Comme des Garçons is simply a likeable brand that has remained true to itself. The fragrances are consistently exceptional without going crazy. In terms of pricing, the house has also been well grounded and will not be one of the drivers of inflation. I don’t think the year 2025 should end without at least briefly introducing you to the last three releases. What follows are three collaborations that have a lot to offer in terms of fragrance.
Monocle – Scent Five: Syros – welcome to Hellas
The collaboration between Comme des Garçons and lifestyle magazine Monocle is now in its fifth round. Need a little recap?
- Monocle – Scent One: Hinoki
- Monocle – Scent Two: Laurel (blog post)
- Monocle – Scent Three: Sugi
- Monocle – Scent Four: Yoyogi
By the way, it’s worth taking a look at the magazine. You can expect a colorful mix of news, business, culture, design, fashion and travel. This open, broadly interested view of the world fits in perfectly with the fashion house’s cross-border design.
The name Syros is reminiscent of the popular rotating pig for a reason. The theme is the eastern Mediterranean, where we land right in the cradle of Western civilization. The Greek island of the same name belongs to the Cyclades in the south of the Aegean Sea. Perfumer Antoine Maisondieu was inspired by the vacation island and presents an olfactory impression of the landscape in Monocle – Scent Five: Syros. What has been described here as wild herbs, minerals and sea air, is most clearly shown from the outset by immortelle and is energetically spiced and rooted by vetiver. Herbs and spices also take center stage in other respects, while aquatic notes — I’ll be honest — have fortunately been dispensed with.
Syros is a great Mediterranean herbal fragrance with a good dose of sunshine and light-heartedness. If you like immortelle and don’t shy away from slight Maggi associations, this fragrance is a must.
Fragrance notes from Syros
Top notes: thyme, turmeric
Heart notes: immortelle (Italian immortelle), vetiver
Base notes: patchouli, white musk
Max Richter 01 — liquid meditations
Let’s move on to the second collaboration with the number 01, where several minds were involved in the fragrance and packaging. The result of a conversation between the German-British composer Max Richter, his partner, the artist Yulia Mahr, and Adrian Joffe, President of Comme des Garçons Parfums. The fragrance was created by Guillaume Flavigny under the aegis of Christian Astuguevieille, the creative director of Comme des Garçons. Many names, many people involved and a frighteningly banal statement: “The fragrance invites the wearer to engage with the scent as a medium of memory.” This makes the compositional idea all the more exciting: “A calm narrative, composed in Richter’s unique voice. The fragrance focuses on objects associated with Richter’s life and work: Graphite, vetiver, cedar from the soundboard of a piano, rosin for violin bows, transistors and magnetic tapes.”
Max Richter 01 is a little more classic than its predecessor. Cool juniper, black pepper and clean woods dominate. This combination inevitably makes me think of aftershaves and barbershops. With a certain amount of retro style and nostalgia. And that’s exactly what fits Richter’s style. Neoclassical, minimalist string arrangements with electronic elements meet meditative moods, melancholy and contemplation. I do not perceive the above-mentioned objects from Richter’s world in this way. The fragrance is too rounded and self-contained for that. Disruption is not to be expected, quite the opposite: calm and flowing movements. Perfect for anyone who likes contemplative fragrances.
Fragrance notes of Max Richter 01
Top notes: juniper, cumin, ylang-ylang
Heart notes: black pepper, allspice, marigold
Base notes: cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli
Vaquera Classique Perdu – forgotten and rediscovered
If you’re not a fashion aficionado like me, Vaquera is an American fashion label that stands for anti-fashion and deconstruction. Ideals of beauty and status symbols are exaggerated and distorted and therefore questioned. A statement instead of luxury — with a political stance and originating from the queer subculture. What does that remind you of? Yes, of Comme des Garçons itself, although CdG remains on a more abstract level.
Classique Perdu takes the idea of anti-fashion further in the world of fragrances:
A fragrance that feels as if you once knew it, then forgot it and now rediscovered it by chance on a shelf. Inspired by the scent of perfume advertising in 90s fashion magazines, the smell of freshly dried hair after a shower, the scent of the air conditioning in your childhood car and the metallic sparkle of a fountain in summer.
Perfumer Suzy Le Helley has realized precisely this idea with Classique Perdu, rounded off on the outside by packaging with polystyrene chips that almost scream sale and rummage table. The luxury product perfume is staged as junk or at least a discontinued model.
I have to grin: the unexpected fragrance reminder from the sale shelf smells extremely fresh like blackcurrant and tomato leaves. I don’t get the promised synthetic scents (the press material mentions a permanent marker note) as strongly as the text suggests. Yes, a bit of shampoo or shower gel, I’ll go with that, but certainly only the hint of a vintage 90s scent. A fresh green scent with floral and slightly synthetic hints. For me, it’s pure good humor.
Fragrance notes of Vaquera Classique Perdu
Top notes: lavender, tomato leaves, blackcurrant
Heart notes: clary sage, iris, rose
Base notes: styrax resin, sandalwood, oakmoss, suede
Comme des Garçons 2025 — the conclusion
The house has cultivated its collaborations this year, releasing another three exciting fragrances and thus sharpening its profile. Syros convinced me the most, as it brings Greek island and herbal idylls to life without any postcard kitsch. Max Richter 01 strikes quieter and more fluid tones, meditative, pleasant, with a touch of nostalgia. Despite Vaquera’s revolutionary approach, Classique Perdu does not knock any idols off their pedestals and instead indulges in a reminiscence of the 90s. Each of the three fragrances is worth testing in its own way. Which one have you already tested? I look forward to hearing your impressions.
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