COMME DES GARÇONS PARFUM

Kicked off in 1994 with the label-bearing scent that “works like a medicine and behaves like a drug,” Comme des Garçons Parfums has since cast that phenomenal pebble bottle into the sea, expanding the brand’s unique vision with nearly 100 off-kilter, minimalistic releases. Created under the direction of superstar perfumers like Mark Buxton, Bertrand Duchaufour and Jean-Christophe Hérault, Comme des Garçons fragrances all share a paired down and pleasant, yet somewhat jarring character. They often take a singular, even vague idea like the color black, red or green, the “working man” or a flower that doesn’t exist and follow it to its ideological extreme. Known for a signature use of pepper, incense and synthetic accords with impenetrable names (oxygen, white-hot bulb), the label makes a convincing case of its “anti-perfume” moniker. For all its bluster, Comme des Garçons Parfums creations are wearable, long-lasting and manage to sustain interest throughout their duration.