MILAN — Doctor no more.
Italian brand Dr. Vranjes Firenze, best known for its luxury home scents and diffusers, has recently been re-christened Vranjes Firenze, in a rebranding that signals the company’s aspirations since it was acquired last year by L’Occitane Group from Bluegem Capital Partners in a deal valued at about 150 million euros.
The label let go of the nod to its founder — Dr. Paolo Vranjes, who launched the business with his wife, Anna Maria, in 1983 — in favor of a more contemporary name and simpler logo that can best express and fit with its international ambitions.
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To be sure, the rebranding is just one in a series of moves that saw the brand scale up its business by expanding its reach, from product assortment to global retail footprint, with the ultimate goal of pivoting from home scent specialist to a full-fledged fragrance house.
Without disclosing specific figures, chief executive officer Giuseppe Colotto told WWD that 2024 marked the 18th consecutive year of growth for the firm, confirming the desirability of its products. As reported, sales in 2023 totaled more than 42 million euros.
Colotto also highlighted how last year was key in consolidating the synergies with the new parent company and investing in the next chapter of the business. So much so that the CEO forecast double-digit growth in 2025, driven by store openings and strategic launches, such as a collection of eaux de parfums and a hand care line introduced earlier this year.
The company’s brisk activity shows no signs of slowing. For one, on Monday it will reveal the acquisition of a 51 percent stake in Integra Fragrances, WWD has learned.
Founded in 2006 in Italy’s Reggio Emilia and operating offices also in Milan, New York and Hong Kong, Integra Fragrances is a leading company in scent branding services for luxury, fashion, hospitality and design brands. It owns exclusive technologies that diffuse fragrance through air conditioning and air quality systems, for example, enabling the perfuming of large spaces such as hotels, boutiques, spas and corporate environments worldwide.
“With this acquisition, we take another step forward in the evolution and growth of our brand,” said Colotto. “By combining our artisanal savoir-faire with Integra Fragrances’ technological expertise, we can offer even more complete olfactory experiences — from private spaces to large venues, and into the worlds of hospitality, fashion and wellness. It’s a natural evolution aligned with our vision: to create beauty and well-being through the art of fragrance, with responsibility and innovation.”
The deal, financial details of which were not disclosed, strengthens the collaboration between the two companies and will see Integra Fragrances’ founder Lorenzo Cotti remain at his firm as CEO to ensure the continuity of the business.
“My partners and I are very pleased with this partnership with Vranjes Firenze, which represents an important milestone in our development plan,” said Cotti. “By bringing together our scent technology and experience in ambient fragrance with the artisanal mastery and global recognition of the Vranjes Firenze brand, we will create unique synergies that enhance our olfactory branding offer and open new opportunities for global growth.”
The acquisition coincides with Vranjes Firenze’s release of a collaboration with fellow Florentine brand The Bridge, which has specialized in leather goods since 1969.
Conceived for the holiday season, the limited-edition line is the first such tie-up for Vranjes Firenze, which previously embarked only on one co-marketing initiative with Maserati, when it created a dedicated scent for the car brand’s centenary.
This time, the company’s home diffuser — which comes in a signature bottle shaped after Filippo Brunelleschi’s Dome in Florence — in the “Leather Oud” scent is presented with a handcrafted leather support by The Bridge. Eight leather cases designed for the travel kit of the Vranjes Firenze eau de parfum range will also be gifted to customers purchasing the limited-edition product.
Available from Monday at a selection of The Bridge and Vranjes Firenze stores, as well as their respective e-commerce platforms, the home diffusers will retail at 108 euros and 254 euros for the 500-ml. and 1,250-ml. sizes, respectively.
“This is the result of a shared desire to pay homage to Florence, which is the origin and constant source of inspiration for both companies,” said Barbara Del Neri, chief marketing officer of Vranjes Firenze. “It was a joint project between two brands that share the same philosophy of quality, craftsmanship and authenticity,” she continued, adding that collaborations are “a strategy we want to keep exploring with selected partners, those who are coherent with our values.”
These add to an expansion of the catalogue kick-started in 2022, when the company dipped its toes into the eau de parfum arena. Earlier this year, the “Firenze in Translation” collection of eight genderless scents was unveiled as another tribute to Florence and to Italian words that defy direct translation. The scents launched in May at the brand’s own stores, priced 185 euros for each 100-ml. size and 40 euros for the discovery kit. Additional miniature formats and wider availability across global retail partners started in September.
The collection expanded Vranjes Firenze’s total assortment to 450 stock keeping units, including the popular home diffusers — available in 30 scents and eight formats — their refills, scented candles, fragrances for cars and the recently introduced hand soaps and creams. Overall, prices range from 36 euros up to 700 euros, attracting a wide range of customers.
The core target for the home fragrances is still the female audience, aged 35 to 65, with male customers on the rise and currently representing 30 percent of the total clientele, said Del Neri. The boost in personal fragrances enabled the brand to draw a younger target across genders, aged 25 to 35, too.
“The world of fragrances is now one of the most dynamic segments of beauty: globally, it is growing at approximately 6 percent annually, with niche perfumery recording the highest rates, driven by the desire for authenticity and personalized sensory experiences in both personal and home fragrances,” said Del Neri. “We have decided to invest significantly in the former. It is a natural extension of our olfactory world, intercepting not only our core audience but also a new generation of younger, curious and quality-conscious consumers. For them, perfume is now an expression of their personality and individuality, just like an outfit or an accessory.”
This is particularly true in Asian markets, said Del Neri, where niche fragrances are in demand and the “charm of Made-in-Florence ones can resonate well.”
Hence, the expansion of the distribution network is among the key pillars of the company’s strategy, along with the enhancement of the brand awareness internationally and strengthening of its offer.
The company is committed to stretching both its retail footprint with standalone store openings in strategic markets and the development of partnerships with retailers in regions with high potential, such as China, South Korea and the U.S.
Currently, Vranjes Firenze’s top markets are Italy, Japan, the Middle East and the U.K., where the brand will open a flagship in London’s Piccadilly area, following the unveiling of its first unit in Mayfair in April and a new presence on Harrods’ ground floor area dedicated to personal fragrances.
Other openings before the end of the year will include additional outposts in Tokyo and the Italian cities Bergamo and Brescia, following the unveiling of ones recently in Milan and Rome.
Overall, the company is available in over 75 countries through a network of more than 70 doors among monobrand stores in cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Dubai and Kuwait City and shops-in-shop in premium department stores, in addition to select retailers globally. Colotto said the retail and wholesale channels account for 25 percent and more than 50 percent of the company’s total sales, respectively.
Online sales generated through the Vranjes Firenze e-commerce and those of partner e-tailers account for the remainder. The brand’s own platform in particular covers over 35 markets and its sales have constantly grown over the past five years, said the CEO.
Last month Vranjes Firenze earned the B Corp certification. All products are conceived, developed and produced through close collaboration with artisans, suppliers and partners in Italy and specifically Tuscany — helping to shorten its supply chain, reduce environmental impact and preserve the local artisanal tradition.
