Ozbek by Rifat Ozbek c1995

Ozbek by Rifat Ozbek: launched in 1995 in association with Proteo Profumi SpA. This is the first fragrance from the Turkish-born, London-based fashion designer.  

Gin Martinez, export director of Proteo Profumi of Milan, said the overall concept behind the signature Ozbek fragrance is of an exotic woman on a cultural journey between the Mediterranen and the Orient. "We are not targeting a particular female with the scent," he said. 

Ozbek said about his first fragrance that, “I wanted something traditional yet modern... I wanted it to be quite floral, but not too strong. It is supposed to be very feminine and sensual." However, he denied the idea that he was trying to recapture a fragrance of his youth, claiming that "it was meant to be a fragrance for now, rather than something from the past."

In Italy, where Ozbek was distributed by Florbath Profumi of Parfuma, a $19 million TV and print advertising campaign would back the launch. The print ad, features a midnight blue silhouette of a woman with outstretched hand kissing her wrist against an orange background that exhibits a bottle of Ozbek. The ad broke in the United Kingdom and Italy at the end of October 1995. The TV spot was filmed in London.

Hanaa Hazelhurst of Proteo Profumi was in charge of all marketing, sales, merchandising, training and media planning for the Ozbek fragrance.

Harvey Nichols launched the Ozbek fragrance on Aug 15, 1995 and had a one-month exclusive on the fragrance, which was being manufactured by Proteo. The fragrance was then rolled out to eight department stores in the United Kingdom, including occupying shelves at Harrods, Liberty and Selfridges. Daniella Rinaldi, the perfumery buyer at Harvey Nichols, said that the fragrance did more than $158,00 at retail in the first month after launch.  "It's been quite incredible," she said. "It's done well because it's from Rifat Ozbek, who's a hot designer; it relates well to the store, and is a very distinctive fragrance. It's part and parcel of the move toward glamour in fashion and toward slightly headier fragrances."

The British launch was followed by a September introduction in Saudi Arabia and an October debut in about 600 perfumery doors in Italy and distributed by Florbath Profumi, a subsidiary of Sanofi. Proteo projected Italian sales volume alone to be around $3.1 million for the first year. It was also launched in Switzerland.

The US launch, originally slated for August 1995, was pushed back to January 1996, allegedly to avoid the fall launches. However, Ozbek was launched exclusively at the 14-store Barneys New York chain nationwide on November 30, 1995. Ozbek was distributed to Barneys by its manufacturer Proteo Profumi of Milan.  The Italian company was in talks with several potential distributors about handling the US market, including Cosmotop. The print ad debuted in Elle magazine. The print ad augmented the cable ads for the fragrance. The cable spots began running exclusively in the New York metropolitan area concurrent with the late November launch of the fragrance.

The launch included a personal appearance by the designer at the Barneys New York store that same day, followed by an appearance at the company's Los Angeles store on Dec 7, 1995. Blondie singer Debbie Harry performed at the launch party for the fragrances at Barneys. 

At the time, the plans for a launch in France had not been finalized.

 

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a soft floral fragrance for women. It contains rosewood, freesia, and juicy peach in the top note, introducing a distinctive middle note of pittosporum with tropical ylang ylang, blue hyacinth, and three different varieties of jasmine: Chinese, Italian and Egyptian for a Mediterranen effect, and its lower note principally comprises honey and sensual musk. 

• Top notes: rosewood, plum, freesia, citrus, coriander and peach
• Middle notes: orange blossom, tuberose, heliotrope, rose, pittosporum, Chinese jasmine, Egyptian jasmine, Italian jasmine, blue hyacinth and ylang-ylang
• Base notes: amber, benzoin, labdanum, vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood, white honey and musk

It took three years for the talented perfumers at International Flavor and Fragrance Italy to develop the fragrance which utilized "Living Flower" technology. Living flower technology, a technique invented by Dr. Braja Mookherjee in 1985, and developed by IFF, captures the natural aroma of the flower. To do this the analysts place a glass bulb over a blooming bud with a needle placed close to the head. The head-space, or scented atmosphere around the flower, is then captured by tip of the needle. Perfumers say it captures a fresher scent than older methods that relied on cut flowers and fruits. This technique has been used in other fragrances such as Antonia's Flowers and Wings by Giorgio.

It was through the Living Flower process that allowed the perfumers to bring the true freshness of ripe, juicy peaches, freesias, precious jasmine, pittosporum and ylang ylang to the heady fragrance. The scent of the pittosporum, a small tree native to New Zealand but cultivated in Europee, is reminiscent of jasmine and orange blossom. 

Personally, I think it smells very close to Christian Dior's 1985 classic fragrance Poison, Daniel de Fasson's signature fragrance from 1990, Bleu de Chine by Marc de la Morandiere from 1987, the 1986 vintage Parfums Stern formula of Valentino by Valentino, and the IFF-developed Vallee des Rois, a rare and discontinued perfume by Mira Takla introduced in 1988.

From 1985-1995, these fragrances seem to share a similar DNA. Try to sample these side by side and you well see many similarities as well as differences which make each one unique. 

 

Bottles:

Ozbek was housed inside of a frosted glass bottle, made to Rifat Ozbek's design, molded in the shape of a minaret, a tall slender tower of a mosque having one or more balconies from which the summons to prayer is cried by the muezzin. Minarets also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. The cap for the bottle is of aluminum colored resin and topped with a crescent moon. Ozbek said that the bottle is based on an old one he found in an Istanbul market. This must have been the vintage Russian perfume called Kremlin (Kreml) manufactured by Tezhe. This heavy, sweet, perfume, yellow in color, was launched in 1936 in a frosted glass bottle shaped like the minaret-towers at the corners of the Kremlin's walls. He explained, "I wanted it to be very architectural, but transparent so you could see the fragrance."

From the Rifat Ozbek perfume book (Agency: Italiana di Comunicazione, Milano): 

"The Bottle: reams and reams of literature have been written, telling of the traveller's emotions on catching a glimpse, from the Bosporus, of the silhouettes of Istanbul's minarets, symbols of tis city, a passage from East to West, a place of charm and memories wrapped in myth. And is to revive these feelings that Rifat Ozbek has chosen for his perfume, a flacon that has the profile of ancient minarets but the modernity of the Occidental world. And so, the exoticism and opulence of the silhouette and the decorations of the bottle are archly contrasted by the cold reflexes of the light produced by sanded glass, and by the colors and severe lines of the packaging, revealing the designer's ethnic roots, and his ability to translate them in a modern, almost high-tech style."

 

Ozbek was originally available in the following:

• 30ml Parfum (retailed for $174)
• 0.17 oz Eau de Parfum Splash (miniature)
• 50ml Eau de Parfum Splash (retailed for $56)
• 75ml Eau de Parfum Splash (retailed for $71)
• 50ml Eau de Parfum Spray (retailed for $59)
• 75ml Eau de Parfum Spray (retailed for $74)

The bath line was to be introduced in Italy during the first quarter of 1996. At the time, there were no plans to introduce it yet to the US market.

Fate of the Fragrance:

The original vintage version was manufactured by Proteo Profumi of Milan, Italy.

By 2006, Ozbek was reformulated by Loft-Monaco and distributed by IPD Fragrances. It was still being sold in 2012. As of 2022, it is currently discontinued.

Upon the success of his fort fragrance, Rifat Ozbek launched a second, Ozbek 1001, which combines a hint of orange on a rose bouquet base, blended with musk, amber and one "secret" ingredient. 

The fragrance is housed in the same flacon as the original Ozbek fragrance.