N23: A FRAGRANCE BASED ON REAL EVENTS

In the 1930s alone, 31,456 people were shot in a building at 23 Nikolskaya street in Moscow. But in today's Russia, talking about Stalin-era repressions is not welcome. Despite many social protests, the building was to be transformed into perfume boutique by the end of 2019. To change the future of the building, we partnered with Novaya Gazeta and perfumer Alena Tsishevskaya to create No. 23—a fragrance based on real events…with the smell of gunpowder. Its symbolic edition of 31,456 copies commemorated the memory of each person shot or sentenced to death at 23 Nikolskaya street. The project drew the attention of Russian and international lifestyle media, including Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Glamour. Russia's TV Rain channel, the BBC, Le Monde and El Pais covered the story. Over 45,000 people signed a change.org petition against the perfume boutique. And even the President of VTB Bank announced his support for the project. Following this wave of protest, the building owner abandoned his plans to open the boutique and has started negotiations over the future of the building.

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