Leather
Spicy
Notesbirch tarblack pepperblack teaincenseleatherpepperred pepperthymetree mossviolet
Tags
#fresh
#smoky
Style
unisex
This EdT plays it dark but bright. A spiky black pepper opening commands attention, before being volumised by an ebony chorus of black tea, birch tar and incense. Tree moss and violet lend a perfumed earthiness.
Perfumer Antoine Maisondieu
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
PLAY Black gives casual clothes a sharper register: a cotton shirt, sleeves pushed back, with pepper cutting through the darker suggestion of smoke and tea. It suits a daytime presence that feels alert and slightly austere rather than polished or ceremonial.
How to wear
Mild to cool weather is a natural starting point for its pepper, tea and smoky tar profile. Begin with one or two sprays on skin, allowing the bright opening to settle before adding more. In warmer conditions, keep application light so the darker materials do not dominate.
Who it’s for
For those who enjoy dry spice, unsweetened tea and smoky, leathery textures, but still want a bright opening. It will appeal to tastes that favour pared-back compositions with an unusual edge over sweetness or expansive floral richness.
Release year
2012
The nose
Antoine Maisondieu composed PLAY Black. His work often balances distinctive materials with clear, legible structures, moving between woody restraint and more provocative contrasts. Comme des Garçons’ Monocle Scent One: Hinoki and Etat Libre d’Orange’s Jasmin et Cigarette illustrate that range. Here, pepper supplies brightness against the darker textures of tea, tar and incense.
Collaborators
Christian Astuguevieille, Comme des Garçons Parfums’ artistic director, helped shape the PLAY trio’s creative direction around straightforward, approachable fragrances that would suit the clothing line’s casual identity.
Comme Des Garcons’s story
Comme des Garçons treats perfume as another medium for experimentation, favouring unexpected materials and unconventional contrasts over familiar luxury codes. PLAY brings that attitude into a more approachable register, pairing direct compositions with minimal presentation and its recognizable heart motif.
Play Black’s concept
PLAY Black arrived alongside Red and Green as a three-fragrance expansion of the PLAY identity, following the original perfume launched in 2007. The brief was to complement the clothing line’s casual character with approachable scents. Black’s pepper, tea and smoky materials give that simplicity a distinctly darker texture.
Extra info
The PLAY heart motif was designed by Filip Pagowski. PLAY Black belongs to the red, green and black heart trio and should not be confused with BLACK Comme des Garçons, a separate fragrance released in 2013.
Notesbirch tarblack pepperblack teaincenseleatherpepperred pepperthymetree mossviolet
Tags
#fresh
#smoky
Style
unisex
This EdT plays it dark but bright. A spiky black pepper opening commands attention, before being volumised by an ebony chorus of black tea, birch tar and incense. Tree moss and violet lend a perfumed earthiness.
Perfumer Antoine Maisondieu
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
PLAY Black gives casual clothes a sharper register: a cotton shirt, sleeves pushed back, with pepper cutting through the darker suggestion of smoke and tea. It suits a daytime presence that feels alert and slightly austere rather than polished or ceremonial.
How to wear
Mild to cool weather is a natural starting point for its pepper, tea and smoky tar profile. Begin with one or two sprays on skin, allowing the bright opening to settle before adding more. In warmer conditions, keep application light so the darker materials do not dominate.
Who it’s for
For those who enjoy dry spice, unsweetened tea and smoky, leathery textures, but still want a bright opening. It will appeal to tastes that favour pared-back compositions with an unusual edge over sweetness or expansive floral richness.
Release year
2012
The nose
Antoine Maisondieu composed PLAY Black. His work often balances distinctive materials with clear, legible structures, moving between woody restraint and more provocative contrasts. Comme des Garçons’ Monocle Scent One: Hinoki and Etat Libre d’Orange’s Jasmin et Cigarette illustrate that range. Here, pepper supplies brightness against the darker textures of tea, tar and incense.
Collaborators
Christian Astuguevieille, Comme des Garçons Parfums’ artistic director, helped shape the PLAY trio’s creative direction around straightforward, approachable fragrances that would suit the clothing line’s casual identity.
Comme Des Garcons’s story
Comme des Garçons treats perfume as another medium for experimentation, favouring unexpected materials and unconventional contrasts over familiar luxury codes. PLAY brings that attitude into a more approachable register, pairing direct compositions with minimal presentation and its recognizable heart motif.
Play Black’s concept
PLAY Black arrived alongside Red and Green as a three-fragrance expansion of the PLAY identity, following the original perfume launched in 2007. The brief was to complement the clothing line’s casual character with approachable scents. Black’s pepper, tea and smoky materials give that simplicity a distinctly darker texture.
Extra info
The PLAY heart motif was designed by Filip Pagowski. PLAY Black belongs to the red, green and black heart trio and should not be confused with BLACK Comme des Garçons, a separate fragrance released in 2013.