Fugazzi: A Fragrance Revolutionary from Amsterdam

“When I entered the perfume industry, I didn’t try to work out what was missing. Because I knew nothing about the industry, I could operate in complete freedom. If you don’t look around too much, what you create naturally becomes unique.”

— Bram Niessink, Fugazzi founder

Essential Information
The Founder and the Origins of the Brand
What Defines the Brand
The Fragrance Lineup
1. Major Creations Centered on Extrait de Parfum, Including Fragrances at 30–50% Concentration
2. The Eau de Parfum Line: 20% Fragrance Concentration
By the Way…
1. Marketing That Makes a Spectacle
2. The Amsterdam Flagship Store

Essential Information

Founded: 2018
Founder: Bram Niessink
Based in: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Official website: fugazzifragrances.com

The Founder and the Origins of the Brand

A Fashion-Loving Young Man Enters the World of Scent

Fugazzi’s creator, Bram Niessink, was born and raised in the Netherlands. His family has deep ties to the beauty and barbering industry: his father founded the haircare-products wholesaler Ministry of Beauty. His father’s advice to “do everything you can to stand out at trade fairs” would become a foundation for Bram’s distinctive marketing philosophy in niche fragrance.

In 2014, Bram began studying fashion management at AMFI, the Amsterdam Fashion Institute. He stood out on the fashion scene and attracted international attention while still a student. He describes his school days as a succession of “long nights with deadlines” and projects that challenged students to compete creatively. “I learned a lot about the real world at that school,” he recalls.

An Awakening in Egypt

A turning point came in 2018, the year he graduated, on a trip to Egypt with his grandfather. Bram was deeply impressed by its ancient culture of scented oils and the story that Cleopatra conquered Caesar through her scent alone.

“During the trip to Egypt, I became absorbed in experimenting with blends of perfume oils. A blend I liked received positive feedback from people around me, and I decided to bring it to market. That’s how Fugazzi was born.”

— Bram Niessink

Having viewed beauty through the lens of fashion, Bram saw fragrance as “invisible luxury” and the most direct medium for expressing individuality. He was 22 at the time. While receiving advice from experienced perfumers, he taught himself the art of blending fragrances.

The Impact of the Debut, Parfum 1

Fugazzi’s first fragrance, Parfum 1, launched at FOUR Amsterdam, a prestigious boutique frequented by the city’s celebrities. Accounts also describe the first production run as selling out immediately. The debut of a young entrepreneur from outside the perfume industry made an impact in both fashion and fragrance.

Bram then refined his strategy while also seeking advice on branding and strategy from Ron Simpson, co-founder of the restaurant The Avocado Show.

The Philosophy Behind the Name “Fugazzi”

The brand name “Fugazzi” derives from “fugazi,” an Italian-American slang term from the 1970s. Meaning “fake” or “illusion,” the word is also associated with the film Donnie Brasco, released in Japan as Fake. Here, however, lies Bram’s paradoxical humor. “Fugazi” means “fake,” but he altered its spelling by doubling the z to make “Fugazzi,” and incorporated reversed letterforms in the logo. This double fiction, “making a fake word out of a word meaning fake,” embodies the brand’s identity.

“The brand name is a slang expression of who I am, coming from the fashion industry, and also carries my wish to express those moments of fiction or exhilaration that arise between one’s own world and the gaze of others.”

The brand’s philosophy is “Nothing is Everything,” embracing the irony of a word meaning “fake” symbolizing products that are in fact more concentrated and more real than the real thing.

Rapid Growth and International Expansion

Within a few years of its founding, Fugazzi had become a brand stocked around the world. According to a June 2024 interview in De Ondernemer, it had approximately 800 points of sale, including 45 in the Netherlands, with locations such as Skins, Harvey Nichols, Liberty London, and the Dubai Mall. Distribution through major German perfume distributor Nobilis Group has also been established.

In 2024, the brand signed an agreement with the UK division of beauty chain Sephora. In 2025, Fugazzi’s official social media also shared information that “Sephora UK named it the fastest-growing niche fragrance brand of 2025.” However, a detailed official announcement substantiating this assessment could not be confirmed in primary sources at the time this article was written.

Fugazzi made its full-scale Japanese debut in December 2024 through niche-fragrance specialist NOSE SHOP. Bram had visited Japan for the first time that October for “Salon de Parfum 2024 @ Isetan Men’s,” where his unpretentious personality and playful fragrance names generated considerable interest on social media.

What Defines the Brand

The Philosophy of “Storysmelling”

At the heart of Fugazzi is the concept of “Storysmelling.” Whereas conventional brand storytelling speaks from the brand to the consumer, Fugazzi offers scent itself simply as a “starting point.” The idea is that the wearer’s own memories and emotions then weave the story.

“We aim to tell a story with every perfume. Beyond a purely olfactory experience, we want to evoke emotions and transport people to particular places or memories. A fragrance offers a journey of the senses.”

— Bram Niessink

Bottle Design: The Aesthetic of “Almost Boringly Simple”

Coming from the fashion industry, Bram has a clear philosophy about bottle design: “The bottle should be uninteresting, in other words, standard.”

