Founded in 1973 in Japan, Comme des Garçons has become a distinctive name in high fashion thanks to its quality products. The clothes designed by this brand aren’t usually suitable to party in, however their PLAY line aims to reconnect with a younger audience by producing accessible, bright fashion that belongs more to the dancefloor than the catwalk. If you are looking for something that would help you stand out, then Comme des Garçons has got you covered.
Following are the most popular Comme des Garçons products
Hidden Heart High Top Sneaker
Released recently in United States, these “hidden heart” sneakers come in low-top, high-top, white, and black. There was an earlier design that featured a smaller heart, but it was discontinued. Another version of these sneakers is also available. It features polka-dot design which is ideal for the more advanced Hypebeast.
PLAY Cotton Jersey Crewneck T-Shirt
Available in a wide range of colors, this is the most basic PLAY T-shirt. There is also a wide variety when it comes to choosing the iconic heart design on the shirt. For example, it comes with a big heart, a much smaller heart, double hearts, a little heart and a big heart, etc. You can wear this t-shirt on its own with a good pair of jeans or you can simply conceal it beneath a light jacket or a cardigan. Thanks to its availability in variety of colors and its basic design, this Comme des Garçons t-shirt has become quite popular.
Super Fluo Continental Long Wallet
Wallets are another specialty of Comme des Garçons. There are six main styles in their wallet lineup and they all come in wide range of patterns and colors. Super Fluo Continental Long Wallet is a popular product in Comme des Garçons’ wallet lineup. It is a well-designed and colorful wallet that is a mix of oranges, greens, and blues.
Comme des Garçons Black
Comme des Garçons’ so called “anti-perfume” product line has grown in popularity since its introduction in 1994. It is now more diverse and more accessible. Of the numerous fragrances releases by the brand, Black is a standout. Black is the favorite color of Rei Kawakubo (founder of the brand) and it is a good product that not only smells great but also retains some of the brand’s weirdness as they call it a “spiced up new scent”. It notes of incense, black pepper, licorice, and leather.
Comme des Garçons Odeur 53
While Black is a great product from the brand, if you want to try one of the more “directional” offerings of Comme des Garçons, then Odeur 53 is a highly recommended product. It is an abstract anti-perfume that features odors from inorganic materials that have been cloned via latest technology. According to its description, it offers mixed odors of the freshness of oxygen, wash drying in the wind, freshly mowed grass, flaming rock, flash of metal, sand dunes, nail polish, and pure air of the high mountains!
Browse all Comme des Garçons products we have.
What is Comme des Garçons?
Comme des Garçons is a renowned fashion brand owned and led by Rei Kawakubo. When describing Comme des Garçons, the phrase ‘cult following’ is often used. Although this fashion house has a relatively small yet dedicated core fanbase, it would be selling it short to say that it has a cult following. Comme des Garçons is an international phenomenon – a prosperous and sprawling empire that sells wide variety of clothing products.
Comme des Garçons, which means “like the boys”, started in 1973 in Tokyo, Japan where its founder Rei Kawakubo was born. The brand was an instant success. By 1980, the brand had as many as 150 franchised stores and 80 employees and it was earning $30 million annually. The early clothing Comme des Garçons made wasn’t as offbeat and eccentric as what the brand is known for today. At that time, it was inspired by the rustic and loose garb of Japanese peasants and fisherman.
In 1981, the founder of Comme des Garçons showed at Paris Fashion Week. She stunned the Western fashion world by defying design tradition. The collection that was presented by Kawakubo was unlike anything anyone had seen before: the all-black clothing was shapeless, shredded, deconstructed, and oversized. Comme des Garçons’ next collection hit the runway a year later. It was called ‘Destroy’. This collection elicited an even louder response.
After that, Kawakubo started expanding the business by creating various sub-brands under the Comme des Garçons umbrella. Tricot Comme des Garçons (a knitwear line) was launched in 1981. Then Comme des Garçons Homme, the menswear label, saw several offshoots such as Comme des Garçons Homme Deux that was focused toward formal men’s suiting and Comme des Garçons Homme Plus that featured patterned blazers and loosely fitted pants that contrasted with the stuffy suiting of that era. Comme des Garçons SHIRT was debuted in 1988. It is a line of whimsical button-downs that has added accessories, jackets, and sweaters to its offerings since its inception.
Nowadays, Comme des Garçons sells everything from t-shirts featuring polka dot or longsleeve designs, to perfume with notes of ‘flaming rock’ and ‘oxygen’, to brightly colored wallets.
Play is the most mainstream label within this brand. Launched in 2002, Play is well-known for its distinctive heart logo. It is a heart with two eyes. Products of this label are pretty casual and they feature the most entry-level prices of Comme des Garçons (t-shirts start at around $100).
Comme des Garçons has leveraged various big-brand collaborations over the years. One of its most hyped collaborations was with H&M. The longest running ongoing partnership of Comme des Garçons is Play x Converse. Play also put out a collaboration with Speedo in 2010.
There is a reason the fashion empire of Rei Kawakubo is referred to as Comme des Garçons universe. Immensely complex, ever-expanding, and vast, it may very well take a PhD to completely master the details of the Comme des Garçons empire and its sub-brands that fall under the creative umbrella of Kawakubo.
