The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Le Snob Company, a Parisian leather accessories house, approached Les Parfums de Rosine with a singular focus: roses. The collaboration that followed produced Gothic Rose, the first unisex scent in Les Parfums de Rosine's collection. Joëlle Lerioux Patris worked between two aesthetics: the couturier's rose, grown for beauty, and the tanner's craft, all leather and smoke. Gothic Rose lives in the overlap, occupying a space where floral elegance meets industrial materiality. The name reflects the fragrance's character, a rose that refuses to be merely decorative, insisting instead on structure and presence.
The structure is unusual. Gothic Rose introduces caoutchouc, natural rubber, in the heart. This isn't an accident or a novelty. Rubber carries the tactile memory of leather goods, of the workshop floors where the collaborating house earned its reputation. Artemisia adds a bitter green edge, like crushed stems rather than cut flowers. The plum appears as a shadow, not a fruit, giving depth without confection. Cinnamon brings warmth to the base without tipping the composition into comfort.
The evolution
Elemi resin opens bright and almost astringent, a clean line that doesn't prepare you for what follows. Incense threads in quickly, myrtle lending its herbal, slightly camphorated quality. The rubber arrives as the composition develops, not sharp or synthetic, but warm, like something that's been handled. The rose doesn't compete. It coexists, petals slightly dried, smoke curling around the edges. Artemisia keeps everything taut. Then the drydown: leather, myrrh, cedar. A skin-warm vanilla that stays close, almost shy. The overall progression moves from crisp opening through an aromatic middle into a warm, intimate foundation.
Cultural impact
Gothic Rose occupies a specific corner of niche perfumery. The Le Snob collaboration brought an accessories-house sensibility to the project. The rubber-and-rose pairing challenges assumptions about what a rose fragrance should smell like, positioning itself for wearers who prioritize distinctiveness over universal appeal. The fragrance offers something for those who find standard rose fragrances too familiar.
The House
Les Parfums de RosineLes Parfums de Rosine is a historic French perfume house rooted in early 20th-century Parisian luxury. Paul Poiret, the celebrated fashion designer credited with liberating women from corsets, founded the house in 1911, naming it after his daughter Rosine. This made it one of the first fragrance lines attached to a fashion house identity. The brand lay dormant for decades before Marie-Hélène Rogeon, a fourth-generation perfumer whose family lineage traces to Louis Panafieu who reportedly created fragrances for Napoleon III, revived it in the 1990s. Today the house crafts rose-centric fragrances that range from powdery and classical to modern and gender-fluid. Each scent reflects a commitment to French perfumery traditions while speaking to contemporary sensibilities.
The Creator
Joëlle Lerioux PatrisTrained in the classical traditions of Grasse but shaped by decades of commercial and creative work, Lerioux Patris brings both structure and spontaneity to her formulations. Her time at Charabot gave her deep familiarity with natural raw materials and the patience to let them…
