Art, Culture and More

Enhancing the power and accessibility of art How? Through the sense of smell

It goes without saying that society has been put under a great deal of stress in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic – and it follows that people will seek out sources of comfort and relief. One possible method of soothing pressures during this difficult period is fragrances, which can trigger powerful emotions and memories through one’s sense of smell. According to Jason Lee, founder of fragrance label SIX, “COVID-19 has forced us to focus on the emotional and psychological, and people now realize fragrance plays an important role in our well-being.” As social distancing and smart working are elevated to the new norm, functional fragrances such as scented sanitizers, candles and diffusers have risen to prominence for their olfactory benefits in relaxation, concentration or even sleep. Integra Fragrances brings these merits to the commercial sphere, developing scents that embody its client brands and forge lasting experiences for their customers.

Emotional branding is the new concept applied to retail and beyond. Whether it’s fashion, luxury, banking or anything else, multisensory is the key word: involving all the senses to make the customer or guest live complete and unforgettable experiences. Of all, the sense of smell is the sense that most triggers emotions and leaves a strong, long-lasting imprinting in memory. Perfume evokes, seduces, involves. And here is where art pops in.

“Just like art, design sees perfume as a means to involve, excite and amaze.”

By Francesca Piana Marketing & Communication of Inegra Fragrances

Since the launch of the heritage exhibition Serpentiform, Bulgari decided that scent had to play an important role. Perfume was essential to make the art experience more emotional, memorable and unique by giving an iconic branded touch to the venue. Bulgari’s Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert, the brand’s universal signature scent, was diffused thanks to an advanced remotely-controlled fragrance diffusion technology owned by Integra Fragrances, an Italian firm specialized in signature scents and fragrance diffusion technologies. Inaugurated in 2016 at Palazzo Braschi, in Rome, the Serpentiform scented format moved to the Artscience Museum in Singapore, to Tokyo City View Roppongi Hills Mori Tower in November 2017, and finally to Chengdu Museum in 2019. Just like art, design sees perfume as a means to involve, excite and amaze. The Bulgari Milan Design Week 2018 installation, an himn to modern art and avant-garde design by the 3 icons MVRDV, Storace Associati Milano and Ivan Navarro, was scented. And again last year, the Bulgari sixmonths-long majestic exhibition The Story, The Dream, could not take place in Rome without its iconic perfume. For the occasion, more than 170 jewels and dresses taken from the historical archive of the Maison, many of which worn in movies by the most famous women in the world, were exhibited in Castel Sant’Angelo and Palazzo Venezia, enhanced by the scented notes that distinguish the Bulgari Hotels in the world. From Italy to London, after many photography exhibitions were made more attractive thanks to perfume, the world-famous architect Renzo Piano chose a fragrance to represent his great retrospective “Renzo Piano: The Art of Making Buildings” at the Royal Academy of Arts. However, Gallerie d’Italia in Italy are the place in which art and perfume have been combined with the most honorable goals, including that of doing good. Gallerie d’Italia are the arts museums of the Intesa Sanpaolo banking group, the largest bank in Italy. Historical buildings in the heart of Milan, Naples and Vicenza host one of the largest collections of painting and sculpture of the Italian peninsula. From Caravaggio to Tiepolo, from Canaletto to Boccioni, passing through Mirò, Picasso, Kandinsky, Warhol and Fontana, in 2019 half a million visitors experienced the over 30,000 works dated between the fifth and twentieth centuries. When it comes to designing an art journey that is immersive, exciting and memorable, perfume comes first. Did you know that, after six months, our brain remembers an aroma much more easily than an image, and our mood improves by 40% in the presence of a pleasant fragrance? Since 2016, Gallerie d’Italia have introduced scent into their artistic programs as a way to discover art through the five senses rather than just sight. In collaboration with Integra Fragrances, customised fragrances are specially created to scent dozens of rooms and exhibitions, dedicated to both temporary and permanent collections. A new engaging format to experience art has been launched, called the Olfactory walks: guided tours combining the artistical and historal description of an artwork with the experience of a tailor-made fragrance that brings the masterpiece to a

scented emotional dimension. On top of that, at Gallerie d’Italia perfume is the protagonist of many educational programs dedicated to all ages. The museums offer an experiential program for schools and a busy calendar of activities for groups with disabilities. Imagine a blind man unable to enjoy the beauty of a statue, who can finally do it thanks to touch and smell. Think of a child with autism problems experiencing art with a sense that is more close to him as more linked to the subconscious. Imagine if he could finally communicate with his schoolmates thanks to a shared immersive experience. Customized fragrances are each time created to reproduce an historical era, an artistic current or movement, an atmosphere or a single work of art. The power and beauty of scent accompanies children, disabled people and the elderly in the use of art, sometimes made possible

only thanks to the sense of smell.

