The brand still uses medicinal herbs grown in the monastery gardens to produce more than 600 products spanning body care, fragrances, serums, pomades, candles and liqueurs. Its signature old-school packaging has fueled growing success worldwide — a success built until recently on word-of-mouth alone rather than advertising.

For Formafantasma, the appeal lies in the transmission of knowledge across eight centuries. "The Officina is not simply defined by its longevity, but by the accumulation and transmission of knowledge across generations, embedded in ingredients, formulations, techniques, objects and spaces," the caption read. "Working with such an accumulation raises questions close to our own practice, particularly how it is preserved and transformed, how materials carry their own histories, and how an institution can advance without treating its past as static."

This is not Formafantasma's first beauty project. Last year the studio collaborated with Jil Sander on the launch of the Olfactory Series 1 Collection of fragrances. In luxury, it counts a longtime affiliation with Prada plus tie-ups with Fendi, Max Mara, Hermès, Bulgari, Loro Piana, Marni and Ferrari. Its design-world clients include Cassina, Flos, Ginori, B&B, Knoll and Manteco.

Established in 2009, Formafantasma works across product design, spatial design, strategic planning and design consultancy.

The appointment comes during a transitional phase for the Florentine brand. Ludivine Pont exited her role as chief executive officer earlier this year, and no successor has been named. At the time, the firm told WWD that "the board of directors has redefined the distribution of [Pont's] responsibilities among its members." Local media reports indicate Roberto Pesenti will take the helm.

The company's international push and strategic transformation have accelerated since parent Italmobiliare, the investment group owned by the Pesenti family, first invested in 2020 — its first operation in the perfume and cosmetics industry. Under Italmobiliare, the brand tweaked some products to meet sustainability demands and opened up to newness by promoting its heritage.

That approach culminated in 2022 with the launch of "L'Iris," the first eau de parfum in the brand's 800-year history, and an expanded skin care offering that attracted younger consumers. Formafantasma's mandate to build coherence across product, communication and retail suggests the next phase of that transformation will be as much about design language as about product pipeline.