Smells Like: Naomi Accardi
Today we're launching Smells Like: an exploration of the human experience of scent through personal stories and connections, told through words and photos. Smells Like: is the story of our world—the Redoux community—and the magic that comes from tapping into the power of scent.
Our series opens with Naomi Accardi, a consulting marketing director at Italian fashion house SUNNEI and editor-at-large at London-based sports and culture magazine Season Zine.
Tell me about yourself and your work.
I am a Milan-based creative consultant and writer. Traditionally, my background is in brand marketing, working with brands like Nike and Adidas, but for the past four years I have been focusing on editorial and storytelling, collaborating with various magazines on special features and helping brands find their tone of voice and outward-facing identity.
I specialize in sport and culture, with a special interest in how sport impacts fashion and vice versa—as well as sport as a social aggregator and sport for good.
My background is very international. I was born and raised all around Italy, with a stint in Indonesia as a child. At 18, I moved from Italy and attended college in Los Angeles, where I graduated with a degree in Visual Communications.
After that I relocated back to Europe where I took a position at Carhartt WIP, based in South Germany. Then after a short period in Milan, I moved to Dubai and now I have been back here in Italy for the past four years.
In my "free time”, I write a newsletter called Things I Thought About.
What scents are you encountering today?
As we are in that weird time of spring where the morning is cold and then it gets pretty warm—as gross as it sounds—I am encountering the smell of sweat mixed with freshly sprouting flowers.
Plus, coffee, which is a big part of my life as an Italian.
Do you have a signature scent?
I used to wear Palermo by Byredo, a very citrusy scent which named after my place of origin. However, I finished my last bottle a long time ago and stopped wearing any perfume. I like to smell like the clean laundry I wear daily. Also, as I use Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap in the shower, I have been smelling very minty lately.
A memory you have of this scent:
Palermo by Byredo reminds me of freshly squeezed lemons, under the hot sun of the Sicilian summer.
Describe yourself as a place:
This is a hard question! I would say I am a neatly tidied, clean room where the art on the wall constantly changes. A nicely designed living room with a mix of design pieces and flea market-sourced items that are very colorful.
Definitely a cozy space that at first glance seems too tidy, but once you sit down you makes you feel at ease.
As a taste:
This I know: the taste of preserved lemon harissa. Spicy and tangy.
As a color:
Yves Klein Blue
As an emotion or feeling:
Dynamic and Tenacious
What's the last thing that brought you joy?
Meeting my little niece for the first time.—she was so tiny and sweet. I had never held a four day old baby before; it was an incredible feeling. She is also my first niece and my sister's first child.•
More of Naomi at @naomiaccardi.