A CITY WORTH SENSING
words by MARIE-PAULINE CESARI
FUGAZZI and the Fragrance of Amsterdam
As Amsterdam prepares to celebrate its 750th anniversary, we’re reminded that some cities aren’t just lived in, they’re felt. There’s a rhythm that pulses beneath the canals, a spirit of reinvention that weaves through the old brick façades and neon-lit nights. For us, Amsterdam is a collaborator, a question mark and a muse.
So, it was only fitting that our path crossed with FUGAZZI, the fragrance brand founded by BRAM NIESSINK, whose instinctual connection to the city is just as strong. As Niessink describes, “Amsterdam is honestly in FUGAZZ’s DNA. It’s that perfect mix of old soul and bold attitude. The city’s energy, its creative chaos, its freedom to just be, totally feeds how I think about fragrance. You walk down a street here and you see centuries-old architecture with a tattoo shop or concept gallery tucked inside. That contrast is what inspires me. I’m always trying to bottle that feeling.”
Built on boldness, alchemy and emotion, FUGAZZI was born in Amsterdam and remains deeply shaped by its contradictions: historic yet hedonistic, stoic but sensual, elegant while always ready to disobey.
MARIE-PAULINE CESARI
If Amsterdam were a scent, what would it smell like?
BRAM NIESSINK
I’d say it’s a bit raw, a bit romantic and totally unpredictable. Think wet cobblestones after a rain, fresh tulips at the market, a hint of canal breeze and maybe even that smoky vibe from a hidden little coffee shop. It’s moody but magnetic. It’s the kind of scent you don’t fully understand right away, but you can’t stop thinking about it.
FUGAZZI’s Unfiltered Journey
FUGAZZI was never meant to play by the rules. Founded in 2018, it didn’t begin in a sterile lab but with a story; one steeped in ancient oils, Cleopatra’s rituals and the belief that scent could serve as emotional armour. With this mindset, Niessink introduced a new olfactory language: what he calls “storysmelling.”
As he explains, “The Cleopatra obsession was the spark, but the fire really caught during my studies at Amsterdam Fashion Institute. I remember this one art show where they used scent as part of the exhibit. It hit me like, whoa, scent isn’t just about smelling good, it can actually say something. It tells stories. That’s when I started thinking of perfume as more than just a product. It’s emotion, it’s memory, it’s identity. That’s how our term ‘storysmelling’ was born.”
From cult favourites like Parfum 1 and Sugardaddy to the moody sensuality of In Love with the Cocos, Fugazzi has grown from an underground secret to a global presence. In 2024, the brand opened its flagship in Amsterdam’s iconic 9 Streets — a physical manifestation of their philosophy.
MPC
Why was 9 Streets the right place for FUGAZZI?
BN
That spot is pure Amsterdam energy. It’s quirky, stylish and full of personality — exactly what we’re about. I didn’t want FUGAZZI tucked away in some sterile mall or luxury street. No thanks. We needed a space that felt alive, where people could stumble in off the street, get curious and experience something different. It’s not just a store. It’s kind of like walking into the brand’s mind.
The Scent of Connection
What began as a conversation between FUGAZZI and Numéro Netherlands soon turned into an intuitive concept. No briefs. No market research. Just two creative forces drawn to the same question: what does it mean to bottle a feeling?
Born out of a shared sensibility, our partnership is a quiet rebellion against conformity — just like the city that has shaped us both. Our creative expression channels a scent that already resists categories. In Niessink’s words, the collaboration is “pure creative instinct.” There are “no rules, no chasing what’s ‘in.’ Just a feeling.” And as for the scent we’re celebrating, “we’re playing with contrasts. Think of the touch of a new cashmere scarf — soft, warm — then suddenly … boom: a deep, dark boost of pepper and woods. It’s cosy and mysterious at the same time, like a conversation that starts with a smile and ends in secrets. You’re going to feel it more than you can describe it, and that’s the magic.”
Inspired by our mutual vision, we set out to build a visual and conceptual world around the FUGAZZI fragrance — one that resists definition. A feeling with tension and tenderness. Familiar at first breath but impossible to pin down. A mood that grows and shifts, informed by and embedded in this place.
As Amsterdam writes its next chapter, we’re proud to be part of a city that doesn’t just stand still. It stirs, it reinvents, and it leaves a trace; sometimes in stone, sometimes a scent.
