Comme des Garçons

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Comme des Garçons
Type Private Company
Founded 1969
Headquarters Tokyo, Japan
Key people Rei Kawakubo, founder & owner
Junya Watanabe
Tao Kurihara
Adrian Joffe
Industry Fashion
Products Apparel, Accessories and Perfumes
Net income ▲ US $180 million (2007)
Employees 200 est. (2007)
Website www.doverstreetmarket.com
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Comme des Garçons, French for "like boys", is a Japanese fashion label headed by Rei Kawakubo, who is also its sole owner.

Comme des Garçons has a dozen boutiques and approximately 200 vendors around the world, with flagship stores in Aoyama, Tokyo's high fashion district, as well as Place Vendôme in Paris. Each year, the company grosses in the neighborhood of $150 million.

Contents

[edit] History

The label was started in Tokyo by Rei Kawakubo in 1969[1] and established as a company in Japan in 1973. Comme des Garçons became successful in Japan throughout the 1970s and a men's line was added in 1978. 1981 saw Comme des Garçons's debut show in Paris which created a storm of controversy for its predominate use of black and distressed fabrics.[2] Throughout the 1980s, Comme des Garçons's clothes were often monochromatic, asymmetrical and draped over the body. Tears, holes and frayed edges were also a feature. Comme des Garçons (along with Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake ) attacked established notions that clothing had to be sexy, colourful and beautiful. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s Comme Des Garçons collections incorporated more colour and fabrics.

After the Paris debut, Comme des Garçons had an exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris in 1986 consisting of photographs taken by Peter Lindbergh.[3] 2005 saw an exhibition in Shinjuku, Tokyo of Comme Des Garçons advertising and graphic design.[4]

[edit] Fashion

Aoyama Store.
Aoyama Store.

Comme des Garçons collections are designed in the Comme des Garçons studio in Aoyama, Tokyo and are made in Japan, France and Turkey.

The 1997 spring/summer collection, often referred to the 'lumps and bumps' collection "that made the wearer look deformed"[5], was a much talked about show in Paris that season. It featured predominately tight tops and skirts that were swollen by goosedown-filled lumps which distorted the body shape. This led to a collaboration, also in 1997, between Rei Kawakubo and New York-based choreographer Merce Cunningham called 'Scenario'.

The 2006 autumn/winter collection dealt with the concept of the 'persona',[6] the different ways we present ourselves to the world. Fusing tailored menswear with more feminine elements such as corsets and flower printed dress fabrics, 'Persona' was another collection that combined the feminine with the masculine by Comme des Garçons.

Junya Watanabe[7] [8] and, as of recently, Tao Kurihara[9] [10] have started their own sub-labels under the Comme des Garçons name to much acclaim. Both were also involved in designing for the casual women's knitwear line 'Comme des Garçons Tricot'.

Comme des Garçons have collaborated with various other labels over the years including Fred Perry [11] [12], Levi's, Speedo, Nike, Moncler, Lacoste, Cutler and Gross, Chrome Hearts, Hammerthor and many others. Comme des Garçons and H&M are currently collaborating on a collection which is to be released in the fall of 2008.[13] [14]

[edit] Perfume

Comme des Garçons also produces a line of unisex fragrances, most of which are unconventional in the world of perfume, in the same spirit as the label's garments.[15] They released their first fragrance 'Comme Des Garçons' in 1994.[16] 1998 saw the release of Comme des Garçons's first "'anti-perfume' Odeur 53",[17] a blending 53 non-traditional notes to create a modern and striking scent.[18] Some of these notes being: oxygen, flash of metal, washing drying in the wind, mineral carbon, sand dunes, nail polish, cellulose, pure air of the high mountains, burnt rubber and flaming rock. 2000 saw the debut of the Comme des Garçons parfums PARFUMS series. 'Series 1 - Leaves' consisted of three fragrances based on leaves such as Tea, Lily and Calamus. Mint and Shiso have been discontinued.

[edit] Stores

Signature Comme des Garçons boutiques are located in London (Dover Street Market), Paris, New York City [19], Beijing [20], Hong Kong [21], Tokyo (2x), Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka. The company also maintains stores-in-store at select department stores, such as Isetan. In Paris, a Comme des Garçons perfumery can be found at 23 Place Marché St-Honoré.

Comme des Garçons opened the first of their 'Guerrilla' stores in 2004 in Berlin.[22] The Guerrilla stores' aim is to only be open for one year[23] and to spend a minimal amount of money on the interiors.[24] The stores are also to be located away from fashionable hubs and districts of a city. Comme des Garçons Guerrilla stores have been opened (and subsequently closed) in Reykjavik, Warsaw, Helsinki, Singapore, Stockholm and Athens, amongst others. In July 2007, a Guerrilla Store opened in the Achrafieh district of Beirut, Lebanon, and in February 2008, a Guerrilla Store opened in downtown Los Angeles, the first in the United States.[25]

2004 saw the opening of Dover Street Market (DSM)[26] in London.[27] A multilevel store conceptualised by Rei Kawakubo. As well as selling Comme Des Garçons lines, other designers are personally invited and "accorded 'creative spaces'"[28] by Rei Kawakubo to open a section of the store and design it in any way they wish while often selling limited edition pieces made only for DSM.

