COMME des GARÇONS Parfums: The Aesthetics of Anti-Perfume

“For something to be beautiful, it does not necessarily have to be pretty.” (For something to be beautiful it doesn’t have to be pretty.)
— Rei Kawakubo​

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Essential Information

• Brand established: 1994 (the fragrance division; the company was established in 1993)​
• Founders: Rei Kawakubo / Christian Astuguevieille​
• CEO: Adrian Joffe
• Creative director: Christian Astuguevieille (died February 2026)​
• Based in: Tokyo (in practice) / Paris (legally)​
• Official website: comme-des-garcons-parfum.com​
• A note on the name: French for “like boys.” “Komu de Gyaruson” is the customary Japanese rendering.

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The Founders and the Origins of the Brand

The Figure of Rei Kawakubo

The story of Comme des Garçons Parfums begins with the early life of Rei Kawakubo, founder of its parent fashion house.

Born in Tokyo on October 11, 1942, Kawakubo was the eldest of three children. Her father worked in administration at Keio University. Founded by the Meiji-era educator Yukichi Fukuzawa, the university had an intellectual tradition that championed Western culture and women’s rights.​

In fact, Kawakubo never received a formal fashion education. After studying Asian and Western art as a history-of-aesthetics major at Keio University, she graduated in 1964. She joined the advertising department of the textile manufacturer Asahi Kasei, then became a freelance stylist in 1967.

The Birth of Comme des Garçons

In 1969, unable to find clothes she wanted to wear, Kawakubo began making them herself and launched the label COMME des GARÇONS. Its French name was inspired by a line in French singer Françoise Hardy’s 1962 song “Tous les garçons et les filles” (“All the Boys and Girls”): “Comme les garçons et les filles de mon âge” (“Like the boys and girls my age”). The brand name had no fashion-related meaning; it was simply the sound that caught Kawakubo’s imagination.

The business was incorporated in 1973, and its first boutique opened in Tokyo in 1975. A menswear line, Homme Comme des Garçons, followed in 1978.​

The Paris Debut and “Hiroshima Chic”

Kawakubo made her Paris Fashion Week debut in 1981. By then, the brand had at least 150 stores in Japan. In Paris she presented an entirely black collection with asymmetric shapes and frayed seams, unlike any prevailing fashion aesthetic. Critics derisively called it “Hiroshima chic.”

Yet this shock also inspired fervent support. Kawakubo’s followers, known as “crows,” dressed in her clothes. She later told The New Yorker:

“I never intended to start a revolution. I simply showed what I thought was strong and beautiful. It was just that my idea of beauty was different from everyone else’s.”​

The Turn to Fragrance: A Chance Encounter with Astuguevieille

A chance encounter set Comme des Garçons on its path into the world of perfume.

In 1991 (1992 according to some sources), the French artist Christian Astuguevieille visited the Comme des Garçons offices in Tokyo. He wanted recommendations for places to visit in the city. Already known as a sculptor and furniture designer, Astuguevieille was born in France in 1946 and had worked as an artistic director at such distinguished houses as Rochas, Molinard, Nina Ricci, and Hermès. During the 1980s, he became fascinated by the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi and by furoshiki, the practice of wrapping objects in cloth. His distinctive work covering furniture and objects in cotton rope and hemp brought him recognition.

Kawakubo knew Astuguevieille’s artwork and immediately proposed an installation at the Aoyama store in Tokyo. At the opening dinner, the two began talking about perfume. Astuguevieille had learned fragrance techniques at Molinard, and they discovered a shared aversion to convention.

“At the opening dinner, we began talking about perfume. The next day, Rei said she wanted to do a perfume, so we arranged a meeting. She asked if I was interested, and I said yes. That was how it all began.”
— Christian Astuguevieille​

The Birth of “Anti-Perfume”

In 1994, their collaboration produced its first perfume, COMME des GARÇONS Eau de Parfum. For this fragrance by perfumer Mark Buxton, Astuguevieille reportedly gave the following brief: “Imagine an exotic place you have never known. You are swimming in a completely dark pool, wonderfully enveloped in warmth.” Spicy and multidimensional, built around cardamom, coriander, rose, incense, and sandalwood, it stood apart from the light citrus and fruity florals that dominated the period.

