Arturo Obegero enters the world of perfume with Pigmentarium

By

Triana Alonso

Published
Oct 1, 2021

"Azabache" ("Jet" in Spanish) is the suggestive title of the first fragrance from the young Asturian designer, Arturo Oberego. The project has been developed over the course of a year with Czech perfume specialist, Pigmentarium, and was presented during a cocktail event in Parisian apparel boutique Elevastor, in the Le Marais neighborhood. A total of 300 units have been produced, one of them painted black by Oberego himself. They will be sold via the designer's website, as well as in select stores, for 238 euros. 

Originally from Tapia de Casariego, a small town in the north of Spain, Obegero has managed to make a name for himself on the Parisian fashion scene in a relatively short period of time. Trained at Central Saint Martins and then at Lanvin, where he worked under the supervision of Bruno Sialelli, the designer presented the first collection of his eponymous menswear brand in Paris this March. 

"Normally brands wait years before launching their own perfume, but there was a moment when we just told ourselves that we had to do it," explained the young designer enthusiastically, admitting that the pandemic had accelerated his projects. "After this year with Covid-19 and not knowing whether it would all be over tomorrow or in half an hour, we thought that we had to take advantage of this opportunity," he continued, going on to highlight that the launch allowed his project to gain more visibility during women's fashion week. "We are starting out and we have to push it to the limit during fashion week," he added. The next projects being pursued by the brand, whose products will shortly be made available for purchase on the Ssense e-commerce platform, involve working on the commercial side of things in order to drive sales and move into a studio of its own. 

The idea for "Azabache" came about naturally, thanks to a mutual friend who saw the potential synergies between the Spanish designer and the Czech company. "From the first Zoom, there was a brutal connection and really great chemistry. There were clear overlaps between the values of the brands and what we like to do aesthetically," recalled Obegero. Due to the pandemic, the project was initially carried out remotely, with the designer sending his inspiration to the company in the form of moodboards, playlists and collages. "I had a lot of ideas, but I still didn't know how they could be turned into a fragrance," he explained. What he did know was that it would be a gender-neutral fragrance referencing "elements of his childhood in Asturias."

"This elegant perfume is the result of an interpretation of perhaps one of the most classical scent elements: roses," said Jakub F. Hiermann, Pigmentarium co-founder and perfumer, when discussing the fragrance, which also incorporates verbena, pink peppercorns and musk. Founded in Prague in 2018, the Czech perfume house works with small family businesses and local artisans to develop its fragrances, which are often inspired by early 20th-century Czech culture. 

Currently its catalogue consists of five sophisticated products, which are sold online and in brick-and-mortar stores in the Czech Republic, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Reykjavik. "We are living a dream, enjoying the creative process," smiled Tomas Ric, co-founder and CEO of the refined and minimalistic company. According to the executive, the business' next challenge is developing on the French market.