The Man Behind The Hat: An interview with Romano Ricci

by Marian Bendeth, 08 October 2007

My invitation from Canada's high-end retail fashion and beauty store Holt Renfrew arrived via email. Would I like to meet Romano Ricci, the force behind 'Juliette has a gun’?

I initially wondered who Juliette was and what exactly did she have in mind with that gun? Skimming over the press material, I decided to go into the meeting with Ricci (sans press kit) wishing to encounter the products and the man first hand and to ascertain who and what the intrigue was all about.

Playing Miss Marple on the couch, the door opened and I witnessed the presence of an edgy, cosmopolitan man who by the looks of his natty attire, has made his mark in society and probably every hot spot along the Mediterranean coast. Possessing devilishly handsome good looks, the young Ricci strode towards me with the grace of a panther, his trademark Motsch red-ribboned black Fedora hat angled ever so slightly over one eye. With an all-knowing grin and confident handshake, I easily envisioned those smoldering eyes on the big screen.

Although the young Ricci is the great grandson of famed fashion couturier and perfume queen, Nina Ricci and grandson to perfumer Robert Ricci, he has never been one to capitalize on the fame of the Ricci name in business. Curious to know his roots in the fragrance industry, Ricci explains that he felt ‘designated by my Grandfather, Robert to be the next creator of Nina Ricci fragrances’; Ricci being the sole male heir to carry on the name and profile. It was an unspoken assumption, the boy would take over the house when he grew up. Ricci always knew he had an innate love and inner belief for the business but growing up to be a boisterous teenager, by age 15, had a lust for everything but, and adult issues were hard to stomach when there was too much fun to be had. The situation reminds me of the young Prince William who had his own doubts about the heavy responsibilities that lay ahead. The young Ricci rebelled against all Ricci authority figures, all except one.

Says Ricci of his late grandfather: ‘I had an amazing relationship with my Grandfather Robert who was a Manager of a big company like Ricci but he always made time for me, he really influenced me. It’s a bond, even without the daily contact. He was a serious, sincere and mature man. It was more about showing me. Take for instance the launch of the then new ‘Nina’ fragrance, the expressions he used to explain to a child, why and how –that is what I remembered the most’.

After the passing of Robert, the young Romano suffered another terrible tragedy, the loss of his father in 2000. The company was sold which rekindled his feeling of pride in his roots and an innate dedication to the business but now it had to be on Ricci’s terms. He recalls ‘ I was 21 and the day I liberated myself from Nina Ricci. I wanted to create my own Universe.’ One could surmise he entered his ‘coming of age’ by deciding to cultivate his own destiny, not unlike his Grandfather.

Having to learn the practical experience as a trainee at a fragrance house, ‘France Fragrances’, a small company of only twenty employees, he entered without anyone knowing the significance of his last name. Five years later, he was running that same company! The fully armed Ricci now possessed every conceivable fact to be garnered around the launch of a fragrance. His joy of scent is evident, as he beams when he discusses the long road and how exacting everything had to be in order to be to be worthy to the public.

Learning first hand, the visual, olfactory, branding and design of perfumery, Ricci set his sails for bigger seas, namely his own perfume brands. He started by opening ‘Juliette has a Gun’ in 2005, focusing his scent binoculars on famed perfumer Francis Kurkdjian (Jean Paul Gaultier, Narciso Rodriguez, Guerlain.) He describes their relationship as a ‘mutual river’ towards a desired theme. Ricci then explains with zeal that this is William Shakespeare's Juliette with a ying of innocence and a yang of getting even with anyone who double crosses her, the modern woman. Only this time she is armed! The bullets are rose-filled, each scent a scenario playing around a different rose specie, a fragrant Shakespearian saga. He explains his love of offering roses to women!! And he means every kind of beautiful woman – ‘women are a gift to man’ says the debonair Playboy with a twinkle in his eye. He explains how he feels the fragrance industry have made some rose blends into “little granny scents’ and his motivation is to modernize the rose theme by making them au courant but romantic at the same time. He adds as an afterthought ‘I am a passionate man and there is no compromise. I love precision in all that I do and especially in my products. I have to be honest and try to aim towards perfection.’