Adrian Joffe, meanwhile, became a guiding presence for the brand. Having joined Comme des Garçons in 1987 and later married Kawakubo, he led the fragrance division as CEO with an uncompromising commitment to creativity over commerce.​

“We only made clothes and accessories. But when I asked Rei, ‘Why don’t we do perfume?’ she immediately said yes. Perfume was another way for her to express her values.”
— Adrian Joffe​

“Rei said, ‘If we do it in our own way, if we do it in keeping with the DNA of Comme des Garçons, then yes.’”
— Adrian Joffe​

Under Astuguevieille’s direction, this developed into the distinctive philosophy of “anti-perfume”: fragrances that dismantle established ideas of perfume. Odeur 53, launched in 1998, was its culmination. Composed entirely of 53 synthetic molecules, it listed “notes” such as the freshness of oxygen, wind-dried laundry, scorched rocks, and nail polish. Perfumers Martine Pallix and Anne-Sophie Chapuis of IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances) (in Japanese) created it from a brief of “abstraction.”

“I announced that I wanted to make an anti-perfume, something at the opposite pole from perfume. Rei was not particularly surprised. She simply said, ‘Go for it.’”
— Christian Astuguevieille​

Odeur 53 was named not “perfume” but “odeur,” or “smell.” It was nothing less than a declaration overturning the industry’s conventions.​

Astuguevieille’s Legacy

On February 13, 2026, Christian Astuguevieille died in Villejuif at the age of 79. Over a period of at least 30 years, he had directed the creation of over 119 perfumes and helped open the way for contemporary niche perfumery.

“All my work is about creating new ways to experience the five senses, whether through perfume or rope.”
— Christian Astuguevieille​

Comme des Garçons expressed its “deep sadness” at his death. What he left was not merely a catalogue of perfumes, but the very possibility that smell could become a philosophy, an artistic act, and an experiment in perception.

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The Brand’s Commitments

A Philosophy of Fragrance: “Creating What Did Not Exist”

At the heart of Comme des Garçons Parfums is the pursuit of “creating scents that do not yet exist.” There is no market research, no approval testing, and no pandering to mainstream preferences. Joffe explains:​

“As with our clothes, we have tried to create perfumes that never existed before, using materials in different combinations. I am proud that we have continued this long journey for 31 years.”​

Astuguevieille’s creative process was distinctive. He described himself not as a “nose,” or perfumer, but as an “olfactory interpreter.” He distilled a concept into a few short, simple words and conveyed them to perfumers with whom he had built trust over many years. When he said “red,” they immediately understood which red he meant: the red of a beetroot, for instance.

“When I asked the noses for ‘the smell of a car left parked in a garage for a long time,’ they thought I was mad.”
— Christian Astuguevieille, Le Figaro​

The fragrances remain in production whether or not they are successful. Joffe has said, “A perfume is like a work of art: it can be ahead of its time. It may therefore become successful later.” As of 2015, the fragrance division accounted for only around 5% of the brand’s total sales of $200 million. Choosing creative integrity over commercial success lies at the foundation of the brand.​

Bottle and Packaging Design

For Comme des Garçons Parfums, a bottle is more than a container: it is an object that complements the world of the fragrance.

Kawakubo herself designed the original Eau de Parfum bottle as a rounded pebble lying on its side, with an organic shape that seems to have been polished by the sea over many years. According to Joffe, “Having decided to do something in a way that did not already exist, we went to specialist glassmakers and asked them to make a bottle that looked like a beautiful piece of nature.” This pebble bottle became an icon of the brand and carried through to later fragrances, including Copper.

For Concrete in 2017, real concrete was applied over the glass bottle, creating an irregular surface finished by hand on every piece. Presented wrapped in bubble wrap, it embodied the brand’s celebration of irregularity.

For collaborative fragrances, the partners designed the bottle and packaging, while Astuguevieille approved the final scent. The artist KAWS designed the bottle for GIRL with Pharrell Williams, while the collaboration with milliner Stephen Jones placed the fragrance inside a miniature hatbox.​

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The Fragrance Lineup

Comme des Garçons Parfums has created over 119 fragrances in at least 30 years. Listing them all would be difficult, but the following outlines the principal lines and collections.​

Signature Fragrances: The Main Line

Standalone releases that serve as the face of the brand.

