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“It started with the word ’Flowerbomb,’ but what does that smell like?” says Viktor Horsting of the Dutch haute-couture designing duo Viktor & Rolf. “We were very drawn to flowers and flower scents, but wanted to give an edge to the name,” Rolf Snoeren adds.
Their fragrant explosion began 10 years ago, in a famed grenade-like ornament bottle designed by Fabien Baron, with a scent created by revered noses Carlos Benaïm, Domitille Bertier, and Olivier Polge. “They are very clear about what they want, and they wanted a very large, addictive bouquet,” Benaïm recalls.
With fiery but understated notes of jasmine, rose, freesia, and orchid, along with musk and vanilla accord, it has been a runaway hit since its debut. “What’s really rewarding and beautiful has been that the idea can stay for a long time, because in fashion everything goes so fast and is almost disposable nowadays, so for a creation of yours to be there for such a long time—that it’s becoming a classic—is fantastic,” says Snoeren. And it is already a classic, indeed. Happy anniversary.
