Giorgio Armani Expands The Aqua Di Gió World With A New Fragrance And Campaign

Fans of fragrance or the 90s—or both—can probably instantly imagine the scent of Giorgio Armani’s Aqua Di Gió. Everything about it was iconic, from the juice itself to the sensual campaigns in the water to the bottle. Now there’s a new version, Aqua Di Gió Parfum, that’s just as enticing as the original. There’s also a campaign to match, starring Chase Stokes, of Outer Banks; Lukas Gage of You and White Lotus; Jonathan Daviss of Outer Banks and Michael Evans Behling of All American.

Working as an ensemble while shooting the campaign in the Bahamas gave it a different feel, with each actor representing a unique viewpoint. “We all bring different walks of life, different upbringings, different experiences and different work environments into it,” Stokes says. “It's always fun when you’re around artists who have different mediums or even with the same medium, doing it at a different capacity. We had such a blast.”

That camaraderie comes through in the campaign images. “We all put a little bit of ourselves into it,” Evans Behling says. “We all have such big, fun personalities, and to work with all three of them was a ball because we know how to work really hard. To see everybody do their thing, one shot after the other, was a lot of fun to see people interacting with the camera and interacting with each other because everybody's creative. It continues to expand my understanding of this wonderful industry.”

When Daviss first learned about the campaign, he says, “it was about doing something more fun and worldly. Chase, Michael, Lukas and I just got to hang out. It was more of a natural setting, more real world. Chase and I are already friends and have worked together on Outer Banks for a long time. He’s someone I consider a brother. I also already knew Michael, and it was great to meet Lukas. We went longboarding, running in the rain, just unabashed fun. It was energizing. Together Chase and I brought that Pogue energy. Lukas and Michael brought their own and we fed off of each other.”

Captured by French director Patrick Pierini, the campaign focuses on nature, shown through the lens of the four American actors in the striking coastal setting, representing Aqua Di Gió Parfum’s aquatic accords. “Being in the Bahamas, it was a beautiful location,” Daviss says. “It mostly rained while we were at the beach and on the dock, but it added to the experience. One of my favorite parts while we were on the island of Eleuthera was jumping off the Rainbow Cliffs into the swimming hole. That was amazing.”

Even the gray skies couldn’t stop the actors from taking advantage of their gorgeous surroundings. “There was one moment we were shooting in this blue hole, and it started to rain, but it was the most incredible piece of jungle,” Stokes recalls. “You go through these dirt roads, and you end up at this beautiful rock hole in the middle of nowhere. Everybody was jumping in. As the Armani team will attest to, I'm a little bit of a daredevil so in the middle of a rainstorm, I just walked through this plank and did a backflip 10 to 15 feet into the water. That was pretty great.”

To captures those aquatic adventures, Aqua Di Gió Parfum spotlights marine notes that blend together for an invigorating freshness, rounded out with incense notes. “I like the fact that it smells fresh,” Evans Behling says. “I love the water myself. This new perfume is more intense than the original Aqua Di Gió. But it's got that that water aspect to it. To be able to just be surrounded by water, and then have this fragrance that is inspired by water is probably one of my favorite parts of it.”

Capturing the ocean in a bottle is what has always drawn people to the original Aqua Di Gió, and it’s clear the new Aqua Di Gió Parfum will carry on that legacy. “Truthfully, it reminds me of the water,” Stokes says. “I was born and raised and continue to live near the water. Some of the notes really remind me of the ocean, and so for me, it's a constant reminder of home. It's nostalgic memories of being with friends and family.”

Aqua Di Gió Parfum’s bottle design reflects the juice inside. The signature Aqua Di Gió bottle gets an update with tones of graduated black and is 100% refillable, reflecting Armani’s mission to protect the planet. “I really loved being able to work with people who love what they do,” Evans Behling says. “The vision that they had sold me on it. Getting to work with such a long-standing and serious brand is always the appeal, but after getting to meet with them, hearing their thoughts and their vision, I was like, I would love to be a part of this.”