Fragrance	Release year	Perfumer	Characteristics
Eau de Parfum	1994	Mark Buxton	The brand’s first fragrance. A spicy chypre floral​
Comme des Garçons 2	1999	──	Aldehydes, ink, and angelica. A floating, metallic sensation​
Comme des Garçons 3	2002	──	Basil, incense, and birch​
Wonderwood	2010	Antoine Lie	“An overdose of woods.” Sandalwood, oud, and vetiver
Amazingreen	2012	──	An explosion of green energy. A gunpowder accord and vetiver​
Black	2013	──	Birch, incense, licorice, and leather​
Concrete	2017	Nicolas Beaulieu	Deconstructed sandalwood. A concrete bottle
Copper	2020	──	Galbanum, metal, and tobacco. A campaign by Tyler Mitchell​
Rouge	2020	──	Beetroot × incense. A union of earth and spirit​
Zero	2022	Fanny Bal	A minimalist declaration. Environmentally conscious design​

The Odeur Series: “Anti-Perfume”

An experimental line centered on synthetic molecules that overturns conventional notions of perfume.

• Odeur 53 (1998): 53 unconventional synthetic notes. Oxygen, scorched rocks, wind-dried laundry, and nail polish
• Odeur 71 (2000): 71 notes. Dust on a hot lightbulb and a dusty road: everyday industrial smells elevated into high art

Series Collections

Astuguevieille introduced the “series” format, developing an approach that explored a single theme through multiple fragrances.​

• Series 1: Leaves (2000): Tea, Calamus, Mint, Lily, Shiso. An exploration of the many facets of leaves and plants
• Series 2: Red: Harissa, Sequoia, Palisander, Carnation, Rose. Olfactory interpretations of red
• Series 3: Incense (2002): Avignon, Jaisalmer, Kyoto, Ouarzazate, Zagorsk. A journey through religious and spiritual incense traditions around the world
• Series 5: Sherbet (2003): Rhubarb, Peppermint, Cinnamon. A play of sweetness and spice
• Series 6: Synthetic: Garage, Soda, Dry Clean, Tar, Skai. The most challenging series. Perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer and others gave form to the smells of garages, dry cleaners, and more​

Astuguevieille’s account of the Synthetic series is revealing.

“After the Leaves, Incense, and Red series, I proposed doing a ‘crazy series.’ Rei Kawakubo said, ‘Go ahead (Oui, allez-y).’ First came the smell of a garage. I asked the perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer for it, and she immediately produced something that was exactly a garage. Then came the smell when you lean directly over a glass containing an effervescent tablet, and the smell of a dry cleaner’s. It all came about spontaneously and incredibly quickly.”​

Collaborative Collections

Since 2008, Joffe has led fragrance collaborations with a variety of creators and brands.​

• Monocle: A collaboration with Monocle magazine. The first release, Scent One: Hinoki (2008), was inspired by the smell of a Japanese bath. The partnership continued through its fifth fragrance, Syros, in 2025​
• Stephen Jones (2008, 2014): A collaboration with the milliner, presented in miniature hatboxes​
• Pharrell Williams × KAWS, GIRL (2014): Pharrell was deeply involved in the perfume’s development, and KAWS designed the bottle
• Serpentine Gallery × Tracey Emin (2014): Tracey Emin designed the bottle and box​
• ERL, Sunscreen (2021): California sunshine and skin translated into scent​
• KAWS, Mirror (2021): A bottle featuring KAWS’s Companion​

Joffe has stated the conditions for collaboration clearly:

“The first question we ask anyone who approaches us is, ‘Are you here to make money?’ Because that is not the business we are in. What we seek is the process and the pleasure of creating something with our friends.”​

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Incidentally…

• The unexpected roots of the brand name: COMME des GARÇONS takes its name from Françoise Hardy’s 1962 debut song, a major hit that sold 500,000 copies worldwide. Nineteen years later, Kawakubo would present her first collection at a location only about ten miles from the Paris where the song was written.​
• Daphne Guinness’s devotion: An heiress of the Guinness family known for her deep knowledge of perfume, Daphne Guinness reportedly orders 2,000 bottles of her Comme des Garçons collaboration, Daphne, every few years, buying around 1,800 of them for herself.​
• Astuguevieille and KAWS never met: During the creation of Mirror in 2021, the two never met face to face; the fragrance was completed entirely through correspondence. KAWS sent words, and Astuguevieille drew inspiration from them before mailing around eight samples.​
• Kawakubo’s humor: When Astuguevieille proposed Odeur 53, Kawakubo reportedly responded, “You really are crazy (You are really crazy).” She meant it as a compliment.​
• The 2002 Puig agreement: Comme des Garçons Parfums entered a licensing agreement with the Spanish fragrance group Puig in 2002, but retained its own distribution and production rights.​

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