His latest two launches (three more to come) play off the duality of a woman. Picture the innocent, sensuous beauty of Shakepeare's Juliette 'Miss Charming’ with delicate notes of: Centifolia (Moroccan) rose, musk, wild fruits -mandarin and lychee. She is pure of heart, every guy's dream girl. Now, give that innocent lass a bullet-proof vest, throw her in with a bunch of males with a lot of angst, and you get Lady Vengeance.....with the richness of Damascene (Bulgarian) rose, patchouli, tempered by a dab of vanilla, a wanton scent, enigmatic and sensuous.

I wonder if he is Romeo? and if he has a muse? If not, could he describe this woman to me? He tells me ‘My muse is fictional, she’s a brunette and she’s very versatile – lots of faces, she can be the worst and the best. There is a lot of energy. I am attracted to both apparent innocence (it’s cute to be naive) and women who are controlling the game and yet still know how to have fun.’ Ricci is quick to add ‘The link between Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance is that they are both born to seduce. Romanticism – there is one thing in the world and that is to love.’

Calling himself an ‘extremist’ he is also very calculating and deliberate when it comes to perfection. It took over 150 lab samples for each scent to meet his expectations. The flacon and packaging was also designed by Ricci and is made of a heavy glass with delicate scrolling but don’t call it (“(Gothic says Ricci – I hate that word’). The adorning ribbon bends back when opening the lid. One can assume the colours of black/white signify the dark and innocence of the female psyche.

I ask if he was involved with the new Ricci scent ‘Nina’ and he is emphatic when he says ‘No’. Ricci Parfums are now owned by the Puig Group out of Spain but he recollects he first lost his heart to ‘L’air du Temps’ , the family fragrance his mother favoured. He also loves Ricci classics such as: ‘Farouche’, ‘Phileas’ and ‘Signoricci’, all landmarks and milestones in his rich lineage.

Making perfumes is not Ricci's only joy. During his downtime, he also enjoys the thrill of action, traveling, the calmness of the countryside, sketching art (he is an admirer of the late Basquiat), listening to the music of Pearl Jam to Fiona Apple and some dark reading that he won’t reveal and my mind goes to places I won’t reveal either!

Another secret passion of Ricci’s is to be the Creative Director of a Fashion House one day. He also has a love of fashion as he admires the buttons on my jacket studying the details like an art aficionado. If his drive is anything like his other great passion- racing his Porsche in the Le Mans or the Grand Prix of Endurance, he will most likely cross that finishing line well before his time as well.

The time is 3:00 p.m. and Ricci asks me if I want tea? Being the Brit that I am, I am flabbergasted when he leaves the room only to pop his head in offering me three types to choose from! He then reenters carry a tray, avec accoutrements and I realize Romeo is very much alive and in the room!

Curious to know what he wants women to feel when they wear Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance, Ricci elaborates ‘I want women to feel the character when they wear my scents. I want them to feel – well, suddenly they feel superior, in control of their game, ultra feminine, maybe coy’. It is his desire to enlighten the energy and beautify women. Reveal her hidden talents if you will.

With our interview coming to a close, Ricci asks me to go back with him into the retail store, Holt Renfrew for a last minute visit and sniff of competitor’s blends. He is quick to point out his good friend, Erwin Creed’s family line and other new launches. He has made a promise the day before, to visit a store employee before he leaves. He tells me ‘one has to be a man of his word - if not, you have no integrity and that is the worst kind of person’. We traverse the store for a good 30 minutes looking for a woman whose name he cannot recollect and he appears disappointed not to find her. He is now en route to the Montreal store to woo the journalists, sales employees and customers there and the ladies have no idea what is to come. Afterwards, one beauty editor confides it took her a good 48 hours to come down to earth after meeting him…

A man of superior integrity and absolute creativity to be sure.

His weaponry, positively scentillating.

Both Juliette Has A Gun fragrances are €85,00 / €60,00 in all European coutries and in North America: $110.00 / $80.00

About the author

Marian Bendeth is a Global Fragrance Expert based out of Toronto, Canada. SixthSen@aol.com

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The Man Behind The Hat: An interview with Romano Ricci

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