COVID-19 adaptations in the fashion industry

As with several other industries involved in the arts, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global fashion industry in a number of ways. In order to safeguard public health, governments have closed down manufacturing plants and cancelled events en masse. This standstill has also led to the widespread closure of retailers. Faced with these unfavourable circumstances, the industry as a whole has been prompted to rethink its existing practices, adopting digital solutions and novel thinking to create new opportunities to present collections and maintain visibility.

“Perhaps the most evident change to the fashion industry’s supply chain is the rapid shift towards e-commerce.”

By Rajib Hussain

Design and Manufacturing

Across the world, lockdown and quarantine measures have placed great pressure on the fashion design and manufacturing process, both for major labels and individual designers. For instance, London-based fashion designer Steven Tai faced heavy setbacks at his factory in Macau, due to several of his workers and seamstresses finding themselves stranded in Wuhan following Chinese New Year. Despite operating with less than 20 percent of his team onsite, Tai was able to produce a collection of showroom samples for Paris Fashion Week – albeit it was presented to just half the number of usual buyers.

Determined to retain visibility, Tai turned to digital solutions in order to reach the remaining buyers, who were placed under lockdown. Equipped with just a camera and lazy Susan turntable, he managed to create a virtual lookbook containing 360-degree gifs of each outfit in the collection. This allowed clients to get a proper look at the collection, regardless of physical restrictions. Tai’s concept proved highly effective, seeing as half the orders were placed through the virtual lookbook.

In terms of manufacturing, the situation has seen gradual improvements in China. According to Steven Tai, fabric suppliers in China have recuperated since the initial lockdown in January. His factory has also offset losses from mass order cancellations by manufacturing for third party brands. However, the same cannot be said elsewhere – textile suppliers and garment manufacturers have been hamstringed across Europe due to travel restrictions and industrial lockdowns. Among the affected is Spain-based designer, Sonia Carrasco, whose sales in Japan, Vietnam and Thailand have been hit hard because of restrictions on business hours for physical retailers. In other words, COVID-19 has had a negative impact on both the supply and demand of fashion items. Carrasco has chosen to deal with these complications by rethinking her approach to manufacturing. She aims to streamline her next collection with fewer designs that are “more creative and detail-focused”. Besides, she plans to leverage the superior reach of the internet by creating digital samples, rather than displaying them in-house.

Supply Chain

Perhaps the most evidence change to the fashion industry’s supply chain is the rapid shift towards e-commerce, as a response to social distancing practices and the closure of physical retailers. Industry analyses carried out in the United States reported a 45 percent increase in online sales by the end of April. Even as lockdown measures begin to loosen around the world, retailers have focused on developing their e-commerce channels under the assumption that current consumer behaviours will persist past the pandemic.

To this end, certain apparel businesses have opted to build their reach through community-building experiences. For instance, Nike in China released a series of “workout-from-home” content on its fitness app, which generated an 80 percent growth in users during Q1 2020. This expanded userbase led to a 30 percent increase in online sales.

Marketing

As the pandemic continues to diminish potential profits, members of the fashion industry are forced to reconsider the amount of funding allocated to marketing budgets and campaigns. In light of this, social media influencers are becoming an increasingly prominent form of marketing, due to their cost efficiency and level of reach. One of the reasons for this is social distancing practices – with most of the world engaged in self-quarantine and smart working, engagement with online sponsored content is on the rise. Particularly noteworthy is Instagram, which has seen its usage increase by up to 40 percent.

This adaptation comes as a two-way street – influencers themselves have had to approach their content creation based on the new needs and contexts of their audiences. As an example, influencers have reported a move towards light-hearted, uplifting stories as a means for audiences to escape from the saturation of news related to COVID-19. Sponsored content is also being framed from a “working from home” angle, including home outfit ideas, beauty and wellness tutorials and even makeup tutorials for Zoom calls.