A lot can change in ten years. Take Simon Nessman, for example: in 2007, he had just shot his first-ever editorial, shot by Hedi Slimane for VMAN’s ninth issue. Since then, he’s become a bonafide male supermodel, with one of the industry’s most instantly recognizable faces and a sprawling portfolio of campaigns and editorials. Most recently, he’s the male face of Illusione, the latest duo of fragrances from Bottega Veneta, alongside Vittoria Ceretti in a steamy set of images.

The fragrance is the perfect fit for Nessman, half-model and half-ecological researcher, who’s now based at an ecological field station, doing environmental and ecological research, and hosting educational groups and forums to connect people with nature. “I live now in the forest, which is very much connected to some of the inspirations for this scent,” he says. “For me, I think the really earthy, woody notes, and especially the fir balsam, draw me to the fragrance. I spent a lot of time growing up in the forest and also in the woodworking shop working with fir, and so there’s this strong scent recollection for me.”

That’s not all of the story, though: the fragrance isn’t meant just for the outdoorsman. The scent’s woody base and citrusy top notes are clear references to the forest, but it’s just as elegant as it is natural. “When I think of this scent, I think of a dinner party, or maybe going out to a nice restaurant. Just being out here on the West Coast, a lot of the restaurants on the outer coast are built here with these big beautiful timbers, built with a lot of cedar and raw wood, and so there’s a lot of fragrance that comes off of that,” he says.

At a time when Bottega Veneta is undergoing an aesthetic reinvention of its own, Nessman says finds the brand’s DNA more resonant than ever. “It’s a luxurious, classic, chic brand and the fragrance embodies all of those qualities. It just builds on what they’ve been doing for many years, it’s a very elegant and classic scent,” he says. How does one handle the mixture of old and new, though? “I think sensuality is a big part of it and a big part of the story, playing back and forth between reality and dreamland. For me, sensuality is really the common thread that connects those two worlds.”

Watch Simon Nessman in Bottega Veneta’s Illusione campaign video below.