Bulgari

The Italian jeweller and luxury goods retailer Bulgari, is named for its founder, the Greek Sotirio Bulgari. The company, often written as Bvlgari, in the ancient Roman style, was founded in 1884 in Rome.

The Bulgaris descended from an ancient family of Greek silversmiths, whose trade began in the small village of Epirus where Sortirio manufactured precious silver objects. In the late 1800’s Sortirio moved to Italy and opened his first shop in via Sistina, Rome.

The current flagship store in via Condotti was opened in 1905 with the help of Bulgari’s sons, Costantino and Giorgio, soon becoming popular with the rich and famous for their exquisite jewellery designs combining Roman and Greek art. During the early 20th Century, the brothers developed a deep interest and expertise in precious stones and jewellery, eventually taking over from their father in the management of the business.

The years after the Second World War marked significant changes for the company as it moved away from the strict rules of French goldsmiths and began to create its own unique style. They took inspiration from Greek and Roman classicism with strains of Italian Renaissance and 19th Century Roman goldsmiths. Bulgari’s international expansion began in the 1970’s, with the opening of their first overseas store in New York, followed by stores in Paris, Geneva and Monte Carlo. The BVLGARI watch was launched in the 1980’s and was an immediate success, now considered to be an all time classic. Following on from this success, the company established BVLGARI Time Neuchatel, to deal with all Bulgari watch lines.

In 1984, Giorgio’s sons Paulo and Nicole became Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively, while their nephew, Francesco Tripani, became Chief Executive Officer. The early 90’s saw Bulagri enter the world of high quality fragrances with the establishment of Bulgari Parfums in Switzerland. The first fragrance, Eau Parfume au the Vert was launched in 1992.

In 1997, Bulagri introduced its first silk collection, made up of ties and scarves featuring original designs and superb craftsmanship, followed in 1998 by their leather and eyewear ranges. In 2001, Bulgari announced the formation of Bulgari Hotels and Resorts, a joint venture with Mariott International, aiming to open a small and exclusive number of luxury hotels in most major cities and resorts worldwide. The first of these was opened in Milan in 2004. Another followed in 2006, this time in Bali.

Bulgari

Bulgari perfume