Bulgari's Indian seduction

The sun is shining on a garden party bursting with colour, and the beauty of the surroundings is not lost on the guests. This is, after all, Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan, India, and we are on the grounds of the beautiful and historic Rambagh Palace Hotel - the former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur.

A sense of Old World grandeur is everywhere - sprawling, immaculate gardens, marbled corridors, lofty domes and large portraits of the Maharajas of old lavishly decked out in their famously stunning jewels.

Adding to the hotel's magical aura is word that Judi Dench and Richard Gere, both in India to film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2, are guests. And so, along with the juicy prospect of bumping into these Hollywood stars (for some of us, at least), a 100-strong international media gathered recently to witness the launch of Italian jeweller Bulgari's latest in its Omnia range of fragrances - the Indian Garnet.

This scent comes on the back of steady sales for Bulgari's fragrance unit, which makes up the next best revenue-generating category after its number one division - jewellery. Fragrances contribute 23-25 per cent of the luxury brand's total annual revenue, and sales from the unit are expected to reach 150 million euros (S$264 million) this year.

As with other scents in the Omnia family, the Indian Garnet's inception began with a precious stone and in this case, master perfumer, Alberto Morillas, being shown "an amazing" - and apparently very big - mandarin garnet.

The orange-coloured stone immediately brought to mind spellbinding India, with all its sumptuousness, glorious colours and incredible beauty.

India - and in particular, Jaipur - is also where Bulgari sources many of the gems that it uses in its jewellery. "I immediately found myself bathed in the light of India where, in the evening, everything is inflamed in this very distinctive shade of orange as the sun sets."

For the scent's heart notes, Mr Morillas was inspired to use the tuberose, the Indian mythical flower that is "emblematic of India and its femininity and sensuality", with its creamy, fleshy, floral note.

To this, he added the apricot-smelling osmanthus from China, to increase the scent's overall softness and voluptuousness. "The tuberose blooms at night while the osmanthus blooms in the day and I wanted to contrast the two."

The head notes combine saffron and Sicilian mandarin, with the latter harking back to Bulgari's Italian roots. Finally, the base notes of very warm Indian woods tie everything together to give the fragrance its contemporary scent.

"The Omnia Indian Garnet woman resembles a queen. She embodies a form of femininity, serenity, nobility and elegance which one encounters everywhere in India, from the most humble woman to the Maharani," says Mr Morillas.

Still, as managing director of Bulgari's perfume business unit, Valeria Manini admits, it is difficult to create a fragrance that seduces women from all over the world - from the Japanese to the Brazilians, yet remaining faithful to the Indian root.

As Sabina Belli, Bulgari's brand and communications managing director, puts it: "The great role of the perfumer is to be able to offer to as many women as possible, different opportunities to identify themselves with an iconic aspect of femininity."

So it took many more months to further refine the Omnia Indian Garnet, with over 100 ingredients used in its final composition. The result is a scent that is sensual and mysterious, evoking the colours and senses of India.

With Omnia being the top-selling line among Bulgari's fragrances, it is imperative that this new scent succeeds, the way some of its sister fragrances within the family - also created by Mr Morillas - have. For instance, the Omnia Crystalline is pure, transparent and clear as crystal, with a bouquet of freshness and harmony. The Omnia Améthyste is feminine and romantic, while the Omnia Coral is warm, vibrant and joyful. Each has a firm fan base, with Omnia Crystalline being the bestseller within the Omnia line.

Then of course, there's Omnia's unconventional Mobius ring-inspired shape - a loop twisted around itself - which admirers like precisely for its boldness and comfortable fit in one's hand, but critics say makes it somewhat confusing to use and easier to topple over.

Clearly though, the fans outnumber the naysayers by a pretty wide margin and as Bulgari celebrated Omnia Indian Garnet's media launch with extravagant dinner parties at Jaipur's Jaigarh Fort and City Palace - the latter complete with decorated elephants, twirling dancers and musicians - you find that you too, are readily seduced by all things Indian.

Bulgari's Omnia Indian Garnet is available at all major department stores and key perfumeries in May. Prices range from $49 for a 150g soap and $80 for a 100ml beauty oil to $134 for a 65ml EDT Vapo.

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