Laura Biagiotti PERFUMES & COLOGNES

Laura Biagiotti, known as the ""Queen of Cashmere,"" was born in 1943. Her mother owned a dressmaking shop that also designed uniforms for the airline Alitalia, which likely inspired Biagiotti's future ventures. Biagiotti studied archaeology at Rome University but quit to attend to her mother's business. In 1965, Biagiotti partnered with Gianni Cigna to start her clothing company, which created designs for Italian fashion houses before creating solely for Angelo Tarlazzi. Biagiotti finally reached her goal of creating her own line in 1972 with her women's fashions that featured a heavy use of cashmere, a first in her time. Biagiotti molded the fabric into attractive yet comfortable designs with an affection for baby doll dresses; her continued use of cashmere in each collection prompted the public to deem her royalty, garnering numerous fashion awards for Biagiotti from her peers. Biagiotti ventured into the fragrance scene in 1982 with the fragrance Fiori Bianchi, a woody-scented women's fragrance with floral and powdery accents encased in a simple bottle. The company's best-selling fragrance, Roma, came in 1988. The fragrance came in yet another elegant but simple bottle and has a woody scent with citrus, amber and balsamic accents to give a fresh, spicy effect. A men's edition, Roma per Uomo, was introduced in 1995. As of 2014, with the collaborative help of her daughter and perfumers such as Sophie Labbe, Lucas Sieuzac and Carlos Vinals, the brand continues to produce fragrances via a Procter & Gamble partnership.