Fortitude by House Of Vision
Fragrance Reviews

bySergey Borisov
04/11/25 05:32:02( 4 comments )

There comes a moment in every actor's and rapper's life when he gets a new idea - let's launch my own perfume (also clothes, shoes, accessories lines, perhaps an autobiography etc). 

This idea did not pass over the BritishBugzy Malone (Aaron Daniel Davis), a grime performer who became known outside Britain mainly thanks to a couple of Guy Ritchie movies. Of course, primarily because ofThe Gentlemen, and a bit ofOperation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre.

Perfume brandHouse Of Vision complemented hisb.malone streetwear line (hoodies, sneakers, sweatpants, t-shirts). The perfume idea may not have been the most successful (if you remember the dialog with Ernie in the movie) - but ideas to change or expand the field of activity often arise in our heads, and of course never miss people with some popularity. Musicians and singers, athletes and politicians, bloggers and supermodels have hadfragrances "named after me." Fashion designers and jewelers are not the only ones allowed to make perfumes, after all.

And for the realization of Bugzy Malone's idea about fortitude and courage not only designers, who came up with the shield on the bottle, but also professionals of the British perfume companyCPL Aromas took up the task.

The debut fragranceFortitude House Of Vision was created by talentedJulie Pluchet (Atkinsons, Clive Christian, Franck Muller, Graff, Penhaligon's, The 7 Virtues). It's a spicy woody composition, quite warm and comfortable overall, and of course mega-lasting. And of course the perfume does not reveal any new truths, it is created for mass sales for the same audience that wears b.malone streetswear. But don't thinkFortitude is on the level of AXE or Brut 33 - I think it is aimed higher.

From my experience, I would compareFortitude to Olivier Polge'sSpicebomb Viktor&Rolf fragrance, and Olivier Guillotin'sTobacco Vanille Tom Ford. With certain nuances of course, and so where are they?

First,Fortitude has a distinct pink pepper step at the beginning, bright, sweet and resinous, followed by a wave of cardamom - maybe I singled them out because I like those spices, but the spice part is really gorgeous, varied and lingering here, with cinnamon and cloves, British favorites. And there's no overt saffron, which is also a plus for me.

Second,Fortitude's heart and base have anunmentioned tobacco-coumarin undertone, embellished with honey and something like beewax and benzoin. I like to think of it as the smell of a drawer where church candles and incense are kept, plus brown shriveled tonka beans for baking in a suede pouch. There's considerably less vanilla-amber sweetness though, making the smell far less gourmand compared to TF.

The base reminds me of Tabac Rouge Phaedon Paris in its compact, non-intrusive form of honey and amber. All in all, it's a good fragrance - and against the backdrop ofSpicebomb andTobacco Vanille, it's understated and a quite laconic. I cannot say the same about its bottle, sorry.

Fortitude House Of Vision is available atbmalonestore.com andThe Fragrance Shop UK in a 100ml bottle in Eau de Parfum at a discounted price of £51.
 

Fortitude House Of Vision

Top notes:Black pepper, Pink pepper, Bergamot, Cardamom and Mandarin
Middle notes: Cinnamon, Clove, Lavender, Geranium and Rose
Base notes: Patchouli, Amber, Musk, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Tonka Bean.