Design studio Formafantasma has stepped into the creative director role at Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, the historic Florentine fragrance and beauty house. The appointment brings Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin's design vision to a brand steeped in nearly 400 years of Italian beauty heritage.
The timing matters. Santa Maria Novella, founded in 1612 by Dominican friars in Florence, stands as one of Europe's oldest pharmacies and fragrance makers. The brand operates across multiple categories including perfume, skincare, and wellness products, with a loyal following among beauty connoisseurs who prize its artisanal approach and historical authenticity. Yet like many heritage beauty houses, it faces pressure to remain relevant without diluting its identity.
Formafantasma brings a different energy to this challenge. The Milan-based studio has earned recognition for conceptual rigor and material innovation across design disciplines. Trimarchi and Farresin work across furniture, objects, and spatial design with a philosophy grounded in craftsmanship and cultural storytelling. Their appointment signals that Santa Maria Novella intends to evolve beyond preserving history into actively reinterpreting it for contemporary audiences.
This isn't Formafantasma's first foray into beauty. The studio has collaborated with fragrance and lifestyle brands before, bringing their signature approach to product design and packaging narratives. What distinguishes their sensibility is a refusal of superficial aesthetics. They examine materials, processes, and the stories embedded in objects. That intellectual depth appeals to a growing segment of beauty consumers who want substance alongside design.
For Santa Maria Novella specifically, the appointment addresses a real need. The brand competes against both niche indie fragrance makers and major luxury conglomerates. Heritage alone no longer suffices. The house needs creative leadership that respects its Dominican pharmacy origins while opening new conversations about scent, beauty, and wellness. Formafantasma's track record suggests they can navigate that balance.
The practical implications emerge in product launches, packaging design, and brand communications. Expect visual identity refresh, thoughtful product development, and possibly new fragrance collections that honor the house's botanical traditions while speaking to contemporary concerns around sustainability, transparency, and artisanal production. Formafantasma's work typically features bold material choices and conceptual clarity. Applied to fragrance, this could mean renewed emphasis on ingredient sourcing, olfactory narratives, or even the ritualistic elements of beauty consumption.
This appointment also reflects a broader beauty industry trend. Heritage brands increasingly hire design directors from outside traditional beauty backgrounds. The cosmetics world recognizes that fresh creative perspectives strengthen brands, particularly when they come with intellectual rigor and cross-disciplinary experience. Formafantasma brings design authority without preconceptions about how fragrance or skincare should look or function.
For consumers, the shift matters most at the point of purchase and use. Better design decisions cascade into packaging that performs better, fragrance bottles that feel purposeful, and brand narratives that feel earned rather than recycled. At a company like Santa Maria Novella, where customers often pay premium prices for perceived authenticity and quality, creative direction by a respected design studio raises expectations accordingly.
The coming months will reveal how Formafantasma interprets their mandate. Their first collections and campaigns will signal whether they're preserving heritage or transforming it. That distinction will shape not just Santa Maria Novella's future, but how the broader beauty industry thinks about balancing historical identity with contemporary relevance.