COMME DES GARÇONS
Style keywords
About the brand
COMME DES GARÇONS (CDG) is one of the most influential and revolutionary fashion brands in history, founded by Rei Kawakubo in Tokyo in 1969. Despite its French name—derived from Françoise Hardy's 1962 song "Tous les garçons et les filles"—the brand emerged from Japan as a beacon of avant-garde design. Kawakubo's unconventional approach challenged Western fashion conventions, rejecting traditional notions of beauty and femininity in favor of deconstruction, experimentation, and conceptual rigor. The brand gained international recognition after its controversial 1981 Paris Fashion Week debut, where critics labeled the collection "Hiroshima chic" for its bold use of black, unfinished hems, and deconstructed silhouettes. Over decades, CDG expanded into numerous sub-labels including the iconic COMME DES GARÇONS PLAY (2002), while maintaining its core philosophy of innovation and creative expression. Today, the brand stands as a testament to Kawakubo's visionary leadership and continues to redefine fashion through groundbreaking collections, strategic collaborations, and its revolutionary retail concept, Dover Street Market.