On 31 March 2007, Comme des Garçons opened a 3 level store in Hong Kong called WHITE BOX. Hong Kong also has had a Guerrilla store opened and closed in previous years.[29]

[edit] Comme Des Garçons lines

designed by Rei Kawakubo:

  • Comme des Garçons - main women's line (since 1973)
  • Comme des Garçons Noir - black-dominated women's collection (since 1987)
  • Comme des Garçons Comme Des Garçons - (aka 'Comme Comme') womenswear (since 1993)
  • Comme des Garçons Homme Plus - main men's line (since 1984)
  • Comme des Garçons Homme Plus Sport - sporty subline of Homme Plus
  • Comme des Garçons Homme Plus Evergreen - subline of Homme Plus, re-invented items from past collections (since 2005)
  • Comme des Garçons Homme Deux - formal tailored menswear (since 1987)
  • Comme des Garçons SHIRT - shirt-dominated collection (since 1988)
  • Play Comme des Garçons - younger men's and women's casual streetwear with bug-eyed heart logo (collaboration with New York graphic artist Filip Pagowski

designed by Junya Watanabe:

  • Comme des Garçons Homme - men's Japanese line (since 1978)
  • Comme des Garçons Robe de Chambre - women Japanese line (discontinued)
  • Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons - womenswear (since 1992)
  • Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons Man - menswear (since 2001)
  • Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons Man Pink - menswear items for women (discontinued)

designed by Tao Kurihara:

  • Tao Comme des Garçons - womenswear (sine 2005)
  • Tricot Comme des Garçons -women's knitwear

accessories:

  • Comme des Garçons Edited - special items for Edited shops in Japan
  • Comme des Garçons Pearl - jewellery (since 2006)
  • Comme des Garçons Parfum (since 1994)
  • Comme des Garçons Parfum Parfum
  • Comme des Garçons Wallet
  • Speedo Comme des Garçons - swimwear collaboration (since 2005)

others:

  • Ganryu Comme des Garçons - women's street style label designed by Fumito Ganryu, a former patternmaker at Junya
  • Comme des Garçons Peggy Moffitt
  • Comme des Garçons Six - bi-annual magazine (from 1988 to 1991)
  • design collaborations with mainstream brands: Levi's, Lacoste, Fred Perry, The North Face, Nike, Inc., Moncler, Chrome Hearts, 10.Corso.Como, KAWS etc.)

[edit] References

  1. ^ The New York Times: Gang of Four
  2. ^ Time magazine: Women in fashion - Rei Kawakubo
  3. ^ "Peter Lindbergh for Comme des Garçons"
  4. ^ PinMag: An exhibition of Comme des Garcons
  5. ^ The Independent: Fashion - The frock of the new
  6. ^ style.com: Comme des Garcons F/W 2006
  7. ^ NYmag: Junya Watanabe
  8. ^ Fashion Windows: Junya Watanabe
  9. ^ W: The Tao of design
  10. ^ Liberty: Designer Room
  11. ^ Int'l Herald Tribune: Teaming up from arena to runway
  12. ^ DNR: Raf Simons Partners With Fred Perry
  13. ^ Vogue: Comme des Garcons for H&M
  14. ^ Int'l Herald Tribune: Rei Kawakubo and H & M: A collaboration to watch
  15. ^ Int'l Herald Tribune: Comme des Garçons builds niche perfume empire
  16. ^ hypebeast: Comme des Garcons Perfume
  17. ^ Wallpaper: New Comme des Garcons perfume
  18. ^ The Conveyor Belt: Comme des Garçons
  19. ^ Future Systems: Comme des Garcons
  20. ^ highsnobiety: Comme des Garcons Beijing flagship store
  21. ^ highsnobiety: Comme des Garcons Store 2007 Hong Kong
  22. ^ The New York Times: The Anti-Concept Concept Store
  23. ^ The New York Times: A Store Made for Right Now: You Shop Until It's Dropped
  24. ^ Archimedes Pool: Guerrilla Store by COMME des GARÇONS
  25. ^ Los Angeles Times: A hip hideaway
  26. ^ icon eye: Dover Street Market
  27. ^ The Observer: Shabby chic
  28. ^ The Spectator: Fashion dressed as art
  29. ^ hypebeast: Comme des Garcons Hong Kong

[edit] External links