Rubirosa was a jet-set pioneer, charmer, race car driver and talented polo player. He was widely seen to be in the same class as Don Juan and Casanova.
As all great playboys Rubirosa executed a sense of danger, romance and adventure. He married the two richest women in the world and many would follow; from Marylin Monroe to Zsa Zsa Gabor.
His romantic escapades became so mythical that they resulted in nicknames like ‘Mister Ever Ready’ and thanks to Rubi’s ‘personal parts department’: ‘The Pepper Mill’.
YVRA 1965 L’essence de Flamboyance is an ode to Porfirio Rubirosa. He had a passion for perfumes and wanted to create his own fragrance, which was to be sold in ruby-colored bottles.
The fragrance is seductive, sexy and very powerful. A lot of high-quality raw materials refer to Rubirosa’s life; hints of leather (Polo) and an ingredient such as pink pepper honors his nickname, the peppermill. There is bergamot, lemon, orange, incense, cedar, musk and lots of patchouli. Sophisticated, refined and very distinctive!
Want to feel the mood of L'Essence de Flamboyance?
Check the Spotify playlist. Contains hints of Bob Dylan, Curtis Lee and The Teddy Bears
Master in understatement and taste, Dutch designer Durk Hattink, collaborated with YVRA to create a design which brings the interior of the bottle to the exterior. A bottle to have, to hold, to use and then… to keep.
L’Essence de Flamboyance is a reference to the lifestyle of Rubirosa. The color of the box is inspired by Rubirosa's Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider, which was designed by the legendary Pinin Farina.
The side of the box has a bark-like structure in reference to the oak tree that stopped Rubirosa’s life so promptly. Furthermore Hattink has subtly made a reference to Rubirosa's nickname 'The Pepper Mill' and therefore it’s depicted on the inside of the label YVRA 1965.
Was it predestination gently prompted by that oh, so prominent nose which graces generations of family members? Yvo van Regteren Altena (Haarlem, 1958) has always followed his nose.