that quietly holds for hours.
The evolution
The opening hits with fennel first, green, almost medicinal, surprisingly clean. Gentian joins within seconds, adding a bitter floral edge that feels like standing in an herb garden after rain. The jasmine itself is a Superinfusion, a concentrated material designed to carry more nuance than a standard absolute. And the Bourbon Vanilla, ethically sourced from Madagascar, is less a dessert note than a skin-warm anchor that quietly holds for hours. Jasmine blooms warm and creamy, dominating the heart while the vanilla emerges slowly, close to the skin, intimate and slightly powdery as it settles against dry skin. The composition reveals itself in layers, each note taking its turn without rushing.
Cultural impact
Good Fortune offered a different approach to the oriental floral genre. The fennel-gentian co-distillate provided an aromatic profile that challenged conventional sweetness expectations. This combination introduced a slightly bitter, anise-adjacent top note that felt distinctly modern. The fragrance represented a willingness to step away from heavier, more assertive constructions, offering instead something that felt appropriate for close quarters and shared spaces.
The House
Viktor&RolfViktor&Rolf is a Dutch avant-garde fashion house founded in 1993 by designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren. The duo, both born in 1969, trained together at the Arnhem Academy of Art and Design before relocating to Paris, where they built a reputation for conceptual fashion that blurs boundaries between art and commerce. Their fragrance line, launched in partnership with L'Oréal, translates their theatrical design philosophy into wearable form. Flowerbomb remains their signature scent, housed in the now-iconic grenade bottle they designed themselves. The brand operates from Amsterdam, maintaining the provocative sensibility that has defined their work across fashion, fragrance, and installation art for three decades.
The Creator
Nicolas Beaulieu & Anne FlipoBeaulieu's work demonstrates remarkable range, moving fluidly between floral-oriental compositions, modern woody scents, and bold power fragrances. He gravitates toward assertive, memorable trails rather than whisper-soft compositions.
