The House of Gucci celebrates its 100th birthday and to mark the occasion, the brand has created & added a new fragrance to The Alchemist’s Garden range: 1921 Eau de Parfum — “1921” honouring the year of the brand’s birth. With two distinct ingredients hailing from Florence (the city where Gucci was founded) at its core, along with the emblematic green colour of the bottle, these are just some of the exquisite details paying tribute to this iconic Italian treasure.
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Neroli Flower botanical print which highlights one of the 2 star ingredients
Cedro da Fiorenza, Johann Christoph Volkamer 1708 (Cedron Lemon, the other star)
The Alchemist’s Garden 1921 Eau de Parfum (CAN $368.00/100 ml, 3.3 fl oz) | Housed in a regal green box (side note: this may be just me, but doesn’t the box look like a tiny sarcophagus?) accented with gold lettering for both the Gucci logo and The Alchemist’s Garden unique ornamentation, the precious bottle inside is protected by a green moiré drawstring pouch. Inspired by the bottles found along the wooden shelves of a vintage apothecary as well as the first perfumery containers, this bottle with its impressively hefty brass cap, comes in transparent green glass — paying homage to one of the House’s iconic hues. The golden lettering and delicate designs on the bottle highlight the centre image of a gilded wreath held up by a hand; the circular shape being symbolic of everlasting growth and strength.
Created by master perfumer Alberto Morillas and Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele, much care and thought was put into designing a fragrance that would honour the 100 year legacy of the brand. To that end, two key ingredients were selected: the Neroli Flower and Limone di Cedrato (Cedrato Lemon), both native to Florence and home to Gucci itself. Combining the sweetness of Neroli with the sparkling freshness of Limone di Cedrato — the latter being a zesty ingredient that’s more floral than lemon fruit yet also bears a resemblance to the woody tone of verbena, it provides a rich and lingering intensity to the mix while still maintaining a bright voice. Grounding it all is Oakmoss — lush, evocative, earthy, and with a forest-like quality… thus bringing it all full circle.
Another feature that I find so wonderful, is that this fresh/floral/citrusy/woodsy fragrance is actually rather genderless and has the ability to appeal to everyone. In fact, in the past I may or may not have purchased fragrances for my husband and then appropriated for myself … putting that out there in case you needed more reason to indulge in 1921.
It’s all in the details; I love how the wreath design is also engraved on the brass cap
I also love the vintage aesthetic of this dainty bow
Gucci fragrances and I go way back; I still have — and wear — a few bottles from over 30 years ago that hold such precious memories for me. When Bloom launched in 2017 (reviewed here) I fell in love with the entire concept, but it turns out that while I adore the actual fragrance, that floral beauty is actually headache-inducing for me. Then Mémoire d’Une Odeur came out in 2019 (reviewed here) and it was 100% love from the first spritz. When The Alchemist’s Garden 1921 arrived, I was immediately spellbound and prayed to all the perfume Gods that I would be able to wear & enjoy this stunner. It turns out that they must have been listening, because it’s now sitting in a primo spot in my fragrance collection. And yes, while it may run on the steep side price-wise, think of it this way: you’re getting a piece of Gucci history. Oh, and the amazing way you’ll smell doesn’t hurt the cause either.
Available exclusively at Holt Renfrew Ogilvy
Kindly provided by Gucci for my unbiased consideration
