| Fashion designer, founder of Comme des Garcons Country: Japan |
Rei Kawakubo, the founder of Comme des Garcons, was born in Tokyo in 1942. Despite not having a formal education in fashion design, she studied fine arts and literature, which enabled her to effectively communicate her ideas to pattern makers and seamstresses.
After completing her education, Kawakubo worked in a textile company and experimented with styling. In 1969, she came up with her own brand, naming it Comme des Garcons (like boys) after a line in a song. In 1973, she established the company Comme des Garcons Co. Ltd. in Tokyo. Starting with women's collections, Kawakubo launched a men's line in 1978. Two years later, she relocated to Paris and has since showcased her seasonal collections there annually. In 1982, Comme des Garcons became a member of the Parisian Syndicate Pret-a-Porter, and around the same time, the first eponymous boutique opened in Paris. Following the successful "invasion" of the fashion capital, Comme des Garcons clothing often becomes the subject of exhibitions worldwide.
Comme des Garcons specializes in what is known as anti-fashion, featuring strict and sometimes deconstructive designs that may lack sleeves or other traditional components. The predominantly black, dark gray, and white garments are often paired with combat boots. While Comme des Garcons gained recognition globally after Kawakubo left Japan, exports account for only 10% of the brand's sales. A quarter of the stores selling Comme des Garcons products are located outside Japan, and they only carry a small portion of the brand's lines. Homme, Homme Deux, Tricot, and Robe de Chambre are primarily created for the Japanese market. It is said that Comme des Garcons clothing surpasses the popularity of Yamamoto and Issey Miyake combined.
Rei Kawakubo remains the face and owner of Comme des Garcons Ltd., dictating both the artistic and business policies of her company. After successfully conquering international markets, production of Comme des Garcons clothing started to expand beyond the "Land of the Rising Sun," mainly in France. For a long time, Kawakubo resisted attempts to license Comme des Garcons products. Only one Italian company, Pallucco, has the right to produce hardware under this name.
- Comme des Garcons - sold in Le Form
- Comme des Garcons Homme (1978)
- Tricot Comme des Garcons (1981)
- Robe de Chambre Comme des Garcons (1981)
- Comme des Garcons Homme Plus (1984) - sold in Le Form
- Comme des Garcons Homme Deux (1987)
- Comme des Garcons Noir (1987)
- Comme des Garcons Shirt - sold in Le Form
- Junya Watanabe Comme des Garcons (1992)
- Comme des Garcons Comme des Garcons (1993) - sold in Le Form
- Comme des Garcons Homme Homme (1998)
- Comme des Garcons Parfume