PRESS RELEASES (Click to read)
LAUNCHES HIS OWN FRAGRANCE
Yvo van Regteren Altena has been fascinated by fragrances from an early childhood. During stay overs at his eccentric grandmother’s, whom never left the house without dousing her bosom in perfume, his siblings would challenge him to guess the name of a scent, carefully selected from his grandmother’s extensive per fume collection. Applause was guaranteed, because his nose never failed him.
YVRA 1958
Once an established journalist, Yvo became immersed in the world of fragrance houses and new scents. As a result of this exposure, renowned perfumers, including François Demachy from Dior and Jean-Claude Ellena from Hermès, encouraged him to create his own perfume. Yvo started this creative journey in 2013, which culminated in the launch of YVRA 1958 in 2015. The name refers to his initials and date of birth.
The Fragrance
YVRA s1958 is reminiscent of the classic, transparent, eau de cologne that dominated the sixties and sev enties, but with a modern twist – more aromatic and longer lasting. Yvo: “After a long and unsettling flight. I always find it comforting to revive my senses with a familiar fragrance. It was my ambition to capture the perfect scent for this occasion in a bottle.”
YVRA 1958 opens on a vivid and extravagant note with the use of Calabrian citrus. Its transparent character is enhanced by sparkling hints of orange flower and ginger. The opening theme is followed by a herbaceous chord and this fragrant overture concludes with a smoldering and lingering finale consisting of potent cedar, patchouli and tonka bean.
Design and Packaging
Yvo has extensive experience in collaborating with art director Durk Hattink. The packaging of YVRA 1958 had to embody the subdued yet indulgent character of a niche fragrance with a high perfume concentration of 20%. Hattink was also requested to connect Yvo’s beloved 1950s era to the present using a nostalgic yet timeless color scheme and typography. Hattink: “Inspired by the citrusy nature of the fragrance, a muted shade of orange was the obvious color choice. If you look closely at the details of the box, you can see Yvo’s love for subtle striping. However designing the flacon presented a whole new set of challenges. When I asked Yvo what our allowed expenditure was, he told me ‘budgets are made to be broken.’ And that is exactly what happened. Transforming the most precious materials into our vision of YVRA 1958 requires a high level of craftsmanship and commitment. Yet all the hard work paid off. During our visit to Pitti Fragranze in Florence, Chandler Burr, former New York Times perfume critic, called YVRA 1958 ‘extremely elegant and sophisticated’ and his reaction exceeded our wildest expectations.
