Comme des Garçons

Comme des Garçons
Private Company
Industry Fashion
Founded 1969
Headquarters Tokyo, Japan
Key people
 Rei Kawakubo, founder and designer
Junya Watanabe, designer
Tao Kurihara, designer
Fumito Ganryu, designer
Adrian Joffe
Products Apparel, Accessories and Perfumes
Number of employees
 600 est. (2011)
Website

www.doverstreetmarket.com www.comme-des-garcons-parfum.com

www.comme-des-garcons.com

Comme des Garçons, French for "Like Boys" and written in Japanese as コム・デ・ギャルソン (Komu de Gyaruson), is a Japanese fashion label headed by Rei Kawakubo, who owns the company with her husband Adrian Joffe.

Comme des Garçons is based in Tokyo and also in the prestigious Place Vendôme in Paris, the city in which they show their main collections during Paris Fashion Week and Paris Men's Fashion Week.[1]

The Japanese flagship store is in Aoyama, Tokyo's high fashion district. The company also has concept stores Trading Museum Comme des Garçons and 10 Corso Como Comme des Garçons in Tokyo, and stores in Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka. Worldwide they have traditional Comme des Garçons stores in Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré in Paris and on West 22nd Street in New York City, as well as stores in Hong Kong, Beijing, Bangkok, Seoul, Singapore, and Manila.

Since 2004, Comme des Garçons has developed a market-based department store concept, stocking its main collections, its other brands, such as Shirt, Play, and a wide range of international designers. Its original market store, called Dover Street Market, is in Mayfair in London. In 2010, the company opened I.T Beijing Market Comme des Garçons, which was followed by a new market store in Ginza, Tokyo, in 2012 and New York City in 2013.[2]

History

Comme des Garçons dress on display in 2007 in a Florence, Italy museum
Comme des Garçons for H&M tuxedo jacket, 2009

The label was started in Tokyo by Rei Kawakubo in 1969 and established as a company Comme des Garçons Co. Ltd in 1973.[3] It became successful in Japan in the 1970s; a menswear line was added in 1978. The year 1981 saw Comme des Garçons's debut show in Paris. It created a splash for its predominant use of black and distressed fabrics.[4] Throughout the 1980s, Comme des Garçons's clothes often had the destroyed look.

Exhibitions

After the Paris début, Comme des Garçons exhibited photographs by Peter Lindbergh at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris in 1986.[5] In 1990 they held an exhibition of sculpture. The year 2005 saw an exhibition in Shinjuku, Tokyo of Comme Des Garçons advertising and graphic designs.

In August 2010, Comme des Garçons opened a 19,000 square feet (1,800 m2), six-level flagship store in Seoul, South Korea, featuring a branded art-exhibition space, the company's first outside Japan.[6]

Fashion

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

The 1997 spring-summer collection, often referred to the "lumps and bumps" collection, which contained fabric in bulk and balls on the garments. 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",[7] 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[8][9] and, as of recently, Tao Kurihara[10][11] have started their own sub-labels under the Comme des Garçons name to much acclaim. Both also were involved in designing for the casual women's knitwear line "Comme des Garçons Tricot".

Comme des Garçons dress

Comme des Garçons have collaborated with various other labels over the years including Fred Perry, Levi's Converse All Star, Speedo, Nike, Moncler, Lacoste, Cutler and Gross, Chrome Hearts, Hammerthor,[12] S. N. S. Herning, Louis Vuitton, Supreme, and many others. Comme des Garçons and H&M collaborated on a collection which was released in the fall of 2008.[13][14]

Notably, Björk wears Comme des Garçons in the music video for "Isobel". Other celebrities who have worn Comme des Garçons include Lady Gaga, Matt Bellamy, Alexander McQueen, Krikor Jabotian, Chloë Sevigny, Kanye West, Usher, Tilda Swinton, Herb Ritts, Tatiana Sorokko, Karl Lagerfeld, Heidi Albertsen, Mary-Kate Olsen, Vincent Ng, Selma Blair, Leila Aldik, Drake, Joe Jonas, ASAP Rocky, 2 Chainz, and John Waters, who devoted a chapter of his 2010 book Role Models to Comme des Garçons and Rei Kawakubo.

Perfume

Comme des Garçons also produces a line of agendered fragrances, most of which are unconventional in the world of perfume, in the same spirit as the label's garments.[15]

The company released its first fragrance, Comme des Garçons, in 1994.[16] 1998 saw the release of Comme des Garçons's first "anti-perfume" Odeur 53,[17] a blend of 53 non-traditional notes to create a modern and striking scent.[18] Some of these notes are: oxygen, flash of metal, wash drying in the wind, mineral carbon, sand dunes, nail polish, cellulose, pure air of the high mountains, burnt rubber, and flaming rock. Director John Waters and architect Stephen Alesch both wear the fragrance.[19][20]

Comme des Garçons released the perfume for the Luxe series "Champaca", for which artist Katerina Jebb produced the visuals.

Since 2002, the perfume line joined Puig company to become part of its catalogue of fragrances.[21] The company Puig owns a partial license for Comme des Garçons fragrances under company of, Comme des Garçons Parfums.[22] Since granting a partial license for fragrances to Puig, Joffe has also created a division of fragrances within the Comme des Garçons company itself named, Comme des Garçons Parfums Parfums. [23]

Comme des Garçons developed a unisex fragrance, G I R L, with Pharrell Williams, released on 28 August 2014.[24] Artist KAWS designed the bottle.[25]

Stores

Aoyama Store

Signature Comme des Garçons boutiques are located in London (Dover Street Market), Paris, New York City,[26] Beijing,[27] Hong Kong,[28] Seoul, St. Petersburg, Tokyo (2x), Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka. The company also maintains concessions 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.[29] The aim of the Guerrilla stores is to be open for only one year[30] and to spend a minimal amount of money on the interiors.[31] The stores also are 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.[32] In November 2008, they opened another Guerilla store in the west end of Glasgow.

