I started formulating perfumes in 2022, quietly and just for myself, because I couldn’t find fragrances that I wanted to wear. Then, after losing my dad, who was my biggest cheerleader, the dream came back to me. I realised the power of scent as a kind of legacy… something that lingers long after people are gone.

Kotinetta is my way of honouring that. A way to bottle feeling, memory, and cultural inheritance so it can be passed on, worn, and lived in. People come and go. But the stories we leave behind, the ones we craft with our hands and our hearts, those can last for generations.

So I’m inviting you to create cultural artifacts with me. In many cultures, scent was the invisible thread that bound generations together. But somewhere along the way, it became commercial, superficial, and disconnected from its roots. We’ve forgotten that scent is a both a witness and a language. At Kotinetta, we’re reclaiming that. Because when we honour scent, we honour the lives, the lands, and the legacies that shaped it.

Name meaning

Kotinetta was born from a nickname - one my Congolese parents gave me. They had a way of Italianifying our last name, a nod to a country that held a special place in their hearts. Rome was where they raised their first child, where they deepened their love, where pieces of their souls remained. The name is a reminder that love leaves traces in our language and the names we hold. Kotinetta is an homage to heritage.