What does spring smell like? Fresh blooms, crisp air, the greenness of new leaves? What if you could spritz on that optimism that spring brings? Molton Brown’s new Bluebell & Wild Strawberry fragrance collection is the season, bottled. The floral-fruity aroma fuses the subtle bluebell with wild strawberry, warm amber accord, soft driftwood, and a signature note of earthy violet leaf. Created by Senior Perfumer Véronique Nyberg, it’s inspired by her memories of a childhood spent roaming the bluebell-strewn Alpine woods in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France. “I wanted to have a very contrasted fragrance to highlight the energy and the feeling I had in the forest,” Nyberg explains. “This vivid colour of those little flowers on the green carpet of the forest is amazing. Spring is the right moment.” It’s a vivid memory that powers this crisp, clean fragrance with earthy, dewy undertones. The connection between memory and scent is the focus of Molton Brown’s Artists of Note series, which invites creatives to imagine the brand’s fragrances through their unique mediums to express the connection we forge with scent. For Bluebell & Wild Strawberry, emerging Romanian-born, London-based shoe designer Ancuta Sarca imagines the scent. An expert in fusing deadstock materials and different shoe styles to create unexpected, contrasting shapes, Sarca has expressed the fragrance into a pair of deadstock velvet-and-leather mules, which she shared with Nyberg as they sat down to talk about their collaboration. “When I was creating the shoes, I was really excited about the positivity that came with [the fragrance],” Sarca says. “I really wanted to evoke the same positive energy—the spring, the flowers, all these very fresh elements.” Nyberg instantly recognises the synergy as Sarca hands her the shoes to try on: “I really like your idea to put the flower in the centre like I did the bluebell,” she says, referring to the scent’s heart note. “They fit my idea of this walk in the forest at springtime. For me, it’s a very nice emotional moment.” The feeling is mutual for Sarca, who recalls a memory when trying the fragrance. “It really reminds me of spring and flowers and blossoms. Especially of Easter time in Romania. For me, it’s one of my favourite memories related to scent. And it really reminds me of that. It’s amazing.” These references to nature happen often as the two women chat about their creative mediums. It has both inspired and guided them—along with a strong familial influence. For Sarca, her upbringing has formed the foundations of her brand today. “My grandparents worked in agriculture their entire life, so for them, respect for nature is a very important thing—the way we treat the environment. That’s why I want to be conscious of the way I produce.” Nyberg nods in agreement: “I grew up on the border of Provence and the Alps, where the nature was amazing. My grandparents had a farm, and all my sources of inspiration—the flowers, the herbs, the plants—were there. My grandma taught me a lot, but without me knowing it. I think it’s so important today that we realise the impact of nature.” Discover now the essence of spring with Molton Brown’s new Bluebell & Wild Strawberry fragrance collection.