Comme Des Garçons

The label was started in Tokyo by Rei Kawakubo in 1969 and established as a company Comme des Garçons Co. Ltd in 1973. It is written in Japanese as コム・デ・ギャルソン (Komu de Gyaruson), and translates to "like boys" from French. Throughout the 1980s the label’s dismantled approach to fashion became known worldwide. When there were four fashion capitals in the world; London, Paris, Milan and New York, Japanese Comme des Garçons' mantra of monochromatic colours, surreal silhouettes and a mission to turn conventional pattern cutting on its head, broke all the rules. Kawakubo’s designs have provided inspiration for a list of well respected creatives including Belgians Martin Margiela and Ann Demeulemeester and Austrian minimalist Helmut Lang.