Sailing the seven Zs

When it comes to men and luxury, the name Ermenegildo Zegna will always be at the top of the discussion. Through the decades, the brand has put a definitive stamp on its status as the purveyor of design, style and taste when it comes to suits, casual wear, shoes, bags and leather accessories.

Its foray into men’s fragrances has similarly garnered a stellar history. And when, a couple of years ago, the company decided to create scents that would be inspired by Su Misura, its couture collection of made-to-order suits, it would seem it sailed the seven seas, scouring every corner of the globe, for the finest and most exalted of olfactory “notes,” to distill and bottle, and unveil as its premier Essenze Signature Collection.

Having secured the choice harvest of Italian bergamot for years to come from a particular orchard, Zegna had modern artisan perfumers use the bergamot as its unifying note, and produce five distinctive scents — keeping it simple yet imbued with passion, creativity and luxury. Rich, aromatic and yet secure in its simplicity. The Italian Bergamot has notes of lime and sleek wood. The Sicilian Mandarin is woven with musk, spearmint and petitgrain; fresh, crisp citrus yet sensuous. The Florentine Iris uses roots aged for three years, with hints of jasmine and violet; floral, yet earthy and masculine. The Javanese Patchouli is mixed with tonka and cedarwood. And the Indonesian Oud is blended with amber and myrrh; oriental and spicy. With special solid glass bottles, and a unique magnetic top, the Essenze Collection is a must-have in any gentleman’s toiletries pouch.

At a special lunch held at the Japanese eatery, Magosaburo at the BGC, the new “baby” of the Essenze Collection was unveiled — Haitian Vetiver. I’ve long been a fan of vetiver, so I was more than interested to experience how Zegna’s Essenze would interpret this well-established men’s fragrance. With threads of neroli and carrot seed to give the Vetiver an unexpected lift, there’s your signature vetiver, but this time given a subtle revision that’s refreshing and distinguished. It’s akin to hearing an old familiar melody reinvented so you experience a twinge of nostalgia, while excited by the freshness of the new sound.

Since the early 2000s, the Zegna men’s fragrances have carved a niche of their own — and while the first wave was created with YSL Beaute; since 2011, a licensing agreement for the production of fragrances was forged with the Estée Lauder Companies. This is another feather in its cap for the Estée Lauder Group, adding to the rich roster of luxury brands that have entrusted their personal care products with the Group.

The ‘bees of burden’

Any entomologist will tell you that in the insect kingdom, the worker bees are among the most “dedicated and driven.” And we may very well use the same adjectives when referring to Burt Shavitz and Roxanne Quimby, the co-founders of the Burt’s Bees personal care line. It’s a brand known for being earth-friendly and natural, and this has been its underlying philosophy since its 1984 inception — long before “being green” as “in” or “cool” from a retail marketing perspective.

Back then, a visit by Roxanne to Burt’s upstate Maine home had her noticing the bee colony that Burt was tending to. As partners, Roxanne would avail of the excess beeswax and produce candles, which from a mere $200-investment, they made grow into a $20,000-venture by year’s end. Chancing upon an old volume of natural and homeopathic remedies made Roxanne realize that the beeswax, along with readily available herbs and plants, could be parlayed to an assortment of personal care products which included the beeswax Lip Balm — which, to this day, is the bestseller in the Burt’s Bees line. While 1993 saw Roxanne buying out Burt but still using his visage in the label of the fast-growing brand, things really took off when in 2007, Clorox bought the brand for a reported $925 million. And while Burt still lives in Maine, he was brought back on board to be the figurehead/spokesperson for the brand he helped create. In fact, when in Taiwan last year, Burt, an “off the grid” kind of personality/recluse, was amazed by the media frenzy his presence created, astounded at being treated like a celebrity!

Far from being a crafts-and-cottage-type of business, which admittedly is Burt’s Bees’ provenance, there now stands an impressive manufacturing and processing facility in Durham, North Carolina. But despite the upsize and modernization, Clorox has stayed true to the initial guiding spirit behind the brand — each product has a Natural Bar, indicating the percentage of natural ingredients. There is minimal processing so that as much as possible, the purity of the natural ingredients is maintained. Even in the packaging, only low impact plastics reutilized.

Here in the Philippines, the Burt’s Bees range of products can be found at Beauty Bar.  While I was aware of the brand and a few SKU’s (Stock Keeping Unit) such as the aforementioned Lip Balm, I was in for a pleasant surprise during the media event Clorox held in honor of Burt’s Bees’ 30th year. Getting a chance to try first-hand the wide array of products, I found that the Orange Essence Facial Cleanser and Garden Tomato Toner are now current favorites! Its Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme is readily absorbed, yet effective.

Happy 30th, Burt’s Bees! May you be(e) as busy as ever!