Amouage has brought Love Hibiscus to Milan with an intimate masterclass and sensory experience at Fondazione Sozzani (fsmilan), in collaboration with Olfattorio Bar à Parfums, deepening the fragrance’s European launch story around craftsmanship and high perfumery. The event framed Love Hibiscus as both a scent and a creative installation, aligning with the brand’s broader “Secret Garden” narrative showcased during Milan Design Week 2026.
A Secret Garden in Milan
The evening took place at fsmilan, where Amouage and Olfattorio Bar à Parfums recreated a Secret Garden space dedicated to Love Hibiscus and the Secret Garden Collection. The setting combined natural flowers with sculptural floral creations by CJ Hendry, echoing earlier “Love Hibiscus Nature in Motion” installations that turned a Via Manzoni 20 flower kiosk into a living, evolving garden.
Within this mise en scène, the so called Amouage Caterpillar “lingered” in the space, diffusing the new fragrance and reinforcing the sense of a whimsical, storybook garden inhabited by scent. This playful, surreal element connected visual art, perfumery and narrative in a way that felt characteristic of Amouage’s high perfumery positioning.
Masterclass with Renaud Salmon
The heart of the event was a masterclass led by Renaud Salmon, Amouage’s Creative Director, who guided guests through the inspirations and notes that shaped Love Hibiscus. In earlier interviews and materials around Milan Design Week, he has described Love Hibiscus as a vivid, contemporary interpretation of hibiscus in the Omani landscape, playing with light and shade to express a bold, feminine presence.
During the Milan session, guests experienced the fragrance layer by layer, exploring its salted caramel, passion fruit and bergamot top notes; a heart of hibiscus, orris and frankincense; and a base built on sandalwood, cypriol and vanilla, presented at a 20 percent concentration. This technical, ingredient focused approach underlined the brand’s commitment to craftsmanship and raw material quality.
Culinary pairing by Chef Stefano
The masterclass was amplified by a culinary experience curated by Chef Stefano, who presented dishes inspired by the fragrance’s olfactory profile. Drawing on Love Hibiscus’s sweet-gourmand and tropical facets, courses echoed elements like the sugar coated palmier accord, hibiscus tartness and passion fruit brightness described in official product notes.
This tasting format mirrored the “olfactory degustations” that Amouage and Olfattorio Bar à Parfums have been offering throughout Milan Design Week, where guests are guided through the Secret Garden Collection as if sampling a flight of wines or desserts. It reinforced the idea of fragrance as a full sensory experience, spanning smell, taste, sight and atmosphere.
Craftsmanship and high perfumery focus
The Milan event was explicitly framed as an afternoon dedicated to craftsmanship and the mastery of ingredients, positioning Love Hibiscus as a meticulously constructed composition rather than a simple trend launch. Official materials highlight Love Hibiscus as a floral gourmand that presents its hibiscus and sugar glazed palmier facets simultaneously, then evolves into an indulgent, sensuous dry down.
By combining a design led installation, a perfumer’s level breakdown of the formula and a chef driven tasting, Amouage reinforced its “high perfumery” identity and its roots in Oman, even as it activated in one of Italy’s leading design capitals. The collaboration with fsmilan and Olfattorio also anchored Love Hibiscus firmly within the cultural program of Milan Design Week 2026.
Visual storytelling and creative partners
The Milan chapter of Love Hibiscus was documented through videography by Giorgio Luna and photography by Marialuisa Mungiello, adding a visual narrative layer to the experience. Their work captures the interplay of natural and sculptural flowers, guests in the Secret Garden, and close ups of the fragrance rituals, extending the event’s reach beyond those physically present.
Together with CJ Hendry’s floral sculptures and the Amouage Caterpillar installation, these visuals contribute to a consistent story across Love Hibiscus activations, from the Nobu Hotel Marbella pool residency to the Milan garden, all presenting the fragrance as a living, evolving presence in different cities.
