July 16, 2025 |
When Brett Johnson talks about scent, he isn’t just describing notes or accords – he’s detailing layers of memory, intimacy and identity. The launch of his debut parfum today at Paris’ Galeries Lafayette – a triptych collection, conceived with intent for layering – marks more than just a foray into the realm of perfumery; it’s an ode, a declaration of love’s continuation and a statement of intent for one of fashion’s most recent luxury houses.
Crafted over the last three years and completed in collaboration with his late wife Sarah, the three scents – Côte Ramatuelle, Oud Raffiné and Monsieur Chic – capture not only the essence of their shared life, but the harmony in which the two flourished. “I think the timing is definitely right – just in honour of her life and legacy,” Johnson reveals during our interview that, expectedly, watered dry eyes. “This was one of the last things that we were really able to do together.”
What began as a trip to Grasse – the French town often considered the spiritual haven of fragrance and tapped by many luxury perfumers – transformed into late evenings testing scents at home, and led to a shared passion for olfaction that shaped each of the newly released fragrances.
The bright freshness brought about through Côte Ramatuelle’s bergamot, citrus limon and peppermint, found its origins in revered memories of southern France held tight by the couple. While Monsieur Chic, with its crisp cardamom and cypress structure, speaks to the power of possibility Johnson acknowledges when worn. A scent for the gesture of knowing, not status. Oud Raffiné, the most complex of the three in structure, brings Johnson back to “the way that [Sarah] would look at me, the way that she would connect with me every time I wore it.” A flaçon born from intimacy cherished, it’s safe to assume that each bottle holds not just meticulously blended ingredients, but entire worlds: places journeyed to, moments held, and hopes for the future that Johnson now carries for both of them. The reality felt while wearing all three? Elevating.
While he is best known for his artisanal, sophisticated and modern ready-to-wear, Johnson explains that, “clothing helps to change one’s perspective on a person and remains the most powerful way to convey a message. Second to that, it is how you are kept, right? The foray into fragrance is a complement to ready-to-wear.” In Johnson’s mind, both categories of his brand offer duality, setting in motion a multi-sensory experience upon first impression and a more intimate understanding of who he is.
As has been the case for Johnson’s brand until now – particularly with being one of the first Black designers to establish a luxury house that rivals its modern counterparts – it is his lived experience, the desire to make people feel great about themselves and the precedent he aims to set for his community that have been the catalysing factors in his career. While Black designers are often placed into boxes of assumption, whereby streetwear and “hype” become their associated placards in the industry, Johnson wants his community to know that “we can compete on this sort of level. We are rebelling against the machine.” And it is here – albeit two locations set six hours apart – that my understanding of the designer is confirmed: Brett Johnson is a rebel; but much like his designs, a quiet one.
Quiet. But loud.
Johnson’s rise continues to defy a system grounded and etched in its own white, colonial roots. How many Black designers can you think of at fashion’s highest levels? While this debut offers a “seamless transition” from, and back into, ready-to-wear, it also establishes the stage for his next venture. Although that’s all under wraps for the time being, I am sure Johnson will find another powerful way to convey the message. If there is any one thing the designer can teach us, it’s that it’s possible to build a home within a house.
The Brett Johnson fragrance collection is available for purchase exclusively from Galeries Lafayette Haussmann L’homme Paris and online here.
Photography courtesy of Brett Johnson.
