Angelica lived on this tiny island of Corfu in the north
west of Greece. From when she was just four, Angelica used to go with her
father and help him carry back all kinds of fruits and leaves from the forest. He had a really long nose and smelt deeply
before picking up anything. Her daddy worked in the perfume factory and was the
chief perfume designer. He made up perfumes, the kind you see in bottles on your
mommy’s bathroom shelf. Isn’t that a
cool job?
Angelica would sit at the table and watch her Daddy mix
orange peels, green grapes, and strange
leaves with a mortar and pestle and then hold it up to his long nose and sometimes make a
face or at times break into a smile. Angelica knew the smile meant a new
perfume was ready.
Years passed by and Angelica went to college. She was most
interested in all things beautiful and she studied design. Design was all about
how to make everything look nice and Angelica was very good at that. She finished
college and did very well. So well that Gucci, the famous Italian company that
makes bags, wallets, scarves and all things nice, offered her a job.
Angelica travelled in search of new designs to Africa and
China, India and Brazil, New Zealand and Japan. She was very good at her job and her travels
added many a new item to Gucci’s shops. She was really happy. Then one day she
got a call from her village in Corfu that her father had hurt himself in the
forest. She rushed back home to find her father in bed with his leg in
bandages. The doctor told her that he would never walk properly again.
Angelica, was very upset. Don’t worry, my angel, said Daddy, I will be all right.
Angelica went for a long walk in the forest and returned
with her mind made up. She was going to
stay here and take care of her daddy. And she had a plan. She went to the post
office and called her boss and told her about her decision. What are you going
to do? Asked her boss.
I am going to start a perfume factory.
And that was the
start of a fairy tale. Angelica and her dad created a new perfume that was
magical. It worked as well in the day as it spun magic in the night. She
designed the crystal glass straight bottle with the logo that was a simple
circle with a bold A inside it. And it was in deep blue, the circle and the A.
A for Angel. The perfume went on to become the most
sought after in Africa and China, India and Brazil, New Zealand and Japan.
Angelica and her daddy (on special magical legs) lived on
their beautiful island walking the forests and picking up fruits and leaves for
their next perfume, happily ever after.
