Meo Fusciuni: perfume as a diary
Giuseppe Imprezzabile works under the pseudonym Meo Fusciuni and composes every fragrance himself. The house describes its work as an intimate diary, where the word comes before the molecule. There are no seasonal collections, only chapters that take shape when there is something to tell, which is why every product page begins with a story written in the first person. The raw materials are both natural and synthetic. The perfumer is Sicilian, and his island returns often in the compositions, from Palermo to Ciavuru d'amuri.
The fragrances in our selection
The Note di Viaggio
Each one is dedicated to a place and numbered like the pages of a notebook. The first, 1# Nota di Viaggio (Rites de passage), was born in Istanbul, between the Grand Bazaar and the scent of spices in the old market. It is a warm perfume dedicated to nomads, with pepper, cinnamon, saffron, tobacco, oud and incense. 2# Nota di Viaggio (Shukran) is inspired by travels in Morocco and the ritual of Berber hospitality. With 3# Nota di Viaggio (Ciavuru d'amuri), Sicilian for "scent of love," the journey goes back to a childhood in Sicily: it is a tribute to the perfumer's mother.
Other journeys
Narcotico is dedicated to the alleys and churches of Palermo, a journey into the perfumer's most hidden memories; L'oblio comes from a trip along the Mekong in Cambodia and opens with helichrysum, incense and orange. From India comes Varanasi, a memory of a 2017 trip to a place of scent both sacred and profane, full of contrasts. For Japan there is Sogni, inspired by the writing of Kawabata and the films of Kurosawa and devoted to the suspended moment between dreaming and waking life. Isola was born from the perfumer's return to Sicily and Japan in the summer of 2023. Finally, Last Season looks for the voice of nature in silent woods and the waters of the Baltic.
Poetry, music and architecture
The poems and herbarium of Emily Dickinson gave rise to Spirito, which recalls running through a field of grass. Odor93 is a tribute to Current 93 and their founder David Tibet, with smoky, spicy notes of cumin, clove, tuberose, tobacco and agarwood. The homage to night and poetry is Notturno, with notes of rum. Then there is Viole Nere, which starts from the first violets of March to speak about absence, and Little Song, dedicated to time passing and changing things.
Luce and Buio
Luce is inspired by the architecture of Louis Kahn and the meeting point between silence and light: a quiet perfume built on a moss accord. Buio is dedicated to the hours of insomnia and late-night thoughts, when you look for a light within yourself. The house calls it its first true incense, with cade oil, carrot seed and labdanum.
How to choose a Meo Fusciuni perfume
On its own website the house groups the fragrances into three collections: Memorie di Viaggio, Autoritratti Luminosi, including Spirito and Isola, and Autoritratti Oscuri, including Buio, Notturno and Odor93. If you start from the notes the house lists, for spicy, resinous scents there are 1# Nota di Viaggio and Narcotico, which the house builds on incense, benzoin, tonka bean, patchouli and agarwood. For a smoky, nocturnal perfume there are Odor93, Buio and Notturno, with its accord of ink, leather and incense. If you prefer green, herbal notes, there is Spirito, with angelica, chamomile and hyssop, while for citrus there is Isola, with yuzu, lemon and bergamot. If the story matters more to you than the notes, choose the place: Istanbul, Morocco, Sicily, Cambodia, India, Japan or the Baltic.
The sample set
The sample set gathers the creations of the Olfactory Memories Collection in a small format, so you can grasp the thread that connects the different chapters. The house presents it as a journey through its own work, a collection of emotions, visions and readings.
Frequently asked questions
Who is behind Meo Fusciuni?
Behind Meo Fusciuni, an Italian artisan perfume brand, is perfumer Giuseppe Imprezzabile, who uses the name as a pseudonym and composes every fragrance himself. The project began in 2010, with art direction by Federica Castellani, and the formulas are created in the atelier in the historic center of Sarzana, Liguria.
Which Meo Fusciuni perfume should I try first?
A good place to start is the sample set, which gathers the creations of the Olfactory Memories Collection in a small format. That way you can try several chapters before choosing a full bottle and, as the house puts it, get to know the whole collection to understand the fine red thread that ties each of its creations together.
What are the Meo Fusciuni Note di Viaggio?
The Note di Viaggio are fragrances each dedicated to a place, and each one carries the subtitle of its own journey in its name. 1# Rites de passage was born in Istanbul, among spices and bazaars, while 2# Shukran is dedicated to Morocco and Berber hospitality. With 3# Ciavuru d'amuri the journey returns to Sicily and the perfumer's childhood.
What inspired Meo Fusciuni Narcotico?
Narcotico is inspired by a trip to Palermo, a city of contrasts, through the alleys and churches of its historic center. The perfumer describes it as a spiritual journey into the most hidden scent memories of his soul, and the house presents it as the first chapter of its "Ciclo della Mistica," with incense, benzoin, tonka bean, patchouli and agarwood.
Which Meo Fusciuni is best for a smoky, dark perfume?
For a smoky, dark perfume you can start with Odor93, which has smoky, spicy notes and is dedicated to Current 93, or with Notturno, a tribute to night and poetry. Both belong to the Autoritratti Oscuri collection, where the house has also placed Buio.
Which Meo Fusciuni for lovers of green or citrus scents?
For green scents the choice is Spirito, inspired by the poems and herbarium of Emily Dickinson, with angelica, chamomile, hyssop and herbal notes. For citrus there is Isola, with yuzu, lemon and bergamot, which the house describes by recalling glasses of yuzu lemonade in the summer heat.
What does Meo Fusciuni L'oblio smell like?
L'oblio was born from a trip along the Mekong in Cambodia and is dedicated to the idea of forgetting as salvation. According to the house's description, it opens with helichrysum, incense and orange, like a golden river, and recalls the banks of the great river in the dry spring season and the sound of drums at night.
What is the difference between Meo Fusciuni Luce and Notturno?
Luce and Notturno are two opposite chapters, and the house presents Luce precisely as the counterpart to Notturno, the calm after a poet's sleepless night. Notturno is an inner journey through a dark tunnel, with an accord of ink, leather and incense, while Luce is a woody scent built on mosses, inspired by the architecture of Louis Kahn.
Which Meo Fusciuni perfumes are linked to Japan?
The perfumes linked to Japan are Sogni and Isola. Sogni comes from the perfumer's love for Japan, from memories of past travels and from his passion for the writing of Kawabata and the films of Kurosawa. Isola, on the other hand, was born from his return to Sicily and Japan in the summer of 2023, among lemonades at the old port.
