December 31, 2024 |
On a rainy autumn morning in Florence, long before the doors open, an orderly queue of people has already formed on the Via della Scala. They’re waiting to enter the special world that is Santa Maria Novella: a perfumery and emporium, a piece of living history. For the rest of the day, the ebb and flow of visitors may slow but it never ceases; whether they’ve come to shop, photograph or simply peruse, the city deposits them at the entrance with a comforting regularity. Tourists on the hunt for authenticity in motion. (Locals tend to avoid the crowds and shop at a newer, smaller location nearby.)
from left: a display in the historic store; Paolini in front of ancient glass-fronted cabinets, their shelves lined with glass carafes are filled with soothing unguents
For 800 years this place has stood firm: Dominican friars cultivated the land in 1221, but in 1332 things progressed when they nursed a merchant back to health and, in gratitude, he funded the construction of the chapel of San Niccolò, which now serves as the shop’s main hall. When the plague came in 1348 the friars offered care and by 1381 perfumed waters – particularly rose – that they had dispensed were officially produced for sale. A place where monks once created and ministered remedies now dispenses fragrance, moisturisers, soaps, home aromas – even mints. More than half a million souls make the pilgrimage here annually. They are greeted by a wealth of ancient glass-fronted cabinets, their shelves lined with glass carafes filled with soothing unguents. They marvel at the elaborate glass chandeliers, vaulted frescoed ceilings and wooden tables housing bags of potpourri, candles and the scented terracotta pomegranate, said to be able to fragrance a home for a year. It’s such a destination space that it’s arguably up there with the city’s must-sees, like spaces such as the Uffiz Gallery, which has Botticelli’s Birth of Venus glorifying its walls. Despite its gravitational pull, until recently the exterior to Officina Profumo Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella (to give it its full name) was supremely low-key: double wooden doors with the name carved into the stone above them. There weren’t even windows facing onto the street and the outside world. But in a reversal of the norm, the past has swallowed up the present and now two large vitrines stand like sentinels at either side of those doors, as the emporium has taken over a former laundrette on one side and a pizzeria on the other. For now, they act merely as showcases, but who knows what may be in store for what lies behind them. Santa Maria Novella is about to go through its very own renaissance thanks to its new CEO, Giovanna Paoloni, who took up the reins in January.
from left: a display in the historic store; Paolini says her job is like “working for a start-up, but one with 800 years of history”
Exactly how things may change, which perspectives may shift, is still under wraps – even if the plans may well be laid now – though she clearly sees this as a lifestyle brand, not just a beauty or fragrance. Changes had already started happening under the previous leader: those street windows for starters, as well as a bigger focus on fragrance with the I Giardini Medicei collection, which included the big hits L’Iris (the flower of Florence) and Acqua Della Regina. Skincare was expanded too, with classics reinvented such as its Idralia cream, now a line of five products from an exfoliating cream to a mask. With luxury fragrance doing so well, could we see Santa Maria Novella becoming more of a serious fragrance house? Could we see the arrival of an in-house nose? Paoloni is giving nothing away. Niente.
She’s dressed for business in a neat, fitted black suit, but Paolini is keen to insist that she’s not here to preside over a revolution, more a gentle and respectful evolution. Only a hard heart would disbelieve her because with every atom of her being she exudes a clear devotion to the place and everything that has gone before within its hallowed walls (and, indeed, far beyond; Korea is one of its biggest markets but they’re big in Japan, the US and elsewhere, including London, where a new boutique is due to open soon in addition to the pair in Piccadilly and Chelsea). Her eyes light up as she talks about it. “It’s real love,” she says, and you can feel it. Then again, most people feel it here. It’s magical, like stepping back in time, a space full of the communion of spirit. Even her appointment feels more like a spiritual calling, something written in the heavens beyond her control. She’d had other career plans but after an initial conversation she’d gone to sleep and had a vision about what to do and how to do it; there was no going back. The deal was struck, the contract signed.
