Renowned Italian design studio Formafantasma has been appointed as the new Creative Directors of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. The high-profile partnership places founders Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin at the helm of one of Florence’s most prestigious and historically significant institutions. Founded back in 1221 through the medicinal herb cultivation and preparations of Dominican friars, Santa Maria Novella has spent more than eight centuries transforming botanical knowledge into exquisite fragrances, body products, and home preparations. Despite its centuries-old roots, this historic collaboration proves that even an enterprise with such a legendary legacy continues to look forward, finding new avenues for creative evolution.
Under this new direction, Formafantasma will oversee a comprehensive spectrum of the brand’s identity, spanning products, packaging, communication, retail spaces, and special events. Rather than operating in a vacuum, the studio will work in close dialogue with Santa Maria Novella’s dedicated internal team alongside a diverse network of specialists from various disciplines. Crucially, Trimarchi and Farresin are not approaching this prestigious appointment as a routine exercise in visual reinvention or a superficial modern overhaul. Instead, they view the physical product itself—highlighting its inherent quality, the richness of its materials, and the deep expertise behind its meticulous production—as the primary starting point for their creative vision.
Eight Centuries of Material Knowledge and Continuous Evolution
For a studio renowned for its rigorous research-based approach, the primary attraction of Santa Maria Novella appears to lie precisely in the immense weight of its accumulated history. The identity of Santa Maria Novella has not been manufactured overnight; rather, it has developed organically through centuries of accumulated ingredients, precise formulations, time-honored techniques, physical objects, and atmospheric spaces. This body of knowledge has been meticulously transmitted, adapted, and refined across generations.
Formafantasma views this uninterrupted continuity not merely as a historical heritage that must be passively preserved behind velvet ropes, but rather as a dynamic material to be actively questioned. The studio is interested in exploring what survives the test of time, what naturally transforms through adaptation, and how an institution with deep roots stretching back to the 13th century can continue to operate with vitality and relevance in the contemporary present.
This philosophical stance aligns seamlessly with Trimarchi and Farresin’s long-standing academic and professional interest in the complex histories carried by materials and industrial systems of production. Consequently, their overarching role at Santa Maria Novella will focus less on imposing a single, rigid, and instantly recognizable aesthetic onto the brand. Instead, they will carefully examine how the company’s diverse expressions can speak more coherently and harmoniously to one another. From the formulation inside a delicate glass bottle to the protective box surrounding it, and finally to the physical retail environment in which a customer eventually discovers and picks up the item, every touchpoint will be re-evaluated for continuity and depth.
Redefining Heritage Without Resorting to a Simple Rebrand
Perhaps most significantly, Formafantasma has emphasized that its core intention is not to forcibly redefine Santa Maria Novella through a flashy, modern corporate rebrand. Instead, the design studio aims to deeply understand the underlying conditions that have allowed the ancient Officina to remain culturally and commercially relevant since 1221, using those enduring principles to intelligently inform its next chapter.
This nuanced methodology means closely analyzing how the brand’s rich history is communicated to the public, how new formulations and products are conceptualized from the ground up, and how physical spaces, tangible objects, and visual languages can evolve organically. The goal is to avoid reducing eight centuries of layered history into a superficial moodboard designed solely for aesthetic appeal.
Describing the appointment, representatives from Santa Maria Novella noted that the designers’ role will function fundamentally as that of curators. They will remain deeply attentive to the vast reservoir of knowledge that the Officina has carefully safeguarded for over eight centuries. This approach leans heavily on Formafantasma’s multidisciplinary background, which seamlessly spans industrial product design, spatial design, historical research, and immersive exhibition design.
While the initial commercial and spatial results of this high-profile collaboration have yet to be officially unveiled to the public, the governing brief is already unusually clear and uncompromising. There will be no clean slate erasing the past, no sterile heritage frozen behind protective glass cases, and an abundance of historical material culture ready to be re-engaged for the modern era. By uniting cutting-edge contemporary design thinking with eight centuries of botanical and artisanal expertise, Formafantasma and Santa Maria Novella are setting the stage for a thoughtful, deeply integrated new chapter in Florentine craftsmanship.
