This article appeared in 'The Good Life' supplement in The Guardian on Saturday 2 March 2024.
Vita — Italian for ‘life’ — is a new unisex fragrance that captures Sicily’s sensuality and vitality.
Bafta award-winner and TV dance celebrity Giovanni Pernice has recently unveiled another talent, with the launch of his unisex fragrance brand, VITA. The fragrance has received a positive response on social media since its launch, with customers captivated by its seductive and complex structure.
Rather than a ‘sweet life’, Giovanni’s fragrance perhaps captures and evokes a ‘sexy life’, both in the way the fragrance unfolds on the skin and also in the imagery which has accompanied the launch of VITA. Over 60 years ago, Federico Fellini’s groundbreaking film La Dolce Vita met with censorship and bans — an experience reportedly shared by Giovanni’s new fragrance. Some of the marketing images showing Giovanni in a semi-nude embrace with a female companion were apparently too steamy to be shown on the London Underground, though the images that did appear certainly capture the ‘sensuality’ and ‘seduction’ which were inspirational themes for the Italian dancer.
“I have long been passionate about fragrance and the way scent, like dance, can captivate the emotions and transport us to another place,” reveals Giovanni. “VITA is the embodiment of my passions, a personal and complex fragrance which slowly seduces as it unfolds on the skin.”
Created with experienced creative director, Nicholas Hill, Giovanni’s fragrance has proven to be equally popular with women and men. “It’s a deceptively complex scent with an initial burst of fresh marine and bergamot top notes inspired by the sun-kissed coasts of the Mediterranean,” explains Nicholas. “The fragrance then unfolds to reveal aromatic sage, a plant native to southern Europe, along with rosemary and geranium. The darker base notes then come to the fore, with Sicilian incense combining with the earthy aromas of patchouli to give depth and sensuality to contrast with the vibrant energy of the top notes.”
While several high-street chains are in discussions to stock VITA, Giovanni’s seductive new fragrance is available today at gpvita.com in both 100ml and 50ml sizes, starting from £50.