There are brand events. And then there are evenings you still talk about months later.
When Alessandro Gualtieri, the founder of Nasomatto, agreed to come to Hong Kong for an exclusive evening at 52 GAGE, we knew it would be special. What we did not fully anticipate was just how strange, playful and genuinely unforgettable it would turn out to be.
Why Alessandro Came
Alessandro does not do many events. He is not interested in the usual mechanics of luxury brand promotion - the press launches, the gift bags, the scripted presentations. When he agreed to come to 52 GAGE, it was because of what we are not. In his words, we were "not commercial" - in the best possible sense. A store that chooses its brands on instinct, that keeps things small and intentional, that treats its clients as people rather than transactions.
That alignment of values is what brought him from Italy to Gage Street. And it shaped everything that happened that evening.
The Set
Before the first guests arrived, the store had been transformed. The round central table was dressed in a striking black and white Nasomatto graphic, the full fragrance collection arranged across it alongside sculptural props. Black and white striped balloons floated from the ceiling. The window display carried the Nasomatto identity out onto Gage Street itself - visible to anyone walking past, unmistakable.
It did not feel like a shop. It felt like stepping into Alessandro's head.
A Room Full of True Fans
We had made a deliberate choice to keep the guest list tight. This was not an event for numbers - it was an event for the right people. Every guest that evening was already a Nasomatto client or a loyal 52 GAGE client who had been on the brand's journey with us from early on.
The result was a room with real energy. People who knew the fragrances, who had opinions about them, who wanted to talk to the man who created them. Alessandro responded in kind - open, direct, funny, completely himself.
The Psychic and the Scent
One of the surprises of the evening was Stuart Palm - a psychic reader we had invited to add another layer of the unexpected to the night. Stuart works with what he calls psychic spirits, and that evening he found a way to link the invisible world of scent with the invisible world of intuition. He led the room through a shared psychic game that left guests genuinely stunned.
It sounds like it should not work. It absolutely worked.
Dig for Your Gift
Then came the mud bowl.
Alessandro had prepared personal gifts for every guest - wrapped and buried inside a bowl of mud. One by one, guests reached in and pulled out their gift. The reactions ranged from surprise to laughter to genuine delight. It was absurd and completely in character for a brand called "crazy nose." No one present will forget the moment they reached into that bowl.
The Man Behind the Bottle
What struck everyone who spoke with Alessandro that evening was how completely the brand reflects the person. There is no gap between the image and the reality. He is curious, irreverent, deeply serious about craft and entirely uninterested in making things easy or obvious. He creates fragrances the way he showed up that night - on his own terms, with complete commitment.
Nasomatto has been at 52 GAGE since we opened. We were the first stockist in Hong Kong. That evening reminded us exactly why we chose the brand - and why the brand chose us.
What Stays With You
Events like this one are hard to engineer. They happen when the people in the room are the right people, when the host gives the guest full freedom to be themselves, and when everyone present is willing to surrender to the unexpected.
That is what happened on Gage Street that evening. It remains one of our favourite nights since opening.
The full Nasomatto collection is available at 52 GAGE, 52 Gage Street, Central Hong Kong, and online at 52gage.com. We host regular exclusive events with the founders of the brands we carry - follow us to be the first to know about upcoming evenings.
Who is Alessandro Gualtieri, the founder of Nasomatto?
Alessandro Gualtieri is a Dutch perfumer who created Nasomatto after leaving the mainstream fragrance industry. The name means "crazy nose" in Italian. He creates highly concentrated extraits de parfum with no ingredient list and no conventional marketing - each fragrance is designed to provoke a direct, personal reaction. Alessandro Gualtieri visited 52 GAGE in Hong Kong for an exclusive evening event, choosing the store because of its independent, non-commercial spirit.
Where can I buy Nasomatto in Hong Kong?
Nasomatto is available at 52 GAGE, 52 Gage Street, Central Hong Kong. 52 GAGE was the first retailer in Hong Kong to stock Nasomatto. The full collection is available in store and online at 52gage.com.
Does 52 GAGE host exclusive brand events in Hong Kong?
Yes. 52 GAGE regularly hosts exclusive evenings with the founders and makers of the brands it carries. Past events have included an exclusive evening with Alessandro Gualtieri, founder of Nasomatto, and maker visits from Kamaro'an artisans. Events are kept deliberately intimate. Follow 52 GAGE on social media or visit 52gage.com to be informed of upcoming evenings.
Was the Nasomatto event at 52 GAGE open to the public?
The Nasomatto evening at 52 GAGE was an exclusive event for existing clients and Nasomatto fans. 52 GAGE deliberately kept the guest list small to allow genuine interaction between guests and Alessandro Gualtieri. Future events are announced via the 52 GAGE newsletter and social media channels.