2004 saw the opening in London of Dover Street Market (DSM),[33][34] a multilevel store conceptualised by Rei Kawakubo. As well as selling Comme des Garçons lines, other designers are invited to participate and "accorded 'creative spaces'"[35] by 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.

In December 2009, Comme des Garçons opened a 4,400 square feet (410 m2) store in Hong Kong called Under The Ground. Hong Kong also has had a Guerrilla store opened and closed in previous years, run by Silly Thing Hong Kong.[36]

In August 2010, Comme des Garçons opened a 19,000 square feet (1,800 m2), six-level flagship store in Seoul, South Korea. In addition to merchandise, the store features a branded art-exhibition space, the company's first outside Japan.[6]

In January 2011, Club 21 opened a 3,035 square feet (282.0 m2) Comme des Garçons store in Singapore. Singapore also previously had Guerrilla stores; and in October 2010, a Pocket store was opened.

In January 2012, Comme des Garçons opened two stores in Berlin. Comme des Garçons Black Shop / Comme des Garçons Pocket Shop.

In March 2012, Comme des Garçons opened a store in One Rockwell, Rockwell Center, Manila. Also, the first Dover Street Market in Japan opened in Ginza.[37]

In December 2012, Comme des Garçons opened a Pocket store in Melbourne, Australia. Located in Rankins Lane, it is the first store ever in Australia. In 2014, another Comme des Garcons Pocket store opened in Brisbane, Queensland as a shop-in-shop store at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) in South Brisbane.

In December 2013, Dover Street Market in New York City opened.[38]

Comme des Garçons lines

Designed by Rei Kawakubo
Designed by Junya Watanabe
Designed by Tao Kurihara
Designed by Fumito Ganryu
Designed by Kei Ninomiya
Accessories

Others

References

  1. ↑ http://www.elle.com/fashion/a33802/rei-kawakubo-interview/
  2. ↑ http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/07/04/the-misfit-3?mbid=social_twitter
  3. ↑ "Company Overview of Comme Des Garcons Co., Ltd.". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  4. ↑ iPad iPhone Android TIME TV Populist The Page. "Women in fashion – Rei Kawakubo". Time magazine. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  5. ↑ "Peter Lindbergh for Comme des Garçons" Archived May 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. 1 2 "Comme des Garçons Seoul Flagship Store". Hypebeast. 2010-09-01. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  7. ↑ Sarah Mower (2006-03-04). "Comme des Garçons F/W 2006". style.com. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  8. ↑ "Junya Watanabe". NYmag. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  9. ↑ Mari Davis; Tom Massey; Boyd Davis. "Junya Watanabe". Fashion Windows. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  10. ↑ "W: The Tao of design". Findarticles.com. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  11. ↑ Liberty: Designer Room Archived April 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ vmagazine.com Comme des Garçons and the most avant-garde underwear around Archived January 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ "Comme des Garcons for H&M". Vogue. 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  14. ↑ Wells, Pete (2013-09-17). "Rei Kawakubo and H & M: A collaboration to watch". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  15. ↑ Wells, Pete (2013-09-17). "Comme des Garçons builds niche perfume empire". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  16. ↑ hypebeast: Comme des Garçons Perfume Archived October 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ "New Comme des Garçons perfume". Wallpaper. 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  18. ↑ "Comme des Garçons". The Conveyor Belt. 2008-03-20. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  19. ↑ "John Waters' top ten.". Artforum International. October 1, 1998.
  20. ↑ Chen, Jason (January 28, 2010). "Style Secrets of NYC's Most In-Demand Designer". Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Comme des Garcons, new signing Puig". ¡Hola!. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  22. ↑ "Lunch with the FT: Adrian Joffe - FT.com". Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  23. ↑ Friedman, Vanessa. "Lunch with the FT: Adrian Joffe". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  24. ↑ "G I R L by Pharrell Williams Eau de Parfum (100ml natural spray)". Dover Street Market New York. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  25. ↑ Kilcooley-O'Halloran, Scarlett (March 12, 2014). "The Scent of Pharrell". Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  26. ↑ Future Systems: Comme des Garçonss Archived April 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  27. ↑ highsnobiety: Comme des Garçons Beijing flagship store Archived May 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  28. ↑ highsnobiety: Comme des Garçons Store 2007 Hong Kong Archived May 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  29. ↑ Fortini, Amanda (2004-12-12). "The New York Times: The Anti-Concept Concept Store". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  30. ↑ Cathy Horyn (2004-02-17). "The New York Times: A Store Made for Right Now: You Shop Until It's Dropped". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  31. ↑ "Archimedes Pool: Guerrilla Store by Comme des Garçons". Archimedespool.wordpress.com. 2007-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  32. ↑ Vesilind, Emili (2008-02-17). "Los Angeles Times: A hip hideaway". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  33. ↑ icon eye: Dover Street Market
  34. ↑ Tamsin Blanchard (2004-10-03). "The Observer: Shabby chic". London: Observer.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  35. ↑ "The Spectator: Fashion dressed as art". Findarticles.com. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  36. ↑ hypebeast: Comme des Garçons Hong Kong Archived May 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  37. ↑ Expected brands at DSM Archived January 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  38. ↑ Jacob Bernstein (2013-12-24). "At Dover Street Market, Differences of Opinion". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
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