Dolce & Gabbana - The One Sport

I had meant to write about Dolce & Gabbana The One Sport some time ago, but unfortunately I was delayed due to two close female relatives diagnosed with life-threatening conditions in quick succession, and nothing forces you to contemplate your own mortality like a loved one’s illness.

That’s when I started to think about the psychology of smell. You see, I had written off “sport” fragrances as purely for the youthful and the active, and my membership of the former demographic had lapsed years since. Chatting to my mother about my father’s current fragrance habits though opened my eyes to the trans-generational demand for these scents.

Sport fragrances may have their detractors but they are big money. What better to remind you of those halcyon days when you were young and energetic than the fresh, oceanic rush of one of these ozonic aftershaves or eau de toilettes?

The Dolce & Gabbana back catalogue is intrinsically linked with sport, their passion for boxing and football evident in their campaigns and their books of photography, their male models the ideal of sporting excellence and virility. So when Dolce & Gabbana produce a sport fragrance you know it’s going to be the club class of sport fragrances. The clunky glass bottle is a bold, butch statement of intent in itself.

Dolce & Gabbana The One Sport’s initial aquatic hit is slightly overpowering, the aroma of Mediterranean rosemary lingering longer than is strictly necessary, yet over time this fragrance develops into something slightly more sultry, thanks to subtle notes of cardamom and sequoia wood, with an earthy patchouli base. Sport fragrances tend to have poor longevity on my skin, yet I could still detect a hint a good six hours later.

The campaign, shot by long-standing collaborator Mariano Vivanco, features Adam Senn, a model for the designers since 2007, who credits sport for the wellbeing of his mind, body and image. As Stefano Gabbana himself says, “He perfectly embodies the strength, determination, and spirit of ‘The One Sport’. With a previous Dolce & Gabbana GYM campaign, with the ubiquitous David Gandy, under his belt, it’s no surprise that Domenico Dolce felt that his body and persona made him the ideal choice to represent the fragrance.

The One Sport is available at The Perfume Shop priced from £31.50 for a 30ml EDT

Review written by Lee Clatworthy (@TeamChutzpah) for Katie Chutzpah blog