Ferragus
An Alchemy Of Subtle Frequencies
Rain and soft shadows match the mineral optics of Paris architecture. Misted and grisaille, pierced by hues of pale roses. Ferragus, a new scent developed by Arpa Studios, builds its petrichor-rich substance on cycles of decomposition and recomposition. This perfume happens; it is discovered. One cannot plot the outcomes of molecules in motion, just as concepts do not always follow logic. Often, illogic is the truer composer.




The sculptural forms of the diffusers result from a deconstructive reading of French and Viennese historical architecture, including the notorious palace of Versailles, which, for the studio, constitutes a material representation of social stratification. The resulting shapes, “active negatives” of the interior spaces they depict, are translated into a new, unexpected materiality.




Unauthorized rebellion against decency, uprising from dusts of urban fantasy.
As a sum of layered phenomena, Ferragus is born of a spontaneous sensory reaction: one that can only emerge in the presence of particular atmospherics. Of the ricochet of gray walls and skies in rainy Paris, whose monochromes are interrupted, on occasion, by transgressions of technicolor flora. Betrayal of order becomes the intended use of the scent. Encapsulated within, it is partially revealed through semi-transluscent packaging that forms an integral part of the design.





Launched in Vienna in the legendary Retti Candle Store designed in 1965–66 by Hans Hollein, the Ferragus project is complemented by an additional site-responsive sculpture that provokes dialogue with the notable Austrian architect’s space-age material palette featuring polished and anodized aluminum.









