Chanterelles, fig leaves and Portrait of a Lady. We spoke to Creative director Erika Barbieri about her world of scents. Erika is the co-founder of Olssøn Barbieri, a design studio specialised in packaging and brand storytelling. Mostly in the food and drinks sector, the studio has also designed the packaging for our very own Nykr. Born in Florence, she has lived and worked in Oslo for the last two decades, and her work has received many awards. Read about her favourite fragrance, scented childhood memories and the movie Daisy (1966).
The smell of warm asphalt after rain
Which scent are you wearing today, if any?
Portrait of a Lady by Dominique Ropion for Frédéric Malle
What is your first perfumed memory?
Fig tree leaves. As a child I loved to break the leaves and touch the sticky milk coming out of them.
Do you have a wild card scent? Something you love the smell of, to your own and others’ surprise.
Warm asphalt after rain. I also like the smell of glue, in particular VINAVIL, an Italian glue used for everything in school.
The smell of breaking fig leaves is one of Erika's first childhood memories.
On the bathroom shelf
What’s the most beautiful object on your bathroom shelf?
A Norwegian vintage advert for Si-Ko toothpaste.
Face cream and Nykr Nighttime nail and cuticle oil.
Image: Old ads with a special place on Erika's bathroom shelf
If your beauty universe was a movie..
Imagine your world of beauty as a movie. Which movie would it be, and why?
Daisies, 1966 by Věra Chytilová. A Surrealist, experimental, anti-patriarchal movie with women and food at the center.
Recognising the ecological, historical, political and social forces shaping what we eat, Erika's love for food evolved into a passion for the future of food. She believes that with new ways of thinking, new language, and new narratives we can challenge our food industry to build a new future.
Image: from Daisies (1966)
Beauty tips
Your best beauty tip?
Eat well!
When do you feel the most beautiful?
When I’m rested and wearing red lipstick :)
Image: via Fara Homidi
The smell of OlssønBarbieri
What does Oslo smell like?
It depends on the season, but right now, it smells of wet soil, chanterelles and cardamom.
What does OlssønBarbieri smell like?
Brewed coffee in the morning, jasmine rice for lunch (we got our first rice cooker) and Diptyques room spray Figuier for when we feel in need of a reset or when people stop by.
To learn more about Erika's work, visit https://olssonbarbieri.com/
Explore Erika's scented universe
Image: Tove Sivertsen for Nykr