Roberto Ugolini

Roberto Ugolini is an Italian niche-fragrance brand founded in Florence in 2019 [5]. It grew out of the workshop of Roberto Ugolini, a bespoke shoemaker who has made shoes by hand for more than twenty years at Via dei Michelozzi 17R, near the Piazza Santo Spirito. The fragrances were developed together with Herbert Stricker, a niche-perfume producer from the German-speaking region, and the line is presented as an attempt to carry the craft of the shoe atelier over into scent [2].

The brand remains active. Fragrance databases list editions from its 2019 debut through 2026, and the perfumes continue to be sold across several European niche retailers [8]. There is no official Roberto Ugolini website; the range is instead distributed through specialist fragrance shops.

⚑ Thinner sourcing. The article relies largely on the brand's own statements (T2–T3). Glowpedia is seeking independent sources.

Roberto Ugolini built his reputation in Florence, where collectors of made-to-measure shoes seek out his small shop near the Piazza Santo Spirito. According to Gentleman's Gazette, the fragrance venture began as an organic partnership: Herbert Stricker, a regular customer of the shoe shop, shared Ugolini's interest in fine perfume, and their conversations turned toward whether the standards of bespoke shoemaking could be applied to fragrance [2]. Stricker, described by the same source as one of the larger names in Europe's contemporary niche-fragrance industry, produces and composes the line, while Ugolini lends his name, his craft and the atmosphere of his workshop.

Retailer sources describe Ugolini as a Florentine bespoke shoemaker whose atelier, filled with the smell of leather and polish, gave the direct inspiration for the collection [3]. That leather-and-polish setting recurs throughout the brand's story as the link between the two trades.

The collection is made up entirely of fragrances, offered as eau de parfum and, for certain editions, as more concentrated extrait de parfum. According to the makers, most scents carry around 20 percent aromatic compounds, while the higher-strength Rosso editions reach roughly 30 to 35 percent [2].

Many of the perfumes take their names from Ugolini's own world. Several reference shoe styles from his craft — Oxford, Derby, Loafer, Kitten Heel and Blue Suede Shoes among them — while others point to Florence itself: Marzocco after the city's heraldic lion, and Giardino di Boboli after its well-known gardens [2]. The Rosso editions, including the flagship 17 Rosso, are named after workshop addresses. Bottles are finished with leather labels stamped with the maker's mark and caps made of horn, details the brand ties back to the artisanal character of the shoe shop.

The perfumes are composed by named perfumers, including Christian Carbonnel and Laura Santander, with several sources presenting this openness about the noses behind the scents as part of the brand's approach.

Roberto Ugolini frames its fragrances as a translation of Florentine craftsmanship and character into perfume. On the retailer The Nose Behind, the brand's copy describes the shoe workshop, with its scent of leather and polish, as the inspiration for a collection meant to render "the craftsmanship and flair of Florence" in olfactory form, with each fragrance said to reflect the identity of its wearer [1]. Marc Gebauer's brand copy similarly places the perfumes within Florentine tradition, emphasising traditional perfume-making and a preference for understated composition over experimentation.

The fragrances are produced in small batches entirely in Italy, according to material published by the retailer Marc Gebauer [4]. Production is centred on Ugolini's single-city base in Florence, though the finished perfumes are sold across several markets.

The line has been the subject of editorial coverage rather than formal awards. Gentleman's Gazette published a brand-history feature on the launch, profiling both Ugolini and Stricker [2], and Fragrantica has covered the range in a review of its Firenze collection [7].

The brand is active as of 2026. It operates without an official website and reaches customers through niche-fragrance retailers across Europe, among them The Nose Behind, 4D Outfitters, Marc Gebauer and Gentleman's Gazette. Continued releases catalogued through 2026 indicate the line is still in production, made in small batches in Italy while distributed across multiple regions [8].