“Chaos as Couture: Inside the World of CDG”

Comme des Garçons: The Art of Anti-Fashion

For comme-des-garcons.com.co — 1000 words

In a world where fashion often bends to trends, algorithms, and seasonal hype, Comme des Garçons remains defiantly different. Founded in Tokyo in 1969 by Rei Kawakubo, the brand has never followed the rules—it rewrites them entirely. From its avant-garde silhouettes to its conceptual runway presentations, Comme des Garçons isn’t simply a label. It is a philosophy—an ever-evolving conversation between body, fabric, and meaning.

This is not fashion for the faint-hearted. It’s fashion as thought. Fashion as art. Fashion as rebellion.

The Power of Rei Kawakubo

At the core of Comme des Garçons lies its visionary creator, Rei Kawakubo—a figure both enigmatic and revolutionary. She does not conform to the traditional image of a designer. In fact, she often rejects the label altogether. Kawakubo views clothing as a medium for expression, as a way to challenge norms, gender, and even form itself.

In 1981, when Comme des Garçons made its Paris debut, the Western fashion world was caught off guard. With black, asymmetrical garments that looked distressed, deconstructed, and “unfinished,” critics branded it “Hiroshima chic.” But behind the controversy was a radical message: beauty could be found in imperfection, and elegance didn’t require polish. In time, the world would catch up.

Deconstruction and Beyond

Comme des Garçons pioneered what is now known as deconstruction in fashion. Kawakubo didn’t just make clothes—she questioned their purpose. Why should sleeves match? Why should garments flatter? Why should “feminine” mean delicate?

Throughout the decades, the brand has remained relentlessly experimental:

• In the 1997 "Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body" collection (nicknamed the “lumps and bumps”), padding was sewn into unexpected places—hips, backs, shoulders—distorting the human silhouette.

• In 2012, she presented clothing inspired by the idea of “2 dimensions,” with paper-doll-like flat garments that blurred the boundary between real and surreal.

• In 2017, her collection titled “The Future of Silhouette” fused Renaissance aesthetics with alien forms—giant rose-like shapes and sculptural forms that defied wearability.

For Kawakubo, wearability is not the goal. Provocation is.

A Brand, A Universe

Comme des Garçons isn’t just one brand—it’s a galaxy of sub-labels and projects, each with its own identity:

• Comme des Garçons Homme Plus – Menswear with avant-garde tailoring and street sensibility.

• Comme des Garçons Play – The most commercially accessible line, featuring the iconic heart-with-eyes logo designed by artist Filip Pagowski. Witty, graphic, and beloved worldwide.

• Comme des Garçons SHIRT – A line that reimagines classic menswear through bold prints, offbeat cuts, and irreverent details.

• Comme des Garçons BLACK, Noir, Junya Watanabe, TAO, and more – each a unique expression of the CDG ethos, designed by Kawakubo or her trusted collaborators.

This constellation of labels allows the Comme des Garçons brand to live across worlds—from underground fashion collectors to global streetwear enthusiasts.

Dover Street Market: A Retail Revolution

If Comme des Garçons is the mind, then Dover Street Market is the body—an immersive retail experience conceived by Kawakubo and her partner Adrian Joffe. Far from a traditional store, DSM (with locations in London, New York, Tokyo, and Beijing) is a curated chaos of high fashion, art installations, and streetwear.

Brands like Balenciaga, Gucci, Raf Simons, Stüssy, and Nike sit alongside Comme des Garçons pieces in a dynamic, rotating visual playground. There are no permanent corners. The space constantly transforms—reflecting the CDG philosophy that nothing should stay still.

This is more than retail. It’s cultural architecture.

Street Meets Concept

In recent years, Comme des Garçons has built a powerful bridge between avant-garde and streetwear. The brand has collaborated with some of the most influential names in youth culture, including:

• Nike – With cutting-edge sneaker designs that merge innovation and minimalism.

• Supreme – Fusing anti-fashion with skate culture.

• Converse – The Chuck Taylor with the red heart has become a global cult icon.

• Stüssy, Vans, Salomon, Arcteryx, and many others.

These collaborations are not simply cash grabs—they are conversations between subcultures. CDG never dilutes itself. Instead, it expands its language and invites new audiences into its world.

A Language of Its Own

Comme des Garçons does not operate with traditional marketing. There are no glamorous ad campaigns, no celebrity endorsements. Instead, its power spreads through mystique, loyalty, and word-of-mouth. Those who understand Comme des Garçons are not just customers—they’re disciples of a vision.

Its visual codes are unmistakable:

• All black everything, but never boring.

• Asymmetry, layering, and volume that suggest movement and poetry.

• Logos used sparingly—but when they appear (like the Play heart), they become instantly iconic.

• A commitment to quality, with most garments crafted in Japan or France with an obsessive attention to detail.

Comme des Garçons Today

More than five decades in, Comme des Garçons continues to defy easy definition. Kawakubo rarely gives interviews, and her runway shows often come without explanation. And yet, every season, the brand remains one of the most anticipated and written-about in the fashion calendar.

Its legacy is not just in the garments, but in the mentality it inspires—one of questioning, challenging, and rethinking what fashion can be.

In 2017, the Metropolitan Museum of Art honored Kawakubo with a solo exhibition, “Art of the In-Between,” placing her in the rare company of designers like Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. It was a fitting tribute to a woman who has always lived in the in-between: between art and fashion, beauty and distortion, chaos and clarity.

Final Thoughts: Wearing a Thought

To wear Comme des Garçons is not simply to wear a brand—it is to wear a thought. It’s to invite questions, start conversations, and move through the world with a sense of curiosity. It’s to embrace discomfort as a path to originality.