Ermenegildo Zegna’s XXX fragrances are all about cinematic adventure

This is Product of the Week – a weekly round-up of the Dazed Beauty team and wider community’s must-have buys.

WHAT IS IT?

Price: £147

Pin It — G K LewisCourtesy of Ermenegildo Zegna

GK Lewis for Zegna — G K LewisCourtesy of Ermenegildo Zegna

WHY SHOULD I CARE?

With its XXX fashion label, Ermenegildo Zegna brought comfort to couture, merging the soft jersey of streetwear with the sharp tailoring of a lavish tuxedo. Now, with its namesake fragrance collection, the luxury Italian house is breaking the mould once again. The new series – pronounced ‘Triple Stitch’ – is a bold trifecta of scents that pay homage to the beauty of non-conformity.

XXX’s three Eau de Parfums – each infused with the crisp aroma of a different metal – all transported me into various cinematic scenes. XXX Verdigris – a warm, fresh fragrance with notes of cardamom, violet, and titanium, which has an almost grassy scent that gives way to gentle florals as it absorbs into the skin – is giving me Tarkovsky’s Mirror (think: a peaceful expanse of grassy land). The fiery XXX Cyprium is a copper storm, with fragrant tones of cedarwood that delicately intensify over time – hello, Dune. The third and final scent, XXX Charcoal, is a sensual, smoky fragrance that explodes with black pepper, limbanol, elemi, and the essence of graphite, and has a dry, earthy base that offers a rich and lasting flavour. With this, I’m a lone cowboy in no particular western film, wandering the vast, sandy desert searching for love. (Terms and conditions: cinematic experience not guaranteed).

Besides, before you even lift the lid on the XXX fragrance, you’ll be sold by the bottle. Nourishing its fashion savvy fans, Ermenegildo Zenga’s rich (fully recyclable) metallic bottles each compliment their natural aromatics, in shimmering green, copper, and – you guessed it – charcoal. Plus, they look like they’re melting, which makes for a very chic mantelpiece addition.

To celebrate the launch of the fragrance range – which celebrates self-expression and freedom – Ermenegildo Zenga gathered three creative rulebreakers, G-K Day-Lewis, Jordun Love, and Demitre Sullivan, to put their spin on the scents. “Your scent is part of your identity that people can recognise with their eyes closed,” said Love. “Being a part of the XXX campaign has shown me how you can command a room with your scent.”