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

Contents

Essential Information
The Founder and the Origins of the Brand
What Defines the Brand
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 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.

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 broadly divided into Extrait de Parfum and Eau de Parfum. Angel Dust, Vanilla Haze, and Orange Crush are available in both versions, with differences not only in concentration but also in the materials that support each scent and the character it aims to express.

When Bram founded the brand, he was drawn to powerful fragrances with generous amounts of fragrance material, seeking quality and presence that justified their price. His interests later widened to balancing freshness with depth, softness with intensity, and a simple composition with bold character within a single scent.

Major Extrait de Parfum Creations

The extraits encompass different inspirations: the debut Parfum 1, the oud-centered Goudh, the coffee of Workaholic, and Nocologne’s pursuit of cologne-like freshness. The current versions of these fragrances and Sugardaddy all have a fragrance concentration of 30%.

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.

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.

At the heart of Goudh is the idea of moments when the sense of time disappears and pleasure seems to continue uninterrupted. Grapefruit, mandarin, and blackcurrant bring brightness to dense oud, while leather, patchouli, and vetiver add depth. Bram names it alongside Sugardaddy as a fragrance with a pronounced presence, in contrast to the introverted Angel Dust.

Workaholic
A spicy-gourmand fragrance born from the seemingly contradictory pairing of coffee and Bulgarian rose. Conceived for an ambitious personality, it is supported by Australian sandalwood and white musk. Released in 2019.

The name Workaholic evokes someone who puts energy into both work and play while pursuing success. The warmth and bitterness of roasted coffee meet rose and nutmeg, followed by a sweet, full-bodied trail of tonka bean and amber. The aim is to convey an ambitious person’s presence through scent rather than simply reproduce the smell of coffee.

Nocologne
Nocologne began as an extrait intended to preserve the freshness of a cologne for longer. Bram recalls that increasing the fragrance concentration to 30% was not enough: the top notes still lost their force over time, without sustaining the freshness he wanted.

He repeatedly changed the combinations of materials, working through 24 trial versions to find a balance between freshness and longevity. The composition seeks to retain the bright first impression of a cologne through the design of an extrait.

Grapefruit, Calabrian bergamot, lemon, and mandarin are layered with orange blossom, ginger, mimosa, and pink pepper. Green tones of herbs, moss, and vetiver support the citrus freshness. The current product has a fragrance concentration of 30%.

Sugardaddy
A sweet, fruity gourmand centered on tangerine and nutmeg. Fruity blackcurrant is layered with clove and jasmine, leading into a warm trail of moss, cashmere, and patchouli. Alongside Goudh, it is one of the extroverted, assertive fragrances Bram contrasts with Angel Dust.

Its sweetness combines a sensation of sugar lingering on skin with a playful lightness. Spices and a woody foundation give the composition body while retaining the brightness of the fruit. The current product has a fragrance concentration of 30%.

Eau de Parfum and Extrait Reinterpretations

Angel Dust
Angel Dust is a signature fragrance available as both an eau de parfum and an extrait. It began with the wish to create something different from an outwardly assertive scent: a fragrance suited to time at home, everyday life, and even going to bed. Bram chose a composition centered on Cashmeran that could be enjoyed close to the skin for a long time.

The eau de parfum has a fragrance concentration of 20%. Fugazzi calls Cashmeran the “Polite Molecule,” associating it with a quiet, self-assured introvert. Impressions of cashmere, white amber, and transparent woods are joined by bright Calabrian bergamot and restrained pepper, lending presence to its calm character. The perfumers are Valérie Garnuch-Mentzel and Ilias Ermenidis.

The extrait has a fragrance concentration of 30%. It intensifies white amber and Cashmeran, adding pink pepper to black pepper to sharpen the contours. The emphasis shifts from transparent woods toward darker woody depth, strengthening its presence on the skin while retaining an intimate softness.

Vanilla Haze
Vanilla Haze Eau de Parfum is a gourmand with a fragrance concentration of 20%. Mandarin, coconut milk, almond, and hazelnut lead into vanilla, tonka bean, and jasmine, followed by scorched crème brûlée, white amber, and sweet musk. Combining toasted sugar with a milky texture, it was created as a scent for expressing personal style from everyday occasions into the evening.

The 30% extrait reinterprets that scent for late-night hours. Rather than simply amplifying the sweetness, it opens with sharp lemon, roasted hazelnut, and coconut milk, while clove, Cashmeran, and smoky tonka bean give the warmth a darker shading.

Saffron, Akigalawood, caramel, musk, and vanilla add further layers, taking the eau de parfum’s confectionery softness toward a scent with spicy and woody depth.

Orange Crush
Orange Crush Eau de Parfum grew from the idea of focusing on three main elements: soft, transparent woods, the skin-like warmth of white amber, and abundant orange. Rather than emphasizing only the cool freshness of citrus, it seeks an orange with a velvety texture. Its fragrance concentration is 20%.

In the extrait, the center of gravity shifts from the eau de parfum’s airy Iso E Super toward the deep woody character of Akigalawood. The bright opening of orange remains, layered with the spicy warmth of pepperwood and the softness of musk.

The fragrance concentration here is 30%. The extrait is designed to give the transparency of the original greater depth, strength, and a more lasting presence.

Unreleased Formulas from the Archives

Archives is a project that releases previously unreleased formulas which did not enter the regular range, in limited quantities and for a limited time. Each is intended as a one-off release, with no further production once it sells out. The 2026 edition is set to present six fragrances from the archive in 30 ml bottles, with early access scheduled for November 13–15.

One of them, Stroopwafel Cashmeran, evokes the warmth of a freshly baked stroopwafel. Cinnamon, brown sugar, and the sweetness of dulce de leche, a confection made by slowly cooking milk, are wrapped in smoky vanilla and soft Cashmeran.

Sencha Matcha Ambroxan, by contrast, takes its inspiration from the first sip of cold matcha. The brightness of yuzu and ginger and the delicacy of creamy matcha and tea are brought together with Ambroxan and musk.

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