Corpus Equus

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All about this fragrance

Vibe check

For an evening when conversation is direct and personal space matters. Its smoke-darkened leather suggests a riding jacket brought indoors, retaining something of the animal rather than polished upholstery. The mood is composed but forceful, with an undercurrent of restlessness.

How to wear

The dark leather and smoky profile lends itself to cool weather, when its weight is less likely to feel oppressive. Start with one or two sprays on skin beneath clothing, allowing warmth to soften the animalic edge. In warmer conditions or close quarters, apply more sparingly.

Who it’s for

For lovers of assertive leather, birch tar and incense who welcome animalic textures rather than smooth, sanitized accords. It suits a taste for dark, materially expressive perfumery, where smoke and roughness are part of the appeal.

Release year

2021

The nose

Bertrand Duchaufour is known for compositions that build depth through incense, woods, leather and contrasting textures. His work includes L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Timbuktu and Dzongkha, fragrances admired for their atmospheric detail and unconventional balance. For Corpus Equus, he translated an equestrian portrait into an exploration of black, contrasting glossy and matte effects through an assertive animalic leather accord.

Collaborators

Naomi Goodsir actively shaped the fragrance with Bertrand Duchaufour, drawing on her relationship with her horse, Tequila. Her brief brought together the horse’s body, saddle leather and tactile memories; their later discussions of black surfaces in art helped redirect the composition toward a darker, more streamlined expression.

Naomi Goodsir’s story

Naomi Goodsir approaches perfume as an invisible accessory, extending the designer’s creative world through distinctive materials and tactile effects. An independent, creator-led house, it works with independent perfumers and emphasizes craftsmanship over convention. Its genderless fragrances are made and hand-packed near Grasse.

Corpus Equus’s concept

Corpus Equus began as a portrait of Tequila, Goodsir’s beloved, strong-willed Arabian horse. Development stretched over approximately eight years, moving from memories of saddle leather, disturbed earth and a velvety nose toward a more abstract study of darkness. Pierre Soulages’s expressions of black and Anish Kapoor’s work became visual references for its contrasting textures.

Extra info

Corpus Equus means “body” and “horse,” bringing its equestrian inspiration into the name. Despite the fragrance’s exploration of black, Tequila was a white horse: the darkness expressed his temperament rather than his coat. It was the house’s sixth fragrance.