Making scents: The art of creating fragrance that defies conventions

The final fragrances completed by Comme des Garçons Parfums creative director Christian Astuguevieille, before his death earlier this year at 79, are arriving in stores. “To Vetiver,” which debuted in May, is a thrumming ode to one of his favourite raw materials, its smokiness flanked by black pepper and white thyme, while “Tears” is a collaboration with streetwear storyteller Tremaine Emory’s clothing brand Denim Tears.

Together with Rei Kawakubo, the avant-garde Japanese fashion label’s designer, and Adrian Joffe, president of Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market International, Astuguevieille shaped CDG’s fragrance portfolio from its 1994 inception. He pushed the boundaries of scent as a form of wearable conceptual art.

Over the years, there have been elemental riffs on concrete and copper, entirely synthetic molecule compositions and abstract bottle designs. There have also been idiosyncratic collaborations with musician Pharrell Williams, fashion icon Daphne Guinness, milliner Stephen Jones and composer Max Richter.

This summer, I spoke with Joffe about defying convention, CDG’s olfactory ethos and subverting expectations.

Looking back to 1994, where did you think your work with Christian would lead you?

The main thing in mind when we started was to adhere unwaveringly to the founding principles of CDG: the interest in creation first, business second. We were motivated only by the challenge of expressing these values in a new dimension, through fragrance. We set out to create fragrances that didn’t exist before using our own olfactory language, to explore new ways of packaging, distributing, marketing and communicating that ignored the industry norms, and to imagine concepts alien to the world of perfume. We honestly did not have a clear idea of where this would lead.

Some fragrances inevitably end up being more pleasing than others. Which scent’s success surprised you most?

Garage, one of five in the Synthetic series. It was a huge surprise that it became such a cult fragrance. I was also surprised CDG2 was the bestseller it became. I knew that Hinoki would be the hit that it is. Hope and expectation and results work in a myriad of ways. I wish I could tell you an example of something I thought would be a huge success but was a miserable flop. There have been a few of those as well.

How much attention do you pay to what the major fragrance ingredient suppliers are coming up with? Do you all keep up with these developments to pique creative curiosity?

We like to keep abreast of technological breakthroughs. But this would be to facilitate or enhance the expression of the concept. We are not so interested when the technology becomes the concept, or when it supersedes or interferes with the smell we wanted to create. I guess we are more old school in this respect.

Is there an aspect of the fragrance creation process you enjoy more than another?

Every aspect has its joys and frustrations. The thrill of alighting on a new concept at a very first meeting is not comparable to the pleasure of seeing, at last, the final product.

It can’t be lost on you how much the fragrance landscape has evolved since 1994, and how much the idiosyncratic experimental artistic spirit with which the CDG Parfums business was conceived has gone, well, mass. Is it gratifying that more creatives in fragrance have made the avoidance of marketing and market research part of their identity?

The short answer is that yes, it is somehow gratifying. It cannot but feel good that we may be changing, in our small way, the perceptions of what things are supposed to be and how artistic and creative modes of thinking are crucial to achieve progress. Curiosity and experimentation are often lacking in all industries and endeavours. So, if it is true that we have somehow altered the fragrance industry for the better, then yes, that makes us proud. Maybe more people are understanding the rules needn’t be followed and risk-taking can be advantageous.

CDG Parfums operates both within and outside the traditional fragrance industry framework. What does independence mean today?

It means doing what we like – what feels right for us. And accepting the limitations inherent in our tiny organization. However, we love to grow, and are always looking for ways to do that, without compromising the essence of who we are.

Looking ahead, what are you interested in accomplishing in the fragrance medium next?

Christian is irreplaceable. We are looking for new ways of how to go forward while fiercely protecting and maintaining our identity. Change is a constant and so is evolution. We have some time and we will take it. We hope to evolve without diverging from the essence of our olfactory language and we are interested in delving into new fragrance mediums as well as continuing to make fine and beautiful fragrances in our way. As to how we will work long term post-Christian, we haven’t decided anything yet.

This interview has been edited and condensed.