Santa Maria Novella’s CEO Giovanna Paolini stands in the Florentine flagship
Does she feel the weight of taking on something with such a wealth of history, something so precious? This is, after all, a brand so loved, in part for its epitome of stealth style. “Yes, yes, I have to say I feel responsible,” she says. And she’s aware how crucial it is that she does “the right thing for the future”. Paolini is ready for the task. “I come from a family of entrepreneurs and this helps as you need to get into the mood that feeling such a way is normal, otherwise your life becomes hell, and you can be steady and calm with the team.” But she takes issue with part of the question: she does not want to call it a ‘brand’. So how does she refer to it? “I call it a gem. And I don’t want to call them customers, but guests of the house that come and live an experience. I want to build a strong bond and friendship with people; they are our ambassadors.”
Right now, though, it’s about getting things in place, making sure the foundations are strong. “I was with Mr Pesenti [MD of Italmobiliare, which owns Santa Maria Novella] and said we need to prepare the shuttle because we’re gonna go up there,” she points towards the sky. Paolini is taking it slowly, but don’t mistake that for lack of ambition. “I want to write history with this brand. That’s why the legacy I want to leave is also one of giving back to the community – this is very dear to me in a meaningful way.”
Paolini is bringing the brand into the 21st century, opening a new London boutique and developing products inspired by its 800-year-old archive
The biggest clue about how she may approach the job and take this historical wonder into the future probably lies in her past. Her career has been “mainly luxury fashion”, which included a role working with Christina Ong at Club 21, the UK distributor for Giorgio Armani. And though most recently she’s worked with Bottega Veneta, Harrods and Value Retail, it’s the almost nine years she spent at Prada Group’s Northern Europe division and what she learned that informs her thinking the most. “It’s the ethics of working, the foundation of the retail, the merchandising planning and the accuracy of the detail.” She was also involved in wholesaling there and selective distribution, i.e. knowing when a retail venue had the right look and feel for the brand, and it’s a safe bet she’ll be leveraging all these skills. Paolini has already started looking at areas such as distribution: she’s increased production capacity by 30 per cent (everything is still made at their factory in Florence, where her office also is), revamped the website, delved more into the archives and hired someone on the R&D front – quite what they’ve been charged with researching and developing is yet to be revealed.
She has opened up more of the main building too, moving offices that were in a cordoned-off area upstairs to create more of an event-friendly space where clients can go. This is where we sit to talk, next to an old window that overlooked the original dispensing pharmacy. It has an iron gate that leads out to the monastery’s courtyard, which provided the monks with an all- seeing eye to inspect what was happening down below. If you have such a rich history, you may as well make the most of every last inch of it. And it’s details like this that Paolini clearly feels are key to her plans. “We are keepers, the custodians, and we want to bring this story back to life. This room will be the start of that. It’s a rebirth of our soul, our spirit.”
Paolini is bringing the brand into the 21st century, opening a new London boutique and developing products inspired by its 800-year-old archive
What else is certain is environmental concerns are key for her, but that doesn’t just mean waste or recycling. It’s also about how she treats her teams. “People are important to me, [we’re] leading with kindness, going from first gear to sixth, so you need to make sure that people are with you on the journey,” she says, acknowledging that she has a “responsibility toward people to do the right thing for the future”.
Paolini has a juggling act ahead of her: preserving this much-loved jewel but taking it forward, keeping it relevant and growing it, while maintaining its integrity. It’s a situation she describes as like “working for a start-up, but one with 800 years of history”. It’s about going slowly. “Softly, like… pull back,” she outstretches her palms and flicks her fingers back to emphasise her point. “Let’s plan.” But she’s acutely aware that those friars were innovators too in their day, and that’s a key element she’ll make the most of. As for the rest, when you ask her to name the key words she associates with Santa Maria Novella, she lists: authentic, a kaleidoscope of things, classic without being redundant, the beauty of simplicity, cultural history and innovation. The rich past of this brand, this gem, is unshakable, but history is only tomorrow’s today and Paolini looks set to make each day count, steadily, quietly and meaningfully. The past and the future look bright.
Historic interiors
Photography by Valerie Sadoun. Taken from 10+ Issue 7 – DECADENCE, MORE, PLEASURE – out NOW. Order your copy here.
