Werner Baldessarini is a household name in Germany. As chief designer and later Chairman, he drove the success of the German fashion giant HUGO BOSS through the 1980s and 1990s. During this time he also founded the Baldessarini luxury clothing and perfume label for men. Today, the Baldessarini fragrance brand is owned and managed, with Werner Baldessarini still closely involved, by Mäurer & Wirtz, one of Germany’s biggest perfume producers. 

Prestige brand

“Mäurer & Wirtz are known internationally for very high-quality fragrances and care products,” says Linda Haas, who is the Baldessarini brand manager at Mäurer & Wirtz. “We have 16 brands, including our own brands like 4711, which is very famous internationally, as well as licence brands like Baldessarini, which is one of our prestige brands.”

The Baldessarini brand was historically a brand for men. But two years ago, Baldessarini Bella was launched. “Werner wanted to create a sophisticated and elegant design for women, so we created a new scent called Bella,” says Haas. “It is already the Baldessarini brand portfolio’s best seller. It is a concept that customers really love. You can hear from the name that Baldessarini is an Italian family - his grandparents are from Italy. And because everybody loves Italy, we have taken a part of that identity and created a concept where you get soaked into the Italian world.”

Capturing the zeitgeist

The success of Baldessarini Bella has inspired Mäurer & Wirtz to expand the series with its latest product Bella Lilac Diamond, aimed at 25–35 year-old women. “It is very glamourous, but it also captures the zeitgeist,” says Haas. “It reflects how women right now are bolder and much more confident, how we know what we want and will go our own way.”

For both Baldessarini Bella and Bella Lilac Diamond, Mäurer & Wirtz used Invercote G for the outer packaging material. “We have used Holmen materials for over ten years,” says Felix Ziethen, Print Production Manager at Mäurer & Wirtz. “We chose Invercote G for the Bella series because the pulp is bleached. Many sections of the Bella design are white and Invercote G has a very good white point compared with other products on the market, which become a bit yellow over time. And because Bella is a luxury product, we wanted the board to retain its purity. Invercote G is the best product for that. It is a very natural white.”

Something outstanding

For the Bella Lilac Diamond packaging, Mäurer & Wirtz wanted something extra special. “We created a diamond-shaped lid for the glass bottle,” says Haas. “And we wanted the outer packaging to reflect what was inside. We needed something really outstanding to convey the idea of luxury.” 

“We used glitter lacquer on the board to create a glittering diamond effect and we used a hot stamp foil, called a laser hologram, to create a prism effect,” says Ziethen. “When it catches the light you can see all the colours, just like you do with a diamond. To help achieve these effects I turned the box inside out and used the rougher surface on the outside. It still has a very nice matt look, but it helps accentuate the glittery effects of the embellishments. And when you touch it, it has a nice haptic.”

“The outer box is one of the first touchpoints,” adds Haas. “So it has to be super eye-catching. It is the little details on the packaging which make it feel so luxurious. This is in keeping with the outlook of Werner Baldessarini, whose eye for detail in terms of quality and aesthetics helped make him one of the world’s most successful designers. I am very happy, therefore, that we used Invercote G, which has given us so many varnishing and glittering options. It has really helped us to strengthen the brand and especially the Bella Lilac Diamond concept.”

Fact box

  • The outer packaging for Bella Lilac Diamond is printed on the reverse side of Invercote G 300 g/m².
  • Embellishments included glitter varnish and two hot foils for the series and brand name. A laser hologram foil creates a prism effect. The brand name is also embossed.