Ne Il Giorno Ne L'ora

The twelfth fragrance in the monolithic UNUM collection is designed to confront the most heightened of emotions: fear. Almost as per tradition, the starting point inspiring it is an extract from the Gospel of Matthew, the parable of the ten virgins. The story – which also gives the fragrance its name – is that of ten women who prudently save oil so they can burn their lamps as they await the bridegroom’s arrival. We know that of the ten, only five – described as very wise - participate in the wedding party; the others, having gone to find more oil for their lamps, find the door closed to them. “Lord, open to us”, they say upon arriving, receiving the response: “Truly I say to you: I do not know you”. We also know that, while they were awaiting the groom’s arrival, they too fell asleep, but were ready to wake up and rejoice: "stay awake, therefore, because you know neither the day nor the hour", we read in Matthew.

This is just the start. The idea is to go beyond the evangelism of these words and face our fears on a deeper, more intense level, evoking conflicting emotions and experiencing the seductive charm of danger – an "amor fati" as Nietzsche claimed – or at least, the presence of things beyond our control. This is a characteristic feature of horror literature (and more); it’s the power of the uncontrolled over us. Yet the existence of fear always requires something else: not lack of courage, but the presence of what we most desire. What remains most men’s highest aspiration is also a harbinger of trouble: freedom.

The perfume conveys the idea of destruction, the choice to be silent, and the introspection needed to delve into the depths of the skin’s most remote existence. Yet seeking to control it stirs attraction and even feelings of pleasure towards that sought-after, desired fear.

Man is caught in a horrific fate, and our society, with the violent approval of the mob, tries to daze itself and deny the truth, or rather Being-for-death.

Only in this way does man become I in his darkest, unspoken shadow, displaying his true nature made up of contradictions and desires. Faced with fear, seemingly chaotic primordial needs composed of dormant, hidden, and dangerous eroticism are triggered, making the impossible possible.

The packaging is in line with the UNUM collection; this time it is sealed with a cold transparent film and a silver label. The bottle (also silver) is placed in a "silent" black velvet bag, sealed in a heat-shrunk sheath which needs to be cut physically using the metal scissors contained in the box.

Following his religious fall into the realm of dust, faced with life on a fragile planet, and having lost all his bearings, man is inextricably connected to fear, forced to wander in the dark side of the soul. Inside that room, he perceives a dim light that reveals deformed limbs sharing monstrous things that seek to destroy respectability and take pleasure in suffocating souls, no longer reckoning with life’s balance sheets but with a form of salvation that’s ever more distant.