I see a red door
and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
Rolling Stones-Paint it Black

It may be summer, but black is and will always scream classic chic, which is why Comme des Garçons, dropping its new line “Black” at Dover Street Market on June 18th, is exactly what the fashion doc prescribed for the summer: a gorgeous dose of black to rein in the beautiful cacophony of summer colors.

Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons, was founded in 1969 by Rei Kawakubo, who then expanded her artistic expression to create DSM, an eclectic department store, situated in London, housing the funkiest styles. Many respected designers’ apparel, perfumes and wallets are showcased there; Boudicca, Raf Simons, Junya Watanabe, Giles Deacon and Luella Bartley to name a few. With surreal art displayed on each of the impressive six floors of this fashion house, expect to be blown away, and even to pick up some creative vibes of your own as you sift the plethora of fashion goods before you.

“Black” is a collection of t-shirts, hoodies, Bearbrick metal jewelry and Comme des Garçons’ iconic styles (best selling, out of the ordinary silhouettes, prints of checkerboard, polka dots and gingham etc.) in black to celebrate CDG’s 40th anniversary. The collection is already available in two Tokyo department stores, and in other shops across Asia. On June 22nd, a freestanding “Black” store will open in New York located at 10th Avenue and 17th Street in Chelsea, and it will also be available for purchase at Barneys on June 22nd for two weeks. Paris is also a happy camper, as it will receive the gift of “Black”, albeit for a limited time. Kawakubo’s creation has already garnered a staggering number of addicts; we expect big things for the upcoming launches! It’s available for only 18 months, so get to purchasing and rocking your timeless black gear.

Prices range from $84-$147 for tees, and $350-$625 for jackets, half the price of the main CDG line. For more information or to visit the DSM Estore: http://www.doverstreetmarket.com/

A few weeks back we told you about a newly announced collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Comme des Garçons. Nitrolicious gave us a sneak peak at the line and I must admit, I was a bit disappointed. I think I was expecting more from Rei Kawakubo. Her design is so unique and always takes me by surprise and I felt that the pieces were either boring or ugly or a combination of both. I know! So weird! I love LV but I’m just not feeling this. My favorite is the multi-handle speedy because I feel like I can see the CDG personality show through - somewhat playful, irreverant and unique.

The other pieces are a bit boring. Look, see what I mean:

These are bags from the regular Louis Vuitton collection:

Here is the Louis Vuitton x Comme des Garçons version:

Really? The thing that makes these bags so uniquely LV x CDG is that Rei Kawakubo took off the tan leather trim? You added darker trim so it already looks old? Not sure if it’s just me but one of the extreme pleasures I get in buying new LV bags is watching the light tan leather get darker with age. I was expecting so much more!! This is in no way hate for LV. I love LV so I suppose I hold them to a very high standard - and I feel like this collaboration falls short.

Photos by Jean-Marc Ce�?dile and Philippe Jumin for Louis Vuitton via Nitrolicious

Some more boring bags after the jump . . .

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Two of my favorite brands, Louis Vuitton and Comme des Garçons, are teaming up to open a joint retail space in Tokyo. The store will be open for 3 months, and marks Louis Vuitton’s 30th anniversary of its retail presence in Tokyo. The Comme des Garçons store on Kottodori is being remodeled with Louis Vuitton contributing to the expense and with the profits shared among the two companies. For the pop-up shop, Rei Kawakubo designed six “one-off” bags in the LV monogram pattern, and can be ordered by shoppers.

Kawakubo described her designs as ‘party’ bags, promising multi-handles or two handles morphing into one. All will use the Monogram toile, with the LV initials, and the offerings will hark back to the styles of 30 years when Vuitton made only bags and leather goods.

This is one of the most exciting collaborations and I’m very excited to see how these compaines join to create one retail space. We’ll have to wait until September to see!

Image & Info: The Moment

H&M has announced their next designer collaborator…and what better than Comme Des Garcons?!

This famous Japanese avant-garde label, will be providing a lovely range of men’s, women’s, and childrenswear, accessories and a new unisex fragrance, all thanks to Rei Kawakubo.

The collaborative line will be releasing in Tokyo (in honor of its Japanese roots) in November and will be launched everywhere else a few days later.

Luckily, I know someone who works at H&M and will be getting first dibs!

Source

Just when you thought mainstream collaborations couldn’t get more mind blowing (I mean really what could compare to H & M x Karl Lagerfeld?!!?), H & M teams up with the likes of Comme Des Garçons to debut a collection this Fall (I know, we have to wait that long, WTH!?!) Comme Des Garçons founder and head designer Rei Kawakubo will create this autumn’s guest designer collection. Here is what she had to say about the collection:

“I have always been interested in the balance between creation and business. It is a dilemma, although for me creation has always been the first priority. It is a fascinating challenge to work with H&M since it is a chance to take the dilemma to its extreme, and try to solve it”, says Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garçons.

The collections will include items for both men, women and children as well as accessories and an exclusive unisex fragrance.

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Dover Street Market does it again. They just released some amazing new product that I’m sure folks will be clamoring for including a DSM x Kaws t-shirt, Comme des Garçons Tartan Wallets and the iconic Lewis Leather Motorcycle Jackets re-fabricated in unusual and interesting woven fabrics. As usual, many of these products are exclusive to DSM so you can either get some of the stuff online or you’ll have to go to London town.

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Dover Street Market is one of my favorite boutiques in the world. Yes, it’s that amazing. How could it not be? It’s the brain child of Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons fame. One of the cool things about DSM is the space and how it’s laid out. There are 6 floors and each have their own theme and the spaces within each floor are being constantly updated. DSM recently revamped 2 sections: Lanvin by Alber Elbaz and the Bookspace: “Opposition: British Alternative Culture of the 1980’s,” by Angela Hill. They’ve also updated their shop with new product from Number (N)ine, Undercover, Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony, Rodarte, Comme des Garçons, Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, Junya Watanabe, Junya Watanabe MAN, Tao Comme des Garçons, Comme des Garçons Homme Deux, Ganryu, Christopher Kane, Sara Lanzi, Gareth Pugh, Marios Schwab and Toga. Impressive line-up if I ever saw one. If you’re not in London now, be sure to make a mental note about DSM - this is a definite must-see for any London trip.