MILAN – Acclaimed design studio Formafantasma has been appointed creative director of Italian beauty company Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella.

The announcement was made via the Milan- and Rotterdam-based studio’s Instagram account on Wednesday.

According to the caption flanking a carousel of archival imagery of the brand, the studio founded by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin will “work across products, packaging, communication, retail spaces and events, in close dialogue with the internal team and with specialists from different disciplines.”

“The product remains the primary point of departure, with particular attention to its quality and to the expertise and processes through which it is made,” read the statement shared with the studio’s 186,000 followers. “Our intention is not to redefine Santa Maria Novella through a new image, but to build from what already exists, understanding what has allowed it to remain relevant since 1221 and how this can inform its present and future. This means examining how its history is communicated, how new products are developed, and how the different expressions of the company can form a coherent whole.”

The post briefly retraced the history of the storied beauty brand, which is considered the world’s oldest apothecary. The company was founded by Dominican friars after they arrived in Florence in 1221 and settled in the Santa Maria Novella location cultivating herbs to prepare medicines for their monastery’s infirmary. After manufacturing successful recipes such as aromatic waters and a bergamot-based fragrance for the queen of France Catherine de’ Medici in 1533 — which is still a bestseller — the apothecary opened to the public, officially launching as a commercial activity in 1612.

Today, the brand is still known for the use of medicinal herbs grown in the monastery gardens to make more than 600 different products across body care, fragrances, serums, pomades, candles and liqueurs, all delivered in its signature, old-school packaging that has contributed to its charm and increasing success worldwide, until recently based solely on word-of-mouth rather than advertising.

“It is precisely this continuity that makes the collaboration significant to us,” read Formafantasma’s caption. “The Officina is not simply defined by its longevity, but by the accumulation and transmission of knowledge across generations, embedded in ingredients, formulations, techniques, objects and spaces. Working with such an accumulation raises questions close to our own practice, particularly how it is preserved and transformed, how materials carry their own histories, and how an institution can advance without treating its past as static.”

This is not Formafantasma’s first foray into beauty, as the studio has already collaborated with Jil Sander for the launch of its Olfactory Series 1 Collection of fragrances last year.

Other prominent collaborations within the luxury world include a longtime affiliation with Prada and tie-ups with the likes of Fendi, Max Mara, Hermes, Bulgari, Loro Piana, Marni and Ferrari, to cite a few. These add to projects developed for design companies such as Cassina, Flos, Ginori, B&B, Knoll and Manteco, among others.

Established in 2009, Formafantasma’s practice embraces a spectrum of typologies and methods, from product design through spatial design, strategic planning and design consultancy.

Their appointment at Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella comes in a transitional phase for the Italian beauty brand. As reported, Ludivine Pont exited her role as chief executive officer of the company earlier this year. A successor hasn’t been named yet, as the firm told WWD “the board of directors has redefined the distribution of [Pont’s] responsibilities among its members” at the time.

According to local media reports, Roberto Pesenti will take the helm of the brand. The company’s international push and strategic transformation accelerated since the backing of parent Italmobiliare, the investment group owned by the Pesenti family. It first invested in the Italian beauty gem in 2020, marking its first operation in the perfume and cosmetics industry.

Following Italmobiliare’s takeover, a new course was initiated product-wise, with some items tweaked to meet current sustainability demands and the company opening up to newness by promoting its heritage. The approach culminated in 2022 not only with the introduction of “L’Iris,” the first eau de parfum in the brand’s 800-year history, but also with a boost in its skin care offering, which attracted younger consumers to the brand.