“I wanted the bottle to be timeless, almost boring. That was intentional. A bottle is something you use for years. The quieter the bottle, the freer the brand can be elsewhere. For example, we can use bright colors in the store interior, and the bottle will always fit in. I was also inspired by old apothecary bottles: simple, quiet, and lasting designs.”

— Bram Niessink

This approach grew out of the distinctive perspective he brought from fashion. Underlying it is his belief that fragrance should be the star and the bottle should serve only to support it. The logo uses a contemporary sans-serif typeface, and the overall design embodies sophistication and minimalism.

A Focus on Materials

An interest in wellness is also reflected in Fugazzi’s perfumes. In its description of Parfum 1, retailer Niche Beauty states that it contains root extract of Coleus forskohlii, a herb long used in Indian Ayurveda, and extract of Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, here referring to black tea, native to Southeast Asia and with a history of at least 5,000 years. The retailer claims that the combination of the two ingredients reduces nervous agitation and tension; this is presented as the retailer’s wellness-oriented description.

All products are also cruelty-free, meaning no animal testing, and paraben-free, and are manufactured in the Netherlands. They make extensive use of natural materials with specified origins, including Indian sandalwood, Indonesian patchouli, Javanese vetiver, Bulgarian rose, and Calabrian bergamot.

The Fragrance Lineup

The Fugazzi collection is built broadly around two main pillars: the Extrait de Parfum line and the Eau de Parfum line.

Major Creations Centered on Extrait de Parfum, Including Fragrances at 30–50% Concentration

High concentration is their defining characteristic. Whereas a typical cologne has a fragrance concentration of around 4%, Fugazzi’s extraits boast an extraordinary 30–50%. They are characterized by a fragrance-making approach aimed at a sense of longevity that lasts from morning through evening.

Parfum 1
The fragrance at the origin of the brand. A woody-spicy unisex perfume that unfolds from fresh citrus and blackcurrant top notes through a heart of davana, frankincense, orange blossom, and pink pepper to a base of patchouli, musk, sandalwood, and cedarwood. It is distinguished by the sensuality beneath its simplicity. There is also a story that it became a talking point in Ajax’s clubhouse, although direct primary evidence for this could not be confirmed.

Angel Dust
Available as both an eau de parfum and an extrait, it is one of the brand’s signature bestsellers. Centered on Cashmeran, also called the “Polite Molecule,” it is composed of Calabrian bergamot, pepper, cashmere, and white amber. It is positioned as “a fragrance for introverts,” unassertive yet unmistakably present. The perfumers are Valérie Garnuch-Mentzel and Ilias Ermenidis.

Goudh
With a name evoking oud, this is one of the most oriental and opulent fragrances in the Fugazzi collection. A weighty scent built around Indian sandalwood, Javanese vetiver, and oud, intertwined with Bulgarian rose, ambergris, and Indonesian patchouli. It is said to be particularly popular in the Middle East.

Workaholic
A spicy-gourmand fragrance born from the seemingly contradictory pairing of coffee and Bulgarian rose. Positioned as “a scent for the ambitious,” it has a powerful base of Australian sandalwood and white musk. Released in 2019.

Nocologne
A fragrance with the challenging concept of achieving the freshness of a cologne, usually around 4% fragrance concentration, at the concentration of an extrait, 30%. Bram reportedly made 24 trial versions before completing it. Centered on grapefruit and orange blossom, it achieves long-lasting citrus freshness.

Sugardaddy
A sweet, fruity gourmand centered on tangerine and nutmeg. It boasts a high fragrance concentration of 50%.

The Eau de Parfum Line: 20% Fragrance Concentration

Vanilla Haze
A gourmand fragrance conceived with Gen Z in mind. Burnt sugar, smoky vanilla, almond, and hazelnut overlap in a sweet, complex scent. An extrait version appeared later, bringing out even deeper smokiness.

Orange Crush
A simple yet highly addictive fragrance blending orange citrus with transparent woods and white amber. An extrait version of this fragrance also exists.

By the Way…

Marketing That Makes a Spectacle

Bram is known for putting extraordinary energy into the brand’s trade-fair appearances. At a perfume-industry exhibition in Milan, the stand was covered in blue mosaic tiles reflecting water, and the team appeared in bright red sweaters bearing the words “Fugazzi Lifeguard.” On an earlier occasion, under the slogan “Fly with Fugazzi,” the stand was styled like a jet aircraft, with perfumes displayed on cabin trolleys. “Among competitors’ clean white or luxurious black-and-gold booths, my stand alone stood out,” Bram recalls.

“I knew nothing about the perfume industry. So I did it my way.” — Bram Niessink

The Amsterdam Flagship Store

Opened in 2024, Fugazzi’s flagship is a three-floor experiential store in Amsterdam’s popular De 9 Straatjes shopping district, the “Nine Little Streets.” Bram reportedly commissioned a South American architect for the interior, investing in a distinctive space intended to be “unlike anything anywhere else.” The store-exclusive fragrance Oudh Zuid joined the lineup and immediately became a bestseller. The statement that he had “built an internationally distributed brand before turning thirty” also attracted attention in the business press, and his entrepreneurial story appeared in Dutch financial newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad in November 2024.

References