Glossary

Womenswear (brands currently in operation bolded)

Miyake Design Studio: 1970

• Issey founded his studio in Japan after spending the years immediately after graduation in Paris and New York

Issey Miyake: 1971

• Presented his collection in 1971 in New York and in Paris from 1973 on. From the beginning, Issey’s philosophy on making clothes is guided by the concept of “a single piece of cloth” and the relationship between the body and the material that covers it, and the space born between the two

Issey Sport: late 1970s (likely around 1977)

• A line of casual items most famously known by the “IS” logo. Chisato Tsumori—another well-established Japanese designer—began her career as an assistant designer for I.S. and eventually became head designer. The line was renamed I.S. Chisato Tsumori Design in 1983. At the encouragement of Issey, her mentor, she left the company in 1990 to start her own eponymous line

HAI Sporting Gear: 1977–1990s

• Established within the Miyake Design Studio umbrella, a line of casual items–not unlike the feel of Issey Sport—co-developed by Japanese innerwear giant Wacoal. While no official documentation of the brand is available online from either companies, the lineup included various outerwear (bombers, chore jackets, denim jackets), sweatshirts, and tee shirts, often with the brand logo and name printed prominently at the back, akin to sports club or college paraphernalia

Plantation: 1981

• An exploration of clothes for everyday with an emphasis on natural fibers, simple and loose silhouettes for any body type, gender, or age. Plantation currently exists under the company A-net (established 1996), part of the larger Issey Miyake brand group

Issey Miyake Permanente: 1985–likely 1990s

• Offered variations on the clothing and designs that came into existence during the development of Issey Miyake mainline

IM Design Studio: 1990s

• A lifestyle brand under that included items such as towels, handkerchiefs, swimwear, neckties, underwear, aprons, shirts, sleepwear, leather, luggage, and other accessories

Pleats Please Issey Miyake: 1993–

• While Issey had already begun experimenting with pleating in 1988, Pleats Please launched in 1993 after extensive research and development. The label focuses on functionality and versatility for everyday life, a new wardrobe for the modern woman. The offerings are incredibly vast: a rainbow of colorways, staple silhouettes, new silhouettes, ever-evolving materials and treatment, artist collaborations…

A-POC / A-POC ABLE: 1998–

• With designer Dai Fujiwara, Issey developed A-POC, or A Piece of Cloth, combining engineering and design. Now called A-POC ABLE, Yoshiyuki Miyamae leads a team of engineers focused on multidisciplinary innovation

HaaT: 2000–

• Makiko Minagawa, legendary textile director for Issey Miyake, is at the helm of textile-focused HaaT as Creative Director. The brand name is a three-way play on words bringing together three similar-sounding words from three different cultures: “haat,” the word for village markets in Sanskrit; “haath,” the word for hands in Hindi; “heart” in English

me ISSEY MIYAKE: 2000–

• Features items that have been pleated horizontally and vertically that feels even lighter, yet denser, than the traditional pleats. Focuses on color and often features novelty prints

Fete: 2004

Bao Bao Issey Miyake: 2010–

• Lanched under Pleats Please in 2000 and became a standalone brand in 2010. Triangular pieces, made out of vinyl resin, form the basis of the designs and are patched onto a soft mesh base, allowing for the bag to mold and create “infinite versatile shapes”

132 5: 2010

• A brand born out of Issey’s work with “Reality Lab,” a part of Miyake Design Studio comprised of employees of all generations. Starting in 2007, the team embarked on research and development of items that take into consideration the environment and natural resources while also working with computer scientists on creating the distinct foldable shapes. “The brand name refers to the way a piece of cloth (“1D”) takes on a three-dimensional shape (“3D”) and is then folded into a flat surface (“2D”), and the way that wearing it transforms it into a presence that transcends time and dimensions (“5D”).”

Brands currently in operation bolded

Comme des Garçons Collection: 1969 (first collection in 1975)

• Rei Kawakubo’s very first brand, which remains a key pillar for Kawakubo herself as well as the larger brand today. The collections initially showed in Tokyo, then moved to Paris in 1981 where it famously created a sensation. Kawakubo’s purest emotions and creations—what she’s feeling the strongest—is showcased here

Comme des Garçons Homme: 1978

• This first diffusion line within the CDG umbrella was designed by Kawakubo until 2003, followed by Keiichi Tanaka, and currently, Junya Watanabe. Designed under the guiding ethos of “Good Sense, Good Quality,” pieces are simple with a sense of inventiveness: something that appears straightforward from the outside may conceal the unexpected details on the interior, the stitches…

Tricot Comme des Garçons: 1981 – 2022

• Tricot, which means “knitwear” in French, did initially focus on knits, though it has since expanded to include a wide array of products. The aesthetic leans girly, evoking the “kawaii” nature of adolescence. Junya Watanabe also designed for this line, followed by Tao Kurihara. In recognition of Kurihara’s long tenure working on Tricot, the brand name was changed to simply “Tao” in 2022

Robe de Chambre Comme des Garçons Collection: 1981 – 2004

• In French, a robe de chambre is a “dressing gown” or translated literally, “robe for the room.” Designed by Kawakubo, Robe de Chambre sought to provide more simple, wearable options in contrast to the abstract, conceptual nature of Comme des Garçons Collection. The designs started with items appropriate to wear in the home, as the brand name suggests, but eventually evolved to encompass lifestyle in general. It closed in 2004, merging with Comme des Garçons Comme des Garçons in 2005

Comme des Garçons Homme Plus: 1984

• The first mens collection line, can be understood as the mens counterpart to Comme des Garçons Collection (womens); both show in Paris. While building off of traditional menswear staples—tailoring, military wear—Kawakubo introduced materials and silhouettes not often associated with menswear, which was especially radical at the time of the line’s debut

Comme des Garçons Homme Deux: 1987

• Initially started under the concept of “business suits for Japanese people,” drawing from uniforms and British tailoring tradition combined with Comme des Garçons universe idiosyncrasies such as patchwork and faded colors. There was a brand refresh in 2009, paired with a presentation at Pitti Uomo and the start of international distribution (previously only available in Japan)

Comme des Garçons Noir: 1987

• Not much is known about this womenswear line due to the lack of information online other than—and very straightforwardly—the fact that it focused on black garments. Potentially a sister line to Homme Deux

Comme des Garçons SHIRT: 1988

• A brand focusing on Kawakubo’s experimentations within the confines of a shirt, very much aligned with her ethos of reinventing wardrobe staples. The shirts were all initially made in France; the line has since expanded beyond shirts and items made in Japan and other countries. Has also been a canvas for various artist and brand collaborations such as Fred Perry, A$AP Nast, KAWS

Junya Watanabe (womenswear): 1992

• Junya Watanabe started out as a patternmaker at Comme des Garçons and as noted above, was put in charge of various brands before starting an eponymous line within the CDG empire. Presenting in Paris, the line started out as “Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons” simply becoming “Junya Watanabe” in 2021 starting with the spring/summer 2022 collection. A Watanabe signature is the various dichotomies that coexist in a single garment: soft/hard, historicism/futurism, denim/lace… 

Comme des Garçons Comme des Garçons: 1993

• A womenswear line of basics but of course, still through the Kawakubo lens. The products focus on items appropriate for daily life that feature CDG signatures such as Peter Pan collars, wide legged pants, pleated skirts, polka dots. Known affectionately as “Comme Comme”

Comme des Garçons WALLET: 1994

• Small leather goods that made quite the impact as when it first launched as not many wallets featured a wrap around zip design for the closure. Currently includes a wide range of products including wallets, pouches, card cases, and more. While the solid color leather options remain a staple, new and often playful designs, featuring various emboss, patterns, and more are released seasonally

Comme des Garçons Parfums: 1994

• Conceptual and experimental both in terms of the actual scents as well as the bottle design, deemed “anti-perfume.” The current line-up includes fragrances in collaboration with as ERL, KAWS, Monocle (including candles), Stussy, in addition to cult classics like Wonderwood
  

Junya Watanabe MAN: 2001

• Traditional menswear staples, especially drawn from workwear and militarywear seen through the eyes of Watanabe; a continued focus on CDG themes such as deconstructing existing ideas and creating something new. This ethos is apparent in the brand’s tendency to collaborate with heritage brands like Levi’s, Brooks Brothers. Shows  in Paris. eYe Junya Watanabe is a sub-line within Junya Watanabe MAN, some collabs like Brooks Brothers and North Face carry this name

Play Comme des Garçons: 2002

• Kawakubo was allegedly looking for a logo/icon—not unlike the crocodile for Lacoste—that could represent the brand. The now-famous heart was designed by Filip Pagowski, doodled at the very end of a letter he sent to her. The heart appears on t-shirts, shirts, sweatshirts, sneakers (a collaboration with Converse), making Play one of the most mainstream and accessible points of entry into the CDG world

Tao Comme des Garçons: 2005 - 2011

• Tao Kurihara’s line presented during Paris Fashion Week. Offered a softer, more whimsical and feminine perspective while still exploring the various juxtapositions as many of the CDG lines do. Shuttered in 2011

Ganryu Comme des Garçons: 2007 - 2017

• Designed by Fumito Ganryu, who worked at CDG as a pattern cutter and with Watanabe. A menswear line that mixed American sportswear with Japanese deconstruction. He has since left the CDG family and has launched an independent eponymous brand

Black Comme des Garçons: 2008

• Initially launched as a temporary brand, but has continued to operate due to its popularity. As the name suggests, designs focus on the color black and is unisex. The price point is more affordable than other CDG brands, reflecting the economic state at the time of the brand launch following the Lehman Shock

noir kei ninomiya (womenswear): 2014

• Designed by Kei Ninomiya, who joined CDG as a patternmaker. The brand started out as noir in 2012, becoming noir kei ninomiya in 2014. Utilizes black as the canvas for exploration, including seeking out various shades within black and experiments with textures and different materials such as tulle, organza, pearls, leather. Shows in Paris

Comme des Garçons GIRL: 2015

• A brand by Kawakubo inspired by “adolescence and uniforms.” Often uses materials such as wool gabardine, used in actual uniforms. As epitomized by its trademark item—the jumper skirt, an apron meets skirt—a more feminine, girlish feel

CDG: 2018

• A unisex line created in celebration of the brand’s 50th anniversary under the concept of timeless, collaborative, and iconic. Features a more casual, everyday-product line-up including staples such as parkas, jackets, shirts, t-shirts, tote bags, backpacks, many with “CDG” logo featured prominently—not unlike PLAY. The staff coats—long black coats printed with the season and “Comme des Garcons” name in the back—is from this brand

Tao: 2022

• As noted in the Tricot section, Tricot name changed to Tao in 2022 with Tao Kurihara as the designer, essentially reviving Kurihara’s eponymous line. Shows at the CDG HQ in Tokyo; a whimsical, girlish, with a certain folksy feel