Milano Cento was originally established in 1989 by Dean Tatum and his late business partner, Matthew Bright. After successfully running their own interior design business, they decided to venture into creating their own brand. After careful consideration, they came up with the name “Milano Cento” and initially planned for it to be a clothing range. However, over time, the brand evolved into the fragrance line it is widely recognized as today.

The inspiration behind the Milano Cento fragrance stemmed from the timeless sophistication of Italian culture. It was aimed at individuals who sought something unique and different. Through extensive consultation with their perfumer and thorough market research, they successfully developed an aromatic men’s fragrance that captured the essence of their vision.

With an ambitious marketing campaign, Milano Cento quickly gained success nationwide. It became available in renowned stores such as Selfridges, Fenwick, Harrods, and John Lewis, as well as several independent retailers. Fast forward 25 years later, and our son, Jasper, and I decided to recreate a single bottle of the fragrance as a 50th birthday gift for my husband. Little did we know that this seemingly simple task would spark the idea of reviving Milano Cento.

After conducting further market research, we discovered that there was still a demand for the fragrance. This led us to explore expanding the product line, including bottles, caps, and other complementary products. However, finding a manufacturer who could meet our desired quantities proved to be a challenging endeavor. What initially started as a fun side project quickly evolved into a more significant undertaking, requiring dedicated time and effort.

With our youngest child now in school, we felt that this was the perfect time to embrace a new challenge. I made the decision to resign from my job as a Montessori teacher, and with the invaluable input from our family, we embarked on the task of modernizing the bottle design, packaging, and advertisements. Jasper, our son, played a pivotal role in recreating the logo and producing all the packaging and advertisements. Consequently, we now have a stockroom filled with Milano Cento fragrances.

Instead of aiming for a dramatic market entry, as we did during the original launch, we are focused on achieving organic growth through carefully selected specialized stockists. As a small company, we prioritize providing personalized support to our stockists. Our initial range included a 50ml Edt, 100ml Edt, and a 150ml body wash, which we offer as a gift to new customers. We have since expanded our product line to include an alcohol-free deodorant stick. Since commencing sales in June/July 2016, Milano Cento has become available in 70 stockists across the country.

Our primary objective is to cultivate Milano Cento as a reputable and enduring brand. Our challenge lies in raising awareness and letting everyone know that